2015 ASLA President-Elect Candidate Chad Danos, FASLA
Education: BLA, 1990, Louisiana State University • ASLA Fellow: 2011

Title: Business Unit Leader, Landscape Architecture: Duplantis Design Group, PC, Thibodaux, La., multidisciplinary regional civil engineering, architectural and landscape architecture firm.

Licensed in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

ASLA Service: Influenced at LSU by Professor Dr. Robert "Doc" Reich, FASLA, to get involved in ASLA. Student chapter president and on the steering committee for LABASH '89 at LSU. Louisiana ASLA chapter president (1997); host committee member, ASLA Annual Meeting, New Orleans (2003); VP of government affairs (2013); trustee (2003 –2011); finance and investments committee (2014); chair, government affairs advisory committee (2006–2011); licensure committee (2010–2012); nomination committee (2007); disaster response task force (2005–2008); leadership development committee (2004).

Interests: Has served on local committees to strengthen landscape and stormwater codes; currently the landscape architect representative on the Louisiana Licensing Board. He advocates and continues to educate and defend practice rights for landscape architecture.

Candidate's Concepts and Aims Statement

The collective strength and adaptability of our profession will propel us as problem solvers of the issues we face in the built environment. As landscape architects, we share common values that empower us to create better places in which we live, work, and play. Regardless of how we practice our craft, we all play a critical role in advancing our profession. To do that, we must focus on our shared principles and encourage our fellow colleagues to participate in the conversation with respect to their own technique.

If elected, I will focus on issues that maintain and advance our relevancy as landscape architects. In order to remain viable within our ever-changing world, we must address our profession's lack of diversity, be engaged in the decision making process, and lead on emerging issues.

Diversity – The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2043, our nation's majority population will be comprised of today's minority populace. As our country evolves demographically, we must also face the issue of our profession's lack of ethnic and gender diversity so that landscape architecture will remain a viable option for our future emerging professionals.

Being engaged – Advocating on issues that affect our built and natural world is a responsibility of our stewardship of land and community. We must engage our federal, state, and local decision makers in understanding the full spectrum of the decisions they face.

Emerging issues – Landscape architects' innovation is our strength, which allows us to be at the forefront of new issues we face as a society. Whether green stormwater systems, sustainability, resiliency, or active living, ASLA has been and must continue to be engaged in these and future issues in order to fulfill our collective vision.

I am extremely honored to have been selected as a candidate for president-elect and am humbled by the confidence entrusted to me by the nomination and executive committees. I've been deeply committed to ASLA for nearly 20 years and have witnessed its increased sophistication and tremendous accomplishments as an organization. However, we are far from realizing our collective vision, and I am ready and eager to help guide us closer to our goal.