Executive Committee

President:

Toward the beginning of my professional career, one of the principals in my firm asked if I would consider a position on WASLA's Executive Committee. I was very flattered and excited about the opportunity. Following that invitation, I have served as secretary for 7 years, President for 3, served on several committees and now am President again. Looking back, I understand how much volunteering on the Executive Committee has given me in return. It is a wonderful opportunity to grow professionally, make friends, and give back to colleagues in a meaningful way ... And have fun! I am so proud of how far we have come as a Committee since I started and incredibly appreciative of the hard work of everyone who has served our Chapter. When I'm not running my company or working with WASLA, I enjoy ice hockey, photography and travel ... especially to Africa.

President Elect:

I have over 30 years experience in environmental planning and design and as a Project Manager and have worked extensively for both private and public sector clients. For WASLA I have served as committee chair for the Awards and Public Relations committees in the past, as Chapter liaison for the WASLA/NPS-RTCA joint charrettes over the past 12 years, as a previous Chapter President, as a two-term Trustee, as a participant in local and national public relations and government affairs activities, including membership on three national committees, and currently as President-Elect.

In my over 25 years of service to WASLA, there are many rewarding things to relate. It is always fun to encounter former students at UW and WSU when I was Awards Committee Chair that are now accomplished professionals. It is great to see the growth of WASLA over the years and see how fortunate we are when compared to some Chapters in terms of retaining membership, having a financially sound organization, and capable leadership and administrative support. It is rewarding to see the visibility the Chapter has gained throughout the state as a result of our participation in the WASLA/NPS-RTCA charrettes and other events. It was an honor to participate with many others to help with our licensure effort to change our Title Act to a Practice Act. WASLA has always had and will continue to have a special place in my heart. I have enjoyed meeting many professionals and students across the state over the past 25 years or so.

Past President:

In 2005 I was asked by Maureen Colaizzi to serve on the Executive Committee as the chapter secretary. I felt honored and privileged to be asked to fill the position and have served our chapter membership for the last 6 years as secretary and president. Volunteering on the Executive Committee has given me the opportunity to grow professionally as a leader in our organization and in my career as a project manager with the City of Sammamish. When I'm not volunteering on the Executive Committee I enjoy traveling, running and spending as much time as possible with my husband and son.

Trustee:

Curtis was born in central Massachusetts where he enjoyed spending time in the forests and working at a dairy farm. He attended the University of Massachusetts and moved to Cape Cod where he worked in design/build. He later moved to Boston and studied part time at several colleges. In the early 1980s Curtis moved to Alaska and worked construction to save money to complete his undergraduate degree in landscape architecture at the University of Idaho. After working in Anchorage for a few years for a large engineering firm, Curtis attended the University of Illinois to earn an MLA with an emphasis in Land Resource Planning. After graduation he relocated to Seattle where he has worked with multi-disciplinary consulting firms for the past 21 years. Curtis serves as co-chair of the North Beacon Hill Council and volunteers his time working with the Washington Middle School and Garfield High School jazz bands where his daughter and son play bass and piano.

Treasurer:

As the Treasurer since 2004, I have had the privilege to work for WASLA, and see it evolve into an effective organization representing the interests of its individual and enterprise members in the state of Washington. In all these years, WASLA has grown from approximately 280 members to 380+ members.

With over fifteen years of project design and planning experience in landscape architecture, I am registered to practice in the States of Washington, Arizona, and California. As a graduate from the University of Arizona with a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and a certified Wetland Specialist after completing the Wetland Science and Management Program at the University of Washington, my experience span a vast genre of projects from traditional landscape architecture to wetland and stream restoration and mitigation design. As a strong proponent of the WASLA cause and its goals, I have had the opportunity to get the word out and support events and seminars that promote and increase interaction amongst members.

