2025 Fellows: Ann English, FASLA, Potomac Chapter

Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County, MD
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Ann English has focused on sustainability and resilience of local, regional, and national landscapes for over thirty-five years. Long before the term "green Infrastructure" was coined, Ann was developing ecological methodologies that highlight the practice of landscape architecture as a field centered on the relationships of soil types, plant communities, and the distinct history of diverse sites. Her research has focused on ecological methodologies and integrated field archival research, influencing landscape architecture education. She has greatly influenced the design and management of green stormwater flow impact development infrastructure in Montgomery County and the surrounding region. Her extensive career in landscape architecture has spanned private, nonprofit, academic, and public sector work. In the1990s Ann taught dozens of design studios at the University of Georgia. After relocating to Maryland in 2005, Ann initiated her award-winning RainScapes Schools Program (2009), focusing on green infrastructure demonstration installations linked to a creative curriculum. Through the RainScapes program, Ann has facilitated the installation of over 500 gardens that capture stormwater and promote biodiversity. Over the past 15 years, more than 3000 Montgomery County Public School students have learned about green infrastructure and the role landscape architects play in its design. In 2012, she began working with the National Wildlife Federation to develop the Sacred Grounds program that was piloted in Montgomery County and is now a national program connecting congregational values with actions centered on clean water and habitat creation. Ann published a children's book titled "A is for Aquifer" to educate young audiences about watershed health. She has received various awards, including the Sustained Environmental Stewardship Award in 2023 and the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in 2018.