NCASLA 2021 Executive Committee Candidates Announced

NCASLA presents the following as the 2021 Executive Committee candidates. Voting members should have received the ballot in their email. If you did not receive your ballot, please contact membership@ncasla.org.

President - Elect

Joshua Karrick, Cline Design

Josh Karrick is a Landscape Architect with over 20 years of experience and is now based in Raleigh, NC. He recently served NCASLA as the Mountain Section Chair for over three years prior relocating and assuming the role of the Triangle Section Chair and now works as the Associate Director of Land Planning for Cline Design Associates. Josh has a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Kentucky and is also a Certified Planner. In addition to serving on the NCASLA Board, Josh served on the Kentucky ASLA Executive Committee in a variety of roles including President and Sponsorship Chair, and on the Kentucky APA Board as Professional Development Officer and Section Chair.

Secretary

Zak Pierce, CLH Design

As a Vice President of CLH design, Zak leads a team of landscape architects, designers, and civil engineers with the development of design plans for a variety of civic, recreational and educational projects. His dedication to ASLA reaches back to his role as the Secretary for Penn State’s Landscape Architecture Student Society. Once in North Carolina, Zak immediately became involved with NCASLA by volunteering on several long-range and conference planning committees. As an active member of the North Carolina Chapter of ASLA, Zak works diligently to advocate for the profession. He served as NCASLA Membership Chair, NCASLA Chapter President, ASLA Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) Chair, and recently was selected to serve on the ASLA Leadership Development Committee. He is also a frequent speaker at parks/recreation, public safety, and landscape architecture conferences to further his professional development and promote the importance of landscape architecture. Zak values the comradery amongst landscape architects and would be honored to serve as the NCASLA Secretary.

Member at Large- Licensure & State Advocacy

Kevin Barnes, Draper Aden Associates

Kevin has enjoyed nearly 30 years of consulting as a Landscape Architect. He loves what he does, and he loves our profession. This passion for our profession and my desire to serve (Ut Prosim) have inspired him to serve both the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters. Kevin believes sharing his passion and how our profession's responsibilities include protecting the health, safety, and well-being of the public is key to protecting our profession; what we love and how we make a living. Stories, especially memorable ones, make a difference when communicating to people who may not understand what we do. Kevin have plenty to tell… and he loves telling them.

Coastal Section Chair

Sharon Rhue, The East Group

Sharon fell in love with landscape architecture as an extension of her love for the natural and built environments of Southern California 25 years ago and has never looked back. Upon returning to her native NC in 1999, Sharon continued the education she began at UCLA with a Masters of Landscape Architecture from NCSU. After several years in Raleigh, her career took her to Greenville, NC, where she is currently a Senior Landscape Architect at The East Group. In this smaller market my practice is broad. I am interested in coastal ecologies and the smart growth of urbanizing communities. Another interest involves the intersection of art and architecture, which has led to long-term engagement with Pitt County Arts Committee where Sharon currently serves as Chairperson.

Mountain Section Chair

Drake Fowler, The North Carolina Arboretum

Drake Fowler is Deputy Executive Director/CFO for The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, directing the finance, development, horticulture, facilities, and information technologies departments. He manages a $6 million annual budget and has led more than $5 million in capital improvements Drake co-led a 20-year campus master planning process during 2020. He was recently elected chair of the American Public Garden Association CFO council, representing 200 institutions. Drake previously worked 12 years for Design Workshop, an international, award-winning landscape architectural firm, serving as the operations manager for both the Asheville and flagship Denver offices. He worked with the firm’s national leadership on firm strategy, finance, HR and daily operations. As a licensed and LEED AP certified landscape architect, he served as project manager on multi-million-dollar projects, designed and built throughout the United States and internationally, including three years leading landscape design and construction for Sierra-Nevada Brewery’s eastern U. S. manufacturing and tourism facility. Drake is the co-author of A Guide to Strategic Planning: How to Build & Critique a Plan with Data and Research. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Carolina University.