The 2011-2012 LAF Board of Directors took the reins on October 30 at LAF’s Annual Board Meeting in San Diego. Lucinda Sanders, FASLA of OLIN took over as President, succeeding Kathy Garcia, FASLA of the City of Del Mar, who led the organization during a time of significant growth and evolution. Bill Main, Honorary ASLA of Landscape Forms became President-Elect.

Four Directors assumed new officer roles, rounding out the leadership team:

• Vice President of Finance:
  Mark Dawson, FASLA, Sasaki Associates
• Vice President of Development:
  Gregg Sutton, ASLA, EDSA
• Vice President of Communication:
  Jacinta McCann, FAILA, AECOM
• Vice President of Education:
  Kristina Hill, PhD, Aff. ASLA, University of Virginia
• Vice President of Research:
  Forster Ndubisi, PhD, ASLA, Texas A&M University

Tom Donnelly, ASLA of ValleyCrest Landscape Development retired off the Board after four years of service, including two years as the Vice President of Development. Under his leadership, LAF’s development capacity saw unprecented growth. Patrick Phillips of ULI also leaves the Board after a four-year term in addition to four years of service in the 1990s.

Four new Directors join the LAF Board, including Emily Vogler, LAF’s 2010 National Olmsted Scholar. LAF created this new two-year term Director position for a past Olmsted Scholar in order to gain new input and perpective. The new Directors bring experience and insights from firms, industry and the non-profit sector:

• Uwe Brandes, ULI
• Doug Mann, FASLA, HNTB
• Emily Vogler, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
• Lynda Wightman, Hunter Industries

LAF’s unprecedented growth over the last few years has been a direct result of the vision, leadership, and active involvement of Board members. Thanks to all for your service!

2011-2012 Board of Directors at the LAF Annual Benefit

LAF staff spent a gorgeous afternoon at the Washington Monument in Washington DC, raising awareness about the landscape architecture profession as part of ASLA’s The Understory campaign, which mobilized thousands of landscape architects to plan activities across the country.

Armed with flyers and photos of the site before the award-winning redesign of the grounds, staff spoke with young people, DC residents, park staff, and visitors from across the U.S. and as far away as Australia and India, educating them on what landscape architects do and the key role they played in elegantly incorporating post-9/11 security measures in Washington DC.

Help spread the word about landscape architecture by visiting ASLA’s new public awareness website: http://www.asla.org/design

This month, LAF is pleased to welcome two new staff members. Matt Alcide joins as LAF’s Development Manager, bringing expertise in grant writing, corporate and government relations, and individual giving. A native of Long Island, Matt most recently worked in development at the Alice Ferguson Foundation, an environmental education nonprofit in the DC area. Dabney Kerr, who helped LAF with development through the spring and early summer, will start with the U.S. State Department Overseas Building Operations, ART in Embassies program as a Public Affairs Specialist in August.

Emily DeDad takes over for Amanda Libman as Office Manager. Emily comes to LAF from Pittsburgh, where she had been working at two small non-profits and taking graduate courses in Development Planning and Environmental Sustainability. Amanda is heading off to pursue a Masters of Science in Survey Research and Methodology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she has received a graduate assistantship to work with the Gallup Research Center.

We welcome Matt and Emily and sincerely thank Amanda and Dabney for all of their contributions!

(L-R): Amanda Libman, Emily DeDad, Dabney Kerr, Matt Alcide

Have you checked out the Landscape Performance Series lately? Since the September launch, we’ve added new Case Studies, Factoids, Tools and Scholarly Works. New Case Study Briefs include contributions from Peter Walker and Partners, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and Mithun.

UVA First-year MLA student Katie JenkinsOther resources have been added thanks to our stellar team of Research Assistants. Katie Jenkins and Erica Thatcher, both MLA students at the University of Virginia, are working with professor Kristina Hill to identify new sources for LPS content. Katie has been combing the university databases to seek out factoids from published research and build our collection of student theses and dissertations related to landscape performance. Erica has compiled research on landscape benefits related to soil health and is working to produce a Case Study Brief on the Dell at UVA.

Kent Milson, a Masters of Urban Planning student at Texas A&M, is working with Department Head Forster Ndubisi to identify online calculators and UVA third-year MLA student Erica Thatchertools that can be used to quantify the landscape performance benefits of projects.

You, too, can contribute by sending us any leads on Tools, Factoids, and Scholarly Works. Or showcase your good work by submitting a case study to our growing database of exemplary built projects.

The deadline to submit for the upcoming round of review and publication is Tues, Nov 30. The next call won’t be until April 2011, so submit your case study today!

Cara, Morgan (left) and Anthony (right) pose triumphantly with LAF staff after the Annual Benefit.LAF’s small staff relies on the help of interns to expand our impact. In just the last month, we’ve launched a new website, kicked off our new Landscape Performance Series and Conversations with Leaders in Landscape initiative, run a sweepstakes, manned an ASLA Expo Hall booth, hosted events for our Board, donors, and Olmsted Scholars, and held our most successful benefit to date. (Whew!)

We could never have accomplished all this without this summer’s dedicated team of LAF interns.

Research Assistant Russell Blessing provided remote support for the Landscape Performance Series, helping us build the collection of tools, factoids, and scholarly works.

Tyler and Cara check in Annual Benefit guests.

Summer interns Tyler Smithson and Morgan Handley provided graphic design and ongoing support, particularly for the Annual Benefit, Sweepstakes, and Expo Hall booth. Their dedication to LAF despite holding two other jobs (Tyler) and missing the first two weeks of classes (Morgan) was truly remarkable.

We were extremely fortunate that Cara Kappler, a past LAF intern and Scholarship Coordinator, returned to work with us for the last month. Using experience gleaned from last year’s events, Cara took charge and coordinated many aspects of our Annual Benefit and Expo Hall Booth.

New LAF volunteer Amanda Schull provided Morgan fields questions about the Sustainable Destination Sweepstakes.much-needed assistance and calm during the last week of frantic final preparations and as the events got underway.

Past LAF intern, Anthony Le returned to provide the music and lend an extra hand during our Annual Benefit.

We cannot thank our interns enough for the time and talent they contributed to LAF. Several of them are currently looking for jobs in the landscape architecture field (and the others will be following graduation), so take note, potential employers!