Ahead of the May elections for the position of ASLA President-Elect, candidates Jennifer Nitzky, PLA, FASLA, ISA and Gretchen Wilson, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, WEDG shared their reasons for pursuing the presidency with ASLA's online platform LAND.

The question posed to the candidates asked: "Why do you want to serve as President of ASLA?"

 
Nitzky's response centers around her excitement regarding the ASLA's current strategic plan and initiatives, particularly the focus on "elevating awareness, growing our profession, and demonstrating our leadership in designing for environmental and social challenges." She shares that she is, "deeply passionate about landscape architecture and committed to expanding awareness of our profession's transformative power." As ASLA President, Nitzky wants to provide opportunities for members to advance in their careers, connect with their peers across the society, and receive business support.

Wilson's response focuses on giving back to an organization she says has been invaluable to her career in the landscape architecture industry. "Driven by the belief that what [Landscape Architects] do is valuable and indispensable," Wilson expresses a commitment to connecting with vested individuals across the spectrum, from students to lawmakers to Practicing Landscape Architects (PLAs) to the general public. Her goal is to share the value of landscape architecture and inspire the next generation of Landscape Architects while increasing public collaboration with and reliance on the ASLA and the services its members provide.

Voting for the president-elect will be open to all Full, Fellow, Associate, Student and International ASLA members in good standing May 6 through June 6.

LASN reached out to the candidates for comment, but had not heard back at the time of publication.

To see the candidates' previous comments to LASN, go to: https://landscapearchitect.com/landscape-articles/asla-names-two-plas-2025-president-elect-candidates#article1

To read the candidates' full statements to the ALSA, go to: https://www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=67011