The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently announced the candidates for the 2025 President-Elect, both of whom are Practicing Landscape Architects (PLAs) with 43 years of licensed experience between them.

 
Jennifer Nitzky, PLA, FASLA, ISA is Design Principal at Studio HIP in New York City, where she specializes in green infrastructure, community-oriented design processes, and public spaces. Nitzky has served in the ASLA New York Chapter as President and Trustee and was elevated to the status of ASLA Fellow in 2022. She shared this with LASN about her nomination: "ASLA supports members to elevate and scale their voice, their practice, and their businesses. I am incredibly grateful to have been nominated and excited to be an ASLA Presidential candidate. I am dedicated to representing all ASLA members and supporting issues that matter most to our profession."

Gretchen Wilson, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, WEDG is a founding principal and partner of Dig Studio in Denver, Colorado and has served as a Trustee for the ASLA Colorado/Wyoming Chapter. In her work specializing in public spaces, she has received many awards and is currently pursuing a master?EUR(TM)s degree in environmental science with a specialization in water systems, a program she will complete in May of this year. She shared this with LASN about her nomination: "I am deeply honored to be a nominee for President of ASLA. ASLA has a long tradition of nominating and electing diverse leaders who bring expertise, vision, and a deep commitment to advancing the profession. I am very grateful for the outstanding organization that ASLA is. The society helps us achieve our vision of a better world through landscape architecture ?EUR" standing up for our core mission as stewards of the land."

Last year, ASLA members across the nation voted to prioritize licensed individuals, resulting in the election of Bradley McCauley, PLA, FASLA as the 2024 ASLA President Elect over a candidate who held no license to practice landscape architecture. This year, it seems that the society has paid attention to the need for qualified individuals to occupy the highest levels of society leadership and presented two, highly qualified candidates for the nation's consideration.

Other positions up for election include the Vice President of Communications, with Shawn Balon, PLA, ASLA and Kene Okigbo, PLA, ASLA named. Balon is Studio Director at Timmons Group in Richmond, Virginia, and Okigbo is a Landscape Architect at RDG Planning & Design in Omaha, Nebraska and a visiting lecturer at North Dakota State University. Vice President of Finance candidate Bill Odle, ASLA is president of TBG Partners, a landscape architecture firm in Texas, and candidate Vanessa Warren, ASLA is a project manager at OHM Advisors in Michigan. These positions will be voted on by the Board of Trustees in May while the election for the president-elect will be open to all ASLA members in good standing starting May 6.

To see the ASLA's announcement on LAND, go to: https://www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=66586