School of Planning, Design and Construction

The Landscape Architecture Alumni Advisory Board is shaping up to become something really special! Our continuing members represent national, regional and local private practices, government service and academia.  Our new members increase both ethnic, practice and geographical diversity. New members’ careers  represent some of the many non-traditional career paths that graduates may take including leadership roles in state and federal government, nonprofits, conservation organizations and educational institutions.  We are disappointed that four of our member’s terms have expired including  Cheryl Zuellig, Deb Guenther, Ken Weikel and Vanessa Warren and Liz Dafoe.  We thank them for their services and setting up the board for continued success. We look forward to all past and current Board and  Alumni’s  engagement with the University, School, and Landscape Architecture Program. 

If you have interest in serving on the board or participating in board activities, please reach out to us. Our near term focus is grow friends and student support programs. The purpose of the Board is to provide support for the MSU Landscape Architecture Program as it advances leadership in landscape-based research, thought leadership, and design excellence and to foster a world class educational experience for students enabling them to become leaders of the landscape architecture profession.

Learn more about the Alumni Board , School and Program at https://www.canr.msu.edu/spdc/programs/landscape-architecture/our_alumni and our LinkedIn page.

SANDRA (OTTO) FISCHER, FASLA, MSU BLA ‘76, MA-MSU ‘79 LAAAB President | Bainbridge Island, WA Advising Principal, Fischer Bouma Partnership and Land Morphology Board Member Pacific Horticulture

Bio/ Focus of Practice
My career involved practicing in Midwest (JJR, Linsemier) , Rocky Mountains (Wirth Associates, Fischer & Associates)  and Pacific Northwest (EDAW, AECOM) and  in  firms I founded in Pacific NW (Fischer Bouma Partnership and Land Morphology) ,  local government, and for local, regional, and international consultancies most recently as a practice principal leading planning and design studios. For three years I supported the Mayor of Bainbridge Island as director of special projects that primarily involved developing a sustainable community vision and a downtown urban design plan. The projects I have worked on are diverse ranging from small gardens to new communities in rural and urban areas and include projects on seven continents. Clients have included public agencies, corporations, non-profits, and private clients focused on development and conservation initiatives. My  particular areas of interest are sustainable community planning and  site and landscape design of public places. I have been fortunate to work on implementation of  long-range plans and to teach as an adjunct instructor at University of Washington. My current practice is focused on gardens including botanical gardens in Portland, Louisville, Seattle, and Bainbridge Island. 

Why I Chose to Serve
I chose to serve on the MSU LAAAB to support continuation and improvement of the program that prepared me for a successful career.  Working with students, emerging professionals, faculty, and a diverse board provides new insights into the profession. During my nearly 50 years of practice, I have gained wisdom which I enjoy sharing in support of the next generation of leaders.

TIM BRITAIN, MSU BLA ‘90 LAAAB Vice President President VIRIDIS  | Kalamazoo, MI

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Tim is a Professional Landscape Architect and founding partner of VIRIDIS Design Group, a landscape architecture and civil engineering firm with offices in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, MI. Tim’s practice areas include planning and design of institutional, health care, educational, park and development markets.

Enthusiastic about helping others, Tim has shared his time in a range of opportunities including serving as Michigan ASLA Chapter President, a number of coaching positions and has served on numerous boards. “I have always believed that providing opportunities for others to grow is the best measure of my success.” Tim has served on the MSU LAAAB since 2016 in various roles including Finance Committee Chair, Treasurer, and current VP.

Tim has been married to Laura (who he met at MSU) for over 30 years and has two adult children, one an MSU graduate and the other a UM graduate – “yes, we still claim the UM grad as part of the family”. Apart from professional commitments, Tim is typically active and always excited about skiing, traveling, and building anything.

Why I Chose to Serve
As an 18 year old MSU student I had no idea the profound impact that my choice to pursue landscape architecture would have on every aspect of my life. We all take a different path and as my journey continues to unfold I realize that I want to share my experiences and excitement to help guide the development of future landscape architects. I have learned a great deal from my board experience, made many friends and hopefully added something of value in the process. BTW - that Lake Michigan salmon was delicious.

VICKI MCGHEE, MSU BLA ‘82 LAAAB Treasurer State of Michigan DNR Park and Recreation Division| Lansing Michigan

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Vicki is the Planning & Infrastructure Section Chief for Parks and Recreation Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  Her responsibilities include overseeing the division’s capital outlay budgets, project design and implementation for both state parks and boating facilities, state park general management plans, leading the division’s Strategic Plan development and tracking progress, land transactions, and grant administration for waterways facilities.

 Vicki was part of the original team that hatched the concept to establish and develop Michigan’s first urban state park - Milliken State Park & Harbor - in downtown Detroit.  She also led a unique, public-private partnership to design and develop the DNR’s Outdoor Adventure Center, which opened in July, 2015.

