Renowned architect and urban planner Janet Marie Smith is best known in baseball for her work on Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which set the standard for a new wave of ballparks after its opening in 1992. Smith worked for the Orioles from 1989-94 as Vice President of Planning and Development during the design and construction of the park. She later re-joined the club from 2009-12 to direct renovations and expansion of the Orioles’ spring training facility in Sarasota, FL., and upgrades to Camden Yards.

For the last 10 years, Smith has overseen the large-scale improvement/expansion projects at Dodger Stadium and Campo Las Palmas (the club’s home in the Dominican Republic). From modernizing the stadium to incorporating the club’s rich history into the ballpark experience, Smith’s fan-friendly touches have helped keep Dodger Stadium – the third-oldest ballpark in baseball – one of the premier venues in all of sports. Smith initially joined the club as a senior vice president in 2012 and was promoted to her current role as Executive Vice President of Planning and Development in 2020.

From 2002-2009, Smith served as Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Boston Red Sox, overseeing the preservation and expansion of Fenway Park.  Smith was President of Turner Sports and Entertainment Development and Vice President of Planning and Development for the Atlanta Braves from 1994-2000, when she helped transform the 1996 Olympic Stadium into Turner Field and she oversaw the development of the Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena), home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

Outside of baseball, Smith has worked on development projects including Battery Park City in New York, unfulfilled plans for Pershing Square in LA, redevelopment of former industrial buildings on Baltimore’s waterfront, as well as renovation plans for the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, CA.  Most recently, Smith has been leading the efforts to complete a series of short-term and long-term improvements to Stamford Bridge in London, home of Chelsea Football Club.  With a proven track record of spearheading improvements to historic sports venues, Smith is working in tandem with the Chelsea Football Club team to pay homage to the club’s history, directing the exploration of opportunities for future development and the elevation of the fan experience.

Smith was the Edward P. Bass Visiting Professor at Yale University School of Architecture during the Fall of 2017 and has served as a guest lecturer and critique for various other schools of architecture, including Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Morgan State University’s School of Architecture & Planning.  In 2014, Smith was named one of WISE LA’s Women of Inspiration.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree in urban planning from City College of New York.  In 2021, she was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. 

“The three most important things that have happened in baseball since the Second World War were Jackie Robinson taking the field for Brooklyn in 1947, free agency arriving in 1975, and Orioles Park at Camden Yards opening in 1992… The last was an act of heroic nostalgia, but, then, baseball fans are disposed to live with cricks in their necks from looking backwards. Which is why Major League Baseball owes a debt to a willowy woman from Mississippi. To those who said, ‘You can’t turn back the clock,’ Janet Marie Smith responded with ‘Well, we’ll just see about that.’”

George Will, A Nice Little Place on the North Side – 2014

Fran has spent her career exploring the intersection of real estate, urban policy, and sports, most recently as the leader of Mission Rock, a public private partnership between the San Francisco Giants and the City of San Francisco. At the Giants, Fran led the strategy, entitlements, design and construction of this 3.5 million square foot, $2.6 billion mixed use waterfront development, which includes over eight acres of parks, 40% affordable housing, VISA’s Global Headquarters, and a range of local retail and small businesses. With her passion for sustainable development, Fran led the creation of and served as CEO of Mission Rock Utilities, the first ever central heating, cooling, and wastewater treatment district in San Francisco, which allowed the neighborhood to be completely carbon neutral, with zero water waste. She established the founding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program for the community, including the creation of the City’s first ever Women in Building Trades Training Program. In addition to her work on real estate, Fran sat on the Executive Committee of the Giants, and guided long term growth and strategic investments for the baseball club. 

Weld holds a B.S. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a M.B.A. with a concentration in Public Management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of SPUR, an urban policy think tank, and has been named one of Bay Area’s Most Influential Women and “40 Under 40” by the San Francisco Business Times. Weld has taught a master’s level Studio course in UC Berkeley’s Real Estate Development + Design program, and frequently guest lectures at the GSB.

After almost 15 years in California, Fran recently returned to her east coast roots and now lives in Baltimore with her husband, Matthew and their son, Wylie.

Sabriya joins EPP after beginning her career in Minor League Baseball with the Worcester Red Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. While in Worcester, Sabriya spent several years working with Janet Marie Smith on the design and construction of Polar Park, the Team’s new home in Worcester, MA. Sabriya was primarily responsible for researching and curating the various 2-D and 3-D art displays around the ballpark, paying special attention to celebrating the rich history of the city and team. Now, as Manager of EPP, Sabriya is tasked with overseeing the organization’s business operations, and assisting the team with integrating memorabilia, signage, graphics, furniture, and other placemaking elements into different projects. Sabriya holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Communication from Emerson College and is currently based in Massachusetts.

Paul Hanlon joins the Elysian Park Planning team, following his work at Major League Baseball. For the last two decades, Paul has had the unique opportunity and experience of working at both a baseball Club front office (Boston Red Sox) and a League office (Major League Baseball).  In these roles, Paul has overseen a variety of events, as well as operational, security, environmental, and facility related projects and initiatives throughout the year. Paul has had the opportunity to redefine operational procedures and bridge gaps between internal and external departments at both Clubs and the League.

From 2012- 2023, Paul oversaw the relationship between the ballpark operations executives at all 30 Clubs and Major League Baseball.   During this time, Paul and his team grew the Club and League operational relationship to not only include security management, but provide a forum and best practice sharing for all elements of ballpark operations including guest services, environmental operations, facilities management, event operations, and concessions at each club. Paul has had a primary role in overall event planning of league events, including as the Venue Manager for the 2020 Major League Baseball Postseason and World Series “bubble” in Arlington, Texas.  In his MLB role, Paul also managed the League’s sustainability efforts, growing the program from a handful of Clubs participating to all 30 Clubs having a role and voice in these efforts.

A native of Waltham, Massachusetts, Paul is a 2001 graduate of the Boston University College of Communication. Paul resides in Washington, DC.

Caroline joins Elysian Park Planning as a licensed architect with a passion for the planning, design and construction of sports and entertainment venues. Caroline is a champion for collegiate athletes and women’s sports, with over 5 years of experience participating in and managing projects related to NFL stadiums, NBA/NHL arenas, MLB ballparks, and collegiate athletic buildings.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Architecture, Caroline is based in Washington DC.

Thomas comes to Elysian Park Planning from a career in architecture, design, and real estate. As an architect, Thomas worked for Frank Gehry, Gensler, and The Hettema Group before starting his own practice focused on environmental architecture and planning. Notable projects include the Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets, the Abu Dhabi Guggenheim, Sentosa Island resort, an orphanage complex in Haiti, sustainable master plans in Australia, and designs for theme parks in Orlando, Los Angeles, Prague, and Seoul.

Thomas received his Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was awarded the Joe Chole Traveling Fellowship to study the bridges of Iberia and Japan. He earned his Bachelor in Classics from Georgetown University and studied abroad at Cornell’s architecture school in Rome.

Thomas was born in Bangkok, raised in Los Angeles, and lives in Echo Park, California (next to beloved Dodger Stadium). He is LEED Certified, a member of the Art Director’s Guild, CALBRE licensed, and AIA licensed in Texas and California. He spends his free time golfing, gardening, and roadtripping.