Welcome New Executive Committee Members

NCASLA is excited to announce the newest members of the Executive Committee!

President Elect - Dan Lambert

Dan is the Director of Landscape Architecture for McAdams in their Charlotte office and has been in professional practice for 23 years. Dan's career has taken him from his original home state of Colorado to coastal South Carolina and ultimately to Charlotte where he continues to deliver high-quality design, urban planning, and guides a team of eight fellow landscape architecture professionals to reach their professional goals and potential while building the framework at McAdams for them to grow into a regional and national presence. Dan has been a member of ASLA since he was a student at Colorado State University in the late nineties and has been active in membership at varying levels since. Dan has spent the last six years serving the North Carolina Chapter as a volunteer and in the elected position of Member-at-Large for Conferences and Awards. Dan's passion as an advocate for the profession and to promote quality landscape architecture works within our communities drives his desire to serve the membership. Dan has helped coordinate several conferences, online webinar offerings, and continuing educational events. Dan's current efforts include reconnecting with fellow professional organizations and Universities to host shared events for the benefit of all we serve.

Secretary - Brenna Laffey

Brenna is a landscape designer and project manager at Design Workshop in the Raleigh studio. She holds her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University, where she served as President of the Student Chapter of ASLA, and is actively pursuing professional licensure. Her experience and interests in the field translate across multiple scales of intervention, from large-scale systems thinking to crafting thoughtful details. Brenna’s background in interior design and materials fuels her passion for human-scale place-making. Inspired by witnessing the catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Sandy in NYC, Brenna has also participated in cross-disciplinary teams working in the realm of resiliency and environmental justice. She believes that design at any scale can be a powerful medium in addressing complex issues and advocates for equitable, meaningful, and sustainable solutions. Brenna is experienced in project management and has worked on a variety of project types from land use planning at a County level to traditional landscape and site design.

Trustee - Zak Pierce

Zak’s dedication and interest with ASLA began more than 15 years ago at Penn State, where he served as Secretary for their Landscape Architecture Student Society. Once in North Carolina, he continued his commitment and immediately became involved with the NC Chapter by volunteering on several long-range and conference planning committees. His progression within the Society has included the following path of participation:

• NCASLA – Associate Member at Large

• NCASLA – President

• National ASLA – Chapter Presidents Council Chair

• National ASLA – Leadership Development Committee

• 2022 NCASLA – Conference Planning Committee Member

• Active Participant in Advocacy and Legislative Days

His current Society participation includes:

• NCASLA Secretary

• NCASLA Constitution and Bylaws Committee Chair

• National ASLA Constitution and Bylaws Committee Member

All these roles within ASLA have been spurred by his infectious passion of the Society and his desire to promote landscape architecture with potential and emerging leaders across the country. He truly values the comradery amongst the chapters and serving as a conduit between the NC Chapter and ASLA. He is excited to continue his journey of leadership within an organization that is committed to designing healthy, beautiful, and resilient places for all.

Triad Section Chair - Steve Rasmussen Cancian

Steve Rasmussen Cancian is a PLA and an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at NCA&T. Prior joining the NCA&T faculty, Steve was the principal of Shared Spaces for 17 years--a California rm focused on the participatory design of culturally resonant public spaces and improving neighborhoods without catalyzing gentrication. Clients included the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Fresno, Yosemite and Golden Gate National Parks, and community organizations representing working class renters in Oakland and East Los Angeles. Steve's work has been featured in LAM, the New York Times and the Venice Biennale.

Member-at-Large Government Affairs - Paul Kuhn

Paul Kuhn is a licensed landscape architect who has worked for Cary, NC for over 18 years. Paul is currently the Capital Program Manager for Cary overseeing the $1 Billion worth of existing projects occurring in Cary. Paul oversees the twenty-year capital improvement plan for the future of Cary. Prior to coming to Cary he worked in the private sector in Pennsylvania for about 4 years. Paul graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelors in landscape architecture and a minor in planning. He has also successfully completed a course on Municipal Administration from UNC. He is a problem solver who has planned, design and built some of the many “first” projects in Cary. He enjoys working on a range of projects that the public will use from maintaining the current, building for current needs and planning for the future. He has worked on greenways, parks, venues, public safety and other government facility projects during his career. He has also worked closely with the development community building in the community.

