Iowa Parks and Recreation director to lead Society

Washington, D.C.—October 14, 2009 — The American Society of Landscape Architects inducted Gary D. Scott, FASLA, as the 65^th president of the 17,000 member society during the 2009 Annual Meeting and EXPO in Chicago.

As director of Parks and Recreation for the city of West Des Moines, Iowa, since 1990, Scott leads a dynamic department in a rapidly growing suburban community. Focusing on long-range planning, partnership building, advocacy, financing and public management, he plays a vital role in creating parks and open spaces. He earned his bachelors degree in landscape architecture in 1980 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

During his first speech as ASLA president, Scott encouraged his peers to “regenerate the role of the landscape architect as a source of cultural transformation.”

“We create beautiful spaces in harmony with nature. We play a major role in developing the tools to implement a broader green agenda – green roofs, stormwater management, alternate transportation, porous alleys and ecosystem reclamation, to name a few” said Scott. “All of these efforts transform the way people view the city, and in doing so, transform our culture.”

President-elect is Jonathan Mueller, FASLA. He is currently a senior landscape architect with Landmark, a landscape architectural studio of Architects West in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, that he helped establish in 1984.

Also installed were three vice presidents, who will serve two-year terms:

• Liz Birkholz, ASLA, vice president of communications and a landscape architect in Seattle
• Stephanie V. Landregan, ASLA, vice president of government affairs and director for the landscape architecture program at the University of California Los Angeles Extension
• Richard S. Hawks, FASLA, vice president of education and chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.

Continuing with the second year of their terms are Vice President of Finance Pamela M. Blough, ASLA; Vice President of Membership Brian J. Dougherty, FASLA; and Vice President of Professional Practice Gary A. Brown, FASLA.

About ASLA

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing 17,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. The Society's mission is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. Members of the Society use the “ASLA” suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Learn more about landscape architecture online at www.asla.org.



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Jim Lapides
American Society of Landscape Architects
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