LandDesign Expands Leadership with Four Top-Level Promotions and National Growth in Design Talent

Acclaimed urban design, planning, civil engineering, and landscape architecture firm elevates top designers and emerging leaders as it keeps sights set on growth.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., October 1st, 2019 – National leader in planning, landscape architecture and civil engineering, LandDesign has announced strategic promotions for several key team members across its six national offices, as the firm continues expanding. According to firm leaders, these key professionals embody LandDesign’s longstanding reputation for technical excellence and innovative design solutions at all scales.

The recently elevated professionals include landscape architects Gabriela Cañamar Clark of their Washington, D.C. office and Brent Martin in Boulder, C.O., who have been elevated to Partners at the firm. Promotions have also been announced for Deborah Miller, named Executive Director of Growth + Relationships and Advisor to the Board, based out of D.C., and for Ashley Clark, Director of Strategic Development and Communications, named Principal, based in their Charlotte, N.C., headquarters. In addition, the firm has filled key positions nationally, including the addition of engineer Gabe Dobbs, an expert in active transportation design for cyclists and pedestrians, to their Charlotte, N.C. headquarters.

“At LandDesign, we are committed to evolving our practice to remain relevant, innovative, and valuable to our clients and the communities we serve. One way we do this is by identifying leaders early in their careers and giving them opportunities to grow as stewards of our practice and culture,” says LandDesign President, Rhett Crocker. “We’re pleased to recognize our two new board members, along with two new strategic leaders, with confidence in their new roles to support LandDesign’s mission of creating places that matter.”

These professionals are valuable sources for the media on a range of topics from urban design and large-scale community planning to the designs of senior housing, reinventing malls, and the benefits of pop-up parks. The promoted individuals and their new positions include:

Gabriela Cañamar Clark, PLA, Partner
Known for her leadership and imprint on LandDesign’s many acclaimed urban design projects—and her knack for transforming open spaces and the public realm into accessible, beautiful and safe environments—Clark is a design leader with a passion for placemaking. For over 20 years, she has impacted some of LandDesign’s greatest destination projects, including National Harbor, American Way and King of Prussia Town Center. Currently, she is leading a number of urban redevelopment projects throughout the Washington, D.C. area, including Crystal City and Carlyle Crossing, and she is also providing design direction on resort and entertainment projects in Orlando.

Clark speaks frequently on topics related to landscape and urban design, drawing on her expertise in planning, green space and other landscape architecture challenges. Among colleagues, she is known for her boundless energy that allows her to juggle client and family demands with ease, but her standout commitment to mentoring others truly sets her apart. A leader in LandDesign’s D.C. office, Clark embraces opportunities to work with colleagues across the firm to influence the delivery of great design.

Brent Martin, PLA, Partner
Martin, a multifaceted design leader who understands how to design to the market, has worked in five of LandDesign’s six offices and is an expert communicator, always sensitive to the unique qualities of a project that are informed by location. Prior to starting the firms Boulder, C.O. office, Martin was a Principal with LandDesign’s D.C. team, where he worked on a number of successful master planned communities including the award-winning Willowsford and Brambleton projects.

Driven by his unique ability to design at any scale and support areas of high growth, Martin opened LandDesign’s Boulder office in 2017 perfectly positioned for this quickly evolving market. From master planning the future of Painted Prairie, to designing the next smart city of Peña Station, Martin has found synchronicity between the greater Denver region and his passion for creating dynamic and desirable communities.

Ashley Clark, Assoc. AIA, Principal
LandDesign’s first-ever non-design Principal, Clark has been hailed by LandDesign leaders as their strategic champion, providing organization and oversight to the implementation of the firm’s ambitious strategic plan over the last five years. In her time at the firm, Clark has grown LandDesign’s award-winning communications team and played a key role in the firm’s national expansion. Clark’s background in architecture and passion for brand communications and strategy have proven to be a powerful combination for influencing LandDesign’s brand experience and strategic growth.

Deborah Miller, Executive Director and Board Advisor
For the past five years, Miller has worked to position LandDesign in new markets, identify strategic hires and collaborators, and evolve the firm’s seller-doer culture to support sustained growth in a number of LandDesign’s markets. The Executive Director and Board Advisor position has been created uniquely for Miller, whose masterful management of strategic networking and leveraging of her nearly 30 years in the industry makes her insight invaluable to the firm’s board. “As the board continues to execute growth strategies for the firm, our offices and our people, Deborah will be an incredible asset for ensuring we are successful, providing insight and mentorship to our next generation of leaders,” says Crocker.

Along with these top-level promotions, LandDesign also recognized a significant number of individuals in its various offices nationally with leadership and job promotions this summer, building on an entrepreneurial culture that continually offers designers of all levels new and diverse opportunities for growth.

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This article appears in Apr 1 – Dec 31, 2019.

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