Member-at-Large Communications - Lauren Patterson

Lauren is a Landscape Architect and Planner with 10 years of experience leading projects from large scale regional planning initiatives to detailed immersive designs. She has worked on a wide variety of projects throughout the U.S. and is involved in outreach and advocacy for smart planning and design initiatives throughout the country. As a Planning and Design Project Manager at VHB in Charlotte NC, she is passionate about improving the world of transportation and development through smart design and collaboration. She has been involved in ASLA for about 7 years and is active in a variety of aligning professional organizations as well. She currently serves as the Urban Design PPN Co-Chair and is involved in National ASLA committees. 

Member-at-Large Awards - Jael Wagoner

Ms. Wagoner is an Assistant Vice President at Qunity, with 19+ years of experience in Land Development, Landscape Architecture, and Land Planning. Jael has project understanding and practical experience in many areas of Land Development: Private- Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Mixed-Use; Public- Parks and Recreation, Streetscape, K-12 Education, Higher Education, Government Facilities, and Aviation; and Energy: Power and Delivery, Transmission, and Renewable Energy. Jael’s experience includes master planning, site analysis, feasibility studies, conceptual design, site layout, detailed grading and stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, planting plans, specification coordination, regulatory permitting, cost estimating, construction drawing preparation, construction administration, and client management. Jael is a 2021 graduate of the ACEC/NC Future Leaders program. Jael is also a United States Navy Veteran with a combined nine years of active and reserve service.

Jael has been actively involved with the North Carolina chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects since 2019, serving as a NCASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture Committee Member (2020), as the NCASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture Conference Committee Chair and Awards Co-Chair (2021-2022), and returning as the NCASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture Conference Committee Chair and Awards Co-Chair for 2023-2024.

NC State Department Chair - María Bellalta

María is Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at North Carolina State University. Her career is distinguished by the work she has produced over the past 30 years through research, teaching, academic administration, and practice in landscape architecture. Her research is focused on the urbanization of the Global South, its environmental and social impacts, and is informed by international projects and collaborations and her roots in Latin America. She offers a worldview that considers the cultural values of a given place in relation to the geographical landscape of the region as the driving forces behind future models of urbanization. 

María serves on the International Federation of Landscape Architects - Americas Region (North, Central, and South America); she is member of IFLA - Americas Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (ACLAS); and is the American Society of Landscape Architects’ (ASLA) delegate to IFLA - Americas.

She has engaged in academic collaborations with Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia; Centro Metropolitano de Arquitectura Sustentable in Mexico City; Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico; Isthmus, Panama; among other academic institutions in Latin America. Her professional experience includes positions with Buró Verde Arquitectura, Martha Schwartz Partners, Sasaki Associates, and Copley Wolff Design Group, where as design director and project manager she has executed a range of urban design, planning, and landscape architecture projects nationally and internationally. 

María has served as trustee for the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. She is former dean and head of the School of Landscape Architecture, Boston Architectural College. She received her Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, with prior studies in environmental psychology from the University of Notre Dame. María is originally from Chile.

Fellow Chair - Gene Bresller

Professor Emeritus Gene Bressler, FASLA was head of the Department of Landscape Architecture from 2006 – 2018. He is currently in Phased Retirement status serving as the Founding Director of the College’s emerging Design Collaborative. He co-teaches the First-Year Fall MLA Design Studio with Professor Carla Delcambre and mentors the faculty and students on their scholarly and academic projects, courses, and careers. His research and teaching focuses on urban growth, sustainable development, and the planning and design strategies for “Challenging Suburbia.” In 2008, he co-authored, with the University of Colorado Professor Allan Wallis, “Oh Give Me Land, Lots of Land,” in the book Healing the West by Professor Patricia Limerick.

SAVE THE DATE! NCASLA 2024 CONFERENCE

Save the date for the 2024 NCASLA Conference in Asheville, NC.

Additional details to come.

UPLIFT NC

CLT Park(ing) Day 2023

Charlotte Section Chair, Ellen Servies, has preparations underway for Park(ing) Day 2023!  For anyone who may be unfamiliar, Park(ing) Day is an initiative where people all over the world repurpose parking spaces into tiny parks for the day.  It is intended to influence the way people utilize and interact with streets. 

Park(ing) Day falls on September 15th this year. Spaces will be reserved in South End as it’s a location with high foot traffic and easy access along the light rail.   She has already spoken with CDOT, and they have no conflict with the spaces selected (see images below).

To reserve a space for your firm, please email Ellen with your top 3 choices by end of day on July 11th.  Use the below images to tell choose which numbered spaces you want and list in order of preference.  After spaces are figured out, the next step will be developing plans to submit to CDOT.  Once all responses are received, a follow up email will be sent with next steps. 