Secretary:

Since the 10th grade I have dreamed of becoming a landscape architect. As we are pleasantly reminded day in and day out, many people do not know what a landscape architect is. I was fortunate enough to find the profession pretty early in life through a landscape architecture class at Wilson High School in Tacoma. From that moment I was hooked and have loved every minute of it since.

One of my proudest days was earning my licensure back in 2006. In preparing for the exam, I started many connections with fellow aspiring LA's and found that sharing our knowledge and experiences helped me not only pass the exam, but also to be a better landscape architect.

Through these connections, WASLA has given me the most value. Through WASLA I can give back to those also entering the profession and I can grow from those that are more experienced. Through WASLA I can advocate for our profession and I can educate those that do not understand it.

Member at Large
(Western Washington)

Being a part of WASLA is important to me because it aids my professional development, provides business development opportunities for my firm and offers sources of inspiration that constantly remind me why I became a landscape architect. On the professional development side, it has not only given me opportunities to lead, but shown me examples of what good leadership is and how to provide it. You could pay hundreds of dollars, sit in a seminar on leadership and still not get to the experience that you can get by being a part of WASLA committee. Additionally, after moving out here from the DC area several years ago, it wasn't until I became active in WASLA that I really began to expand my network of landscape architecture colleagues—people that I now consider mentors and friends. Whether I have a question on detail, need a recommendation for a contractor or simply want to vent some frustration, my WASLA contacts have always been there for me. For business development, I work for a multidisciplinary firm and have been able to market my firm's other services by setting up meet-and-greets built off of the relationships I have made through WASLA. Furthermore, by serving on the Professional Development and Conference Committees, I have made contacts at various cities, counties, and organizations that have the potential to provide work for my firm, and some of them have. Last, we all struggle some days—these are challenging times. On those days, I attend a lecture, a conference, or participate in a charrette and they bring me back down to earth and reignite the creative juices. Only WASLA provides all of these opportunities to me locally and you can't put on value on that.

Associate
Member at Large
(Western Washington)

I am currently a landscape architect for BCRA in their Seattle office. A relatively recent transplant to the Northwest, I received my Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois and a Master of Urban Design from the University of Michigan. Having served for two years on ASLA's Student and Emerging Professional Committee I am happy to get more involved locally with WASLA. My past experience with chapters in both Illinois and Virginia has shown me how important a strong ASLA chapter can be as an advocate in protecting our profession, particularly with the recent push for practice acts in all 50 states, and hope I can continue that same WASLA tradition during my term.

Member at Large
(Eastern Washington)

Craig Andersen has recently joined the Landscape Architecture and Land Planning team in AHBL's Spokane office. Craig brings over 10 years of experience in land planning, landscape architecture, and project management. Craig has a wide range of experience in public and private development including high-end custom residential homes, mixed use urban developments, regional parks, neighborhood and community planning, and civic and government projects located locally and throughout the world. He is active in the Spokane community's efforts to increase sustainable building and recreational experiences. Craig is a past Co-chair of the Inland Branch of the Cascadia Regional Green Building Council, has served on the Built Environment Committee of the City of Spokane Sustainability Task Force, and currently serves as the Eastern Washington Representative for the Washington Chapter of Landscape Architects.

Associate
Member at Large
(Eastern Washington)

I am a landscape designer with AHBL in Spokane, Washington. I received my BLA from Washington State University and was named the 2010 Outstanding Student in Landscape Architecture. My senior project earned an ASLA National Honor Award that same year. I am currently an Associate ASLA Member and have served as chair of the Student and Emerging Professional Committee for the past year where my work has contributed to the introduction of a student-professional mentorship program at WSU. I am also a member of the WSU Professional Advisory Committee. My professional interests include Low Impact Development (LID), bioregionalism, and environmental graphic design.

I believe that WASLA is critical to the personal development of professional landscape architects and students aspiring to be landscape architects. WASLA goes beyond the traditional office environment to bring real-life experience and educational opportunities to those with and without jobs in the field. In addition, I feel that WASLA is necessary for promoting the profession and overall public outreach.