 She has most recently been engaged in the implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects, which will improve the state parks and trails for the foreseeable future. This initiative will upgrade and replace existing state park infrastructure by investing $250 million into projects over the next 4 years, a record investment for Michigan’s state park system.

Why I Chose to Serve
I chose to serve on the Board for two, primary reasons.  First, the DNR has just completed its 11th year of partnership with MSU, School of Planning, Design and Construction, where we provide students with real project challenges, and help them envision solutions using a public outdoor recreation lens.  Many of the student’s past project solutions have been highlighted to our professional consultants and truly influence the future designs of our projects.  Second, to reflect that a public practice career is rewarding and provides long-lasting, publicly beneficial project outcomes.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Katy utilizes her sixteen years of design experience in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design projects to develop unique solutions that capitalize on a site’s features and context. Katy’s project portfolio spans a wide range of scales and scope both domestic and international. She strives to understand each client’s needs and what is required to help them realize their vision. Her career has focused on Urban Design, Community Planning, Resort and Hospitality Design, Institutional Design, Waterfront Design. In her current position she directs design of recreational facilities and campgrounds throughout the United States.

During the first part of her career, Katy worked at EDSA Inc., in their Santa Monica, Baltimore, Shanghai, and Fort Lauderdale offices and as Vice President at RJM Design in Grand Rapids Michigan. Katy is motivated by a desire to continually explore and learn, to gain new inspiration, and to ensure that she is well-equipped to provide the best design possible.

Katy has been active in ULI including ULI SE Florida/Caribbean Women’s Leadership Initiative Committee, Co-chair, 2017-2018.

Why I Chose to Serve
As a student at Oklahoma State University, the alumni advisory board and interaction with its members shaped my education, early understanding of the profession, and ultimately my first job out of school. I am grateful for the strong and diverse foundation this afforded me and appreciate the opportunity to return the favor by serving on the MSU LAAA Board.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Joseph James is the founder of Eponymous Practice, a studio for landscape architecture, outreach and storytelling. Prior to founding his practice in 2022, Joe was an Associate Principal at Reed Hilderbrand with over two decades of experience leading landscape projects of all scales throughout the nation.  The practice currently works on landscapes for learning: libraries, schools and higher education, as well as private residences and gardens.

In addition to leading the practice, Joe currently teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design in the Landscape Architecture Department and serves as Chair of the BSLA’s K-12 Committee where he develops programs to introduce kids to landscape architecture. Joe is a recipient of the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Fellowship for Leadership and Innovation where he is developing a graphic novel to further introduce his profession to a younger, more diverse audience and to foster awareness and advocacy for quality greenspace and a more humane public realm.

Why I Chose to Serve
I’m grateful to be able to serve on the MSU LAAAB and to provide support and enrichment to the current students of the program.  The Board creates an opportunity for a direct conduit between the students and professional practice, and helps ensure a strong and balanced academic/design program that I experienced when I was a student at MSU.

Josh Seyfried, MSU BLA ‘09 LAAAB Event Chair | Seattle, WA GGN Associate, Seattle WA

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Joshua Seyfried is a landscape architect and urban designer with a passion for large scale, transformative projects in the public realm. His design interests are rooted in the urban environment with an eye toward advancing understanding of complex urban ecologies. These interests, along with a keen eye for developing multi-faceted framework plans and navigating complex problems, have allowed Joshua to successfully foster the design and delivery of projects both nationally and abroad. 

In addition to private practice, Joshua currently serves on a variety of boards including the Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners where he brings professional guidance to the Department’s policies for planning, development, and programming of City Parks. He is also a member of the Landscape Forms Design Advisory Board. 

Joshua received his MLA from the University of Pennsylvania and a BLA from Michigan State University. 

Why I Chose to Serve
The Landscape Architecture program at MSU provided me with lifelong experience and friendships which I hold near and dear to this day. The LAAAB provides me an opportunity to give back to the program by allowing me to share my professional experiences and insights.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Scott Reinholt holds a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University and is a registered Landscape Architect in the state of Michigan. Scott served as a landscape architect for Beckett and Raeder and JJR in Ann Arbor, MI for a total of 14 years and filled the role of President of the Michigan ASLA Professional chapter. Serving as Sales Director at Landscape Forms, Scott works with landscape architects, lighting designers, municipalities and other end-users to provide lighting solutions that meet requirements from all points of view. Scott has done extensive presentations on lighting to many ASLA Chapters and design offices in an effort to explain the essence of LED lighting.

