Profile: J. Patrick Shea, Jr., ASLA

Company/academic title: National Park Service, Project Manager/ Transportation Technical Specialist

Education: Master of Business Administration, University of Colorado, 1992
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Michigan State University, 1974

Years in the profession: 30

ASLA chapter: Colorado

Category: Administrative Work

Most notable professional accomplishments: Throughout my career with the National Park Service, my most notable accomplishments have evolved around integrating people within significant resources in a manner that provides resource preservation, increased visitor appreciation and take home lessons for daily life applications. Whether as a park landscape architect at Redwood National Park, a regional legislative specialist or senior project manger, all these roles provided opportunities to present conservation values and outcomes for today's and future generations.

Two specific projects provided professional highlights. The first professional highlight was managing the planning and construction of the Wesleyan Chapel Block Rehabilitation at Women's Rights National Historical Park within the historic Seneca Falls, New York environs. Following a national design competition that preserved these significant cultural resources and established a commemorative and inspirational sense of place, I had the opportunity to direct and manage a nationally renowned multidiscipline team through all project phases of historic rehabilitation and contemporary construction as well as interpretative exhibit design and fabrication. The project received a National Endowment of the Arts Presidential Design Award in 1995.

The second professional highlight was the Zion Canyon Transportation System in Zion National Park. This project combined resource rehabilitation, sustainable visitor facility development, and community partnering through the development of a transportation system and visitor experience that enhanced both park and the adjacent gateway community environs. Working with an outstanding team and project partners from numerous public and private organizations, the project has been recognized for sustainable design, gateway community planning, and visitor and resource enhancements. The project has become a national model for innovative transportation systems, public-private partnerships, and park and gateway collaborative planning and development. The project has received national and international recognition and professional awards.

Thoughts on being elected to Council of Fellows: My thoughts on being honored as an ASLA fellow? I get thunderstruck every time I think about this nomination. I am humbled and honored to be a part of the Council of Fellows, which represents outstanding professional qualities. The honor is energizing and challenges me to keep the professional passion and pass it onto others.