Kalamazoo, MI – July
18, 2023 – Landscape Forms, North America’s leading designer and manufacturer
of high-design site furniture, structure, LED lighting, and accessories, brought
together 14 female leaders and three female students in landscape architecture
on June 27 and 28 to discuss critical issues and future prospects for women
in the profession. Women in Landscape Architecture: Amplifying Our Voices was
held at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, hosted by Landscape Forms CEO,
Margie Simmons, and moderated by Allyson Mendenhall, FASLA, PLA, Director of
Strategic Initiatives, Sasaki.
Roundtable
participants included women who lead design practices, divisions of large firms,
and non-profit organizations, as well as serve in prominent roles in the public
sector and academia. The discussion focused on structural and cultural issues
facing women in landscape architecture with the goal of identifying ways in
which they can be supported and empowered to utilize their knowledge, skills
and passions; gain recognition for their contributions; have a full voice in
defining the goals and ethos of the profession; and promote equitable and
rewarding opportunities for the women landscape architects of the future.
Margie Simmons
welcomed the group. “Thank you all for taking the time to participate in this Roundtable.
As many of you know, Landscape Forms has a long-term organizational commitment
to the landscape architecture profession. Our founder, John Chipman, was a
landscape architect; our former President and current Chairman, Bill Main, is a
landscape architect and past president of the Landscape Architecture Foundation;
landscape architects are well represented on our Board of Directors; and many
of our product solutions are designed by landscape architects. This is a deeply
personal issue for me, and I have wanted to host an event like this ever since
I became CEO of Landscape Forms. Many
women have had an impact on my career, and I want to pay it forward.”
According to the
VELA Project, while women earn 55% of the degrees in landscape architecture,
just 27% of licensed landscape architects are women and only 12% rise to
leadership positions in the profession. Through the career ladder, there is a
large, observable loss of women in practice and leadership. “That is why we are
here today – to talk about that and what we can do individually and collectively
to solve the issue,” Margie declared. “I believe in the power of many. When we
gather and work together, we can have a real impact for all women in the
profession.”
Moderator Allyson Mendenhall offered her observations on the discussion.
“Landscape architects shape the world in which we live and many of them are
women. We represent an incredible amount of potential and positive impact on
our cities, community spaces, ecosystems and society. That is why this issue of
women in landscape architecture is so important. I was thrilled by the
diversity of perspectives and the level of engagement at the Roundtable,
including that of the students. The discussion revealed the motivation and the
innovation of women working to craft professional paths that are influential
and fulfilling. We saw how women are creating meaningful opportunities for themselves
and others. This event engendered a call to action to assert our value and to seek
out and raise awareness of the many roles and sectors of the economy, beyond narrow
choices, where women landscape architects can inspire change by crafting
individual careers that integrate well with their lives.”
The Roundtable had
an ambitious agenda and goals. Participants reached deep into their own
learning and experiences and engaged in spirited, purposeful exchange to
address critical issues and concrete directions forward for women in the
profession. A whitepaper documenting the discussion will be published by
Landscape Forms and made available online.
Participants
in the Roundtable included:
Aan Coleman, ASLA, LEED, AP, President &
Founder, Coleman & Associates
Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, CEO, Landscape
Architecture Foundation (LAF)
Diana Fernandez Bibeau, Deputy Chief of Urban
Design, City of Boston
Gina Ford, Principal & Co-Founder, Agency
Landscape + Planning
Ying-yu Hung, PLA, FASLA, Managing Principal,
SWA
Diane Jones Allen, D.Eng., PLA, FASLA, Director/Professor of
Landscape Architecture, University of Texas at Arlington, and Principal
Landscape Architect, DesignJones LLC
Elizabeth J Kennedy, FASLA, RLA, Principal, Elizabeth
Kennedy Landscape Architect, PLLC
Karen Janosky, ASLA, Director of the
Master in Landscape Architecture Program, Harvard University Graduate School of
Design
Diane Lipovsky, Partner &
Co-Founder, Superbloom
Adrienne McCray, RLA, ASLA, Principal, Lee and
Associates, Inc.
Stacy Passmore, Partner &
Co-Founder, Superbloom
Maura Rockcastle ASLA, PLA, Principal &
Co-Founder, TEN x TEN Landscape Architecture
Sarah M. Whiting, Dean and Josep Lluís
Sert Professor of Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Naomi Canino, Student & LAF Ignite Awardee,
Rhode Island School of Design
Jakobi Johnson, Student & LAF
Scholar, Michigan State University
Cheryl Zeng, Student & LAF Scholar, Cornell
University
About Landscape Forms
Landscape Forms is
the industry leader in integrated collections of high-design site furniture,
structures, accessories, and advanced LED lighting. Since its founding in 1969
Landscape Forms has earned a reputation for excellent design, high quality
products and exceptional service. The company is headquartered in Kalamazoo,
Michigan, and our family of brands includes Loll Designs in Duluth, Minnesota;
Summit Furniture in Monterey, California; and Kornegay Design located in
Phoenix, Arizona. It
has sales representatives throughout North America, South America, the United
Kingdom, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia. Landscape Forms collaborates
with renowned industrial designers and consultancies, landscape architects, and
architects to design and develop integrated collections of products that
address emerging needs and help create a sense of place. Additionally, the
company has formed global marketing partnerships with select companies that
share its commitment to design. Landscape Forms has an
installed base of products around the world. Clients include municipalities,
transit centers, corporate, college and health care campuses; and familiar
brand leaders such as Harvard University, Linked In, New York Central Park
Conservancy, Bryant Park, Google, Coca Cola, Oculus, U.S. Tennis Association
(USTA), Nike, National Museum of African American History (Washington, D.C.),
Barclays Center, Adidas, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Microsoft, and
Uber. We’ve been named one of the Best Workplaces in Manufacturing &
Production for 2020, 2021 and 2022 by Fortune magazine, Michigan Manufacturer
of the Year for 2020 by the Michigan Manufacturers Association, and by 269
Magazine as one of Southwest Michigan’s Wonderful Workplaces.