Bill Wenk, FASLA, MSU BLA ‘69 LAAAB Board Member Founder of Wenk Associates | Denver, CO

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Bill is founder and principal of Wenk Associates, Inc., a Denver-based landscape architectural firm.  For over 40 years, the firm has focused on the restoration and redevelopment of urban river and stream corridors, the transformation of derelict urban land, and the design of public parks and open spaces. Bill is recognized nationally for utilizing stormwater as a resource, and for his ability to integrate recreation, functioning natural systems, community revitalization and urban infrastructure to improve natural systems and restore community vitality.

Bill and his firm have led large multi-functional and multiple use urban redevelopment river corridor plans across the West and Midwest. For example, his firm led and he was the principal urban designer for restoration and redevelopment of the Menomonee River Valley in Milwaukee, principal river planner for the restoration of the 32-mile Los Angeles River corridor, and lead firm for development of design guidelines for redevelopment and recreation along the Grand River corridor through the City of Grand Rapids, MI. He was principal in charge of redevelopment, landscape management and recreation enhancements of the Mississippi River corridor for the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. 

He has integrated teaching and professional practice throughout his career.  In 2011, he was a visiting Farrand Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, at the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.  In 2005, Visiting Professor of Sustainable Design at the University of Michigan. He served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver School of Architecture and Planning from 1981-2008. 

Why I Chose to Serve
My education at Michigan State gave me the tools and skills necessary for a successful career in a profession that I am privileged to be a part of. I feel it's important, and my professional responsibility to share my experience and the knowledge gained as a practicing professional with the next generation of young professionals.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Christy is a Partner at Beckett & Raeder, Inc. where she has spent almost her entire career working on primarily public sector projects.  With 30 years of landscape architecture, design, and project implementation experience, Christy has been involved in a variety of project types including urban and downtown design, waterfronts, community master planning, corridor study and design, passive and active recreation design, historic site planning, access to recreation and ADA design, trails and greenways, and campus and corporate projects. Her responsibilities include project management, design, construction document preparation, construction administration, and construction observation for both large and small projects. As a LEED Accredited Professional, Christy seeks opportunities to include sustainable design techniques in all of her projects. 

Why I Chose to Serve
I enjoy the advisory role between professional practice and academia, as well as the student interactions that often occur through the meetings and events.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Stephanie Onwenu is the inaugural public interest design fellow at the University of Detroit Mercy - Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC). She is an alumna of Michigan State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Arts in Environmental Design. Her work explores the intersections of human needs and the roles they play in the natural and built environment, while also connecting spaces and places to the people who define it. Stephanie’s commitment and drive not only demonstrate her capabilities, but reflect her outspoken personality, which seeks for the advancements of others. Inspired by human relationships, interactions and the influence of social change, Stephanie works with communities to challenge and transform cultural and social institutions. In 2021, Stephanie was awarded the Emerging Professional of the Year award from the Michigan ASLA Chapter for her significant contributions to the profession.

Currently, Stephanie sits as the vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leading efforts for the Michigan ASLA Chapter, a co-founding board member of the newly established Michigan Chapter ASLA Foundation, and the emerging leader on the Michigan State University Landscape Architecture Alumni & Advisory Board.

Why I Chose to Serve
Serving on the board provides an opportunity to share my experience and unique perspective as a recent alumna of the program and current emerging professional working in the profession. During my term as the emerging leader, it is my goal to continue furthering the mission and impact of the MSU LAAAB by moving forward programs and initiatives that support the reach and inclusion of current and future landscape architecture students pursuing a degree at Michigan State University.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Charles Cross, ASLA, is the Director of Landscape and Urban Design at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture & Community Development (SACD). He serves as the faculty advisor to the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), and as an advisor to students in the Master of Community Development (MCD) program. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Western Michigan University, a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and a Master of Urban Design degree from The City College of New York. He has experience in the public sector, having worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Natural Resources as well as past private sector work with SmithGroup/JJR, Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architects and Mary Miss Studio. Charles is a 2018 Fulbright-Hays Fellow.

Charles has been a guest critic, co-taught studio, lectured, and supported student projects at universities across the United States and Canada. His research interests include cultural asset mapping in African American, Afro Brazilian and Afro Cuban communities, the Midwest geography, its role in the Underground Railroad, and the Detroit River as a threshold to freedom. Charles regularly contributes to the design profession through presentations, competition juries and lectures throughout North America. His work has been published and exhibited nation-wide. He has facilitated design workshops, charrettes and planning engagement efforts with community stakeholders, faith-based organizations, and youth groups. 

Charles serves on multiple committees, boards, and advisory councils. He has participated on panels with the Rose Center on Public Leadership/National League of Cities, the Mayors Institute for City Design and the Lincoln Institute Legacy Cities Community of Practice. He maintains memberships in the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Black Landscape Architects Network and the National Organization of Minority Architects.  With a deep commitment to public interest design and social justice, Charles maintains a firm belief that underserved communities deserve good design, and therefore should be the patrons of a collaborative process-not just the consumers of the product.