The Barrs Open

Barrs Recreation Presents - The Barrs Open July 7, 2023, 6 - 9 pm.

Important Update: Increasing Membership Dues for a Stronger Community

As an esteemed member of NCASLA, we greatly appreciate your ongoing support and participation. Today, we are reaching out to you with an important announcement regarding a necessary adjustment in our membership dues. Over the years, our organization has grown, attracting new members like yourself who share a common passion and drive for our mission. Together, we have created meaningful connections and made a tangible impact in our community. However, to sustain our growth and continue servicing each of our members, we find it imperative to reassess our financial resources. In recent times, the cost to service individual members has increased due to inflation and rising operational costs. As a result, it has become challenging to maintain the same level of service excellence without making any adjustments to our funding structure. To ensure the long-term stability, vitality, and effectiveness of our organization, we have made the decision to increase membership dues. We firmly believe that this adjustment in membership dues is essential for the sustainability and growth of our community. We have looked at the surrounding chapters and here is their fee structure for comparison:

Based on these figures and our current fee structure, our new membership fees are listed below:

We understand that you may have questions or concerns about this adjustment. Therefore, we invite you to submit comments for the board to review. This period will be open from June 8th to July 16th.

Your continued support and dedication have been invaluable to NCASLA, and we remain committed to providing you with the utmost value for your membership. By increasing the dues, we can ensure a sustainable future for NCASLA and maintain our ability to deliver exceptional services and benefits to each member.

We sincerely hope that you understand the necessity of this change and appreciate your cooperation in this matter. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful difference and foster a stronger, more vibrant community.

Thank you for your understanding, support, and commitment. We look forward to your continued involvement in NCASLA.

Warm regards,

Nancy Haywood

Executive Director, NCASLA

On behalf of the NCASLA Executive Committee

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Selects María Bellalta as New Head of Department

By Christine Klocke

After conducting a national search, the College of Design at North Carolina State University has selected María Bellalta to serve as the head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, effective July 1. María is currently dean and faculty at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) School of Landscape Architecture, where she directs both graduate and undergraduate programs and teaches design theory and practice as well as interdisciplinary studios on social urbanism.

María’s career is distinguished by the admirable work she has produced over the past 30 years across research, teaching, academic administration and practice in landscape architecture. Her research is focused on the urbanization of the Global South, its environmental and social impacts, and is informed by international projects and collaborations and her roots in Latin America.

Her recent book: Social Urbanism: Reframing Spatial Design – Discourses from Latin America examines rapidly developing cities in Latin America. The book expands a worldview which considers the cultural values of a given place as they connect to the geographical landscape of the region and as the driving forces behind future models of globalization and urban growth.
“We are delighted to have María on board, and look forward to the global, interdisciplinary work she can bring to the department,” says Mark Elison Hoversten, dean of the College of Design. “She is an active collaborator with leading organizations including the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), of which she is a fellow, and strives to bring forward a diverse, emerging generation of landscape architects who consider social and environmental justice in their work.”

Derived from her research work in Latin America, María leads international studios focused on social urbanism based in Medellín, Colombia and Mexico City, Mexico, as rapidly expanding cities that exhibit ecological, economic, and social dilemmas exacerbated by a climate crisis era. Since 2015, she has invited students to work alongside local landscape architecture and design students, broadening students’ perceptions of the discipline. Her work guides students through planning strategies that reconsider design in service of diverse communities and frames social urbanism as a means for inclusive development across territories.

“I am excited to be joining the faculty and students in the College of Design,” Bellalta states. “The caliber of the students and the scholarship of the faculty are fundamental to expanding the social and environmental focus of urbanism and the landscape architecture discipline today. I continue to explore means for understanding the ways in which communities are intimately connected to their landscapes and look forward to working together to influence urbanization in the future through this lens.”

María received her MLA from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, with prior studies in environmental psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Her professional experience includes positions with Buró Verde Arquitectura, Martha Schwartz Partners, Sasaki Associates, and Copley Wolff Design Group.

María is a trustee for the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, ASLA Delegate to the International Federation of Landscape Architects – Americas Region and serves on the Americas Council of Landscape Architecture Schools. She has engaged in academic collaborations with Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia, and Centro Metropolitano de Arquitectura Sustentable in Mexico City, among other academic institutions in Latin America.

Dean Hoversten thanks the search committee, chaired by Tsai Lu Liu, for its important work.