Why I Chose to Serve
It is important to serve on this board because the landscape architecture profession has a very real problem in its lack of diversity. I am here to help create a more diverse profession. You can’t be what you can’t see. I did not even know landscape architecture was a profession until 1986. We need more Black landscape architects designing our communities.

Dan Wenk, MSU BLA 1975 Board Member Retired Retired National Park Service| Rapid City, SD Current Chair, Board Yellowstone Coalition South Dakota and Guest Lecturer at Montana State University

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Dan Wenk retired in 2019 from a distinguished 43 year career in the National Park . His last position was Director of Yellowstone National Park where he implemented the bison quarantine program by sending live animals to the tribes at Fort Peck; collecting data and developing community support for the long-term visitor use management planning effort; negotiating concessions contracts; managing transboundary wildlife issues; and working with park staff to improve workplace culture.

Dan served as the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from  2011-2019 where he managed more than 2.2 million acres, a staff of 800, and an annual budget of more than $60 million. Wenk served as Deputy Director of Operations for the National Park Service in Washington D.C. from 2007 through 2011. He served as Acting Director of the National Park Service for nine months in 2009. In these national roles, Wenk received the Department of the Interior Secretary’s Executive Leadership Award and the Presidential Rank Award.

Wenk’s career with the National Park Service began in 1975 as a landscape architect. He was named Superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1985 where he served for 16 years. In 2001, he was appointed the Director of the Denver Service Center, which is the National Park Service’s central office with responsibility for planning, design and construction.

Why I Chose to Serve
Dan’s non-traditional path from landscape architecture into parks management addresses student interest in many pathways of the profession.  He  has time to dedicate in his retirement and would look forward to working with the board.  He is interested in working with students as he did at Montana State University and he has already been working with Bill, his cousin, regarding fundraising ideas for the LAnniversary event! 

Bio/ Focus of Practice
A long term supporter and visiting instructor, Bob is returning to the LAAA Board! He is a registered Landscape Architect in the state of Michigan. He resides in Austin, TX maintaining a private practice, which includes a history of product design work for Landscape Forms. In the early 2000s he was part of the freehand drawing revival and has encouraged hand drawing throughout many annual ASLA national conferences, as one of the leaders of the Sketch! field session series for over 10 years and as an early proponent of digital hand drawing on screen.

Bob provides continuity and historic context to the board, with his long service and commitment.  He is dedicated to student/professional interaction -  joining faculty and students frequently in the classroom for sketching and design projects.  He will be leading a campus sketch walk to bring students and alumni together during the 125th LAnniversary event in October. Professional positions include:

• Charter Board Member, MSU LAAAB    2011 – 2020
• Robert Chipman Landscape Architect,  Austin, TX  1989 – Present
• Landscape Architect, Design Workshop, Aspen, CO  1987-1988
• Landscape Architect, Richardson Verdoorn, Austin, TX 1984-1987
• Landscape Architect, John Grissim and Associates, Farmington Hills, MI  1980-1984

Why I Chose to Serve
Bob is interested in continuing to strengthen the program, work with students  and enhancing student enrichment experiences.

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Mike is an experienced Senior Landscape Architect with over twenty years in the field successfully collaborating with clients, operators, design teams and contractors to achieve creative solutions to challenges in locations near and far. Skilled in hospitality/resort, high-end residential/estate design, construction, and comprehensive Mixed-Use Planning.  He was previously Vice-President of EDSA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mike’s experience in both Michigan and Florida provides both a geographic and a private practice perspective.  KEITH was previously represented on the board by Paul Weinberg for many years and there is continuity and support from their firm for the program.  

Why I Chose to Serve
Mike is interested in giving back to MSU including  mentoring students and sharing his experience. He realizes he will learn from the students!

Dan Lord, MSU BLA ‘00 LAAAB Board Member | State of Michigan DNR Lansing, MI

Bio/ Focus of Practice
Prior to joining the DNR he worked for several private consulting firms as a landscape architect. While with the DNR Dan has held various roles including as the program manager for capital planning and development within the state park system, serving as the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, and leading asset management efforts for the department. In Dan’s current role as the Assistant Division Chief in the Finance and Operations Division his responsibilities include overseeing statewide facilities, oil/mineral/gas exploration, real estate, and public facing grant programs. Dan lives in DeWitt with his wife Missy, son Gavin, and daughter Sierra.

Why Dan  Chose to Serve
Dan is interested in exposing students to a broad range of opportunities the profession prepares graduates for. For several years DNR has engaged students in real park planning programs. Dan looks forward to working  on student support committee and mentoring emerging leaders.