As Director of Landscape Architecture at VERDANT I oversee all technical aspects of Landscape Architectural design and development, including project management.Prior to joining VERDANT, as founder and managing partner of Elizabeth Austin Associates, I oversaw the design and general operations of the firm. I was involved in every aspect of the design development and construction administration process. I have a wide range of experience; from commercial retail centers and corporate headquarters to parks and high-end residential projects, giving me a large base of knowledge to draw from when it comes to technical feasibility, budget and scheduling of project delivery. I was the recipient of the Nina Francesca Schack Memorial Award from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. I graduated Cum Laude with distinction in Research for my Honors Thesis, an “Ecological Analysis of an Urban Greenway: The Cayuga Waterfront Trail Project Phase 3, Ithaca, NY, USA”. In my free time I like to volunteer my time and expertise to educate others about the field of Landscape Architecture through various public projects and non-profit organizations, including designing and coordinating educational gardens for local elementary schools. I was recently recognized for my outstanding and commendable direct service to the American Society of Landscape Architects and the profession as a whole through the Kay Tiller Chapter Service Award.Through my desire to continue to learn and be a leader in my industry, I decided to pursue the SITES AP accreditation, which is a new industry specific accreditation that was developed as a collaboration between ASLA, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden. The result of this collaboration was the Sustainable Sites Initiative which has incorporated and built on many LEED principles that are specific to Landscapes and Site Development.

We are a landscape architecture firm that seeks to elevate the design process, while at the same time delivering a technically precise project to the client. We are deadline driven and understand the need to deliver a quality design that is within budget and on time. We emphasize the importance of open communication and a collaborative relationship with our clients and other disciplines. Each client and each project has varying needs and constraints and we pride ourselves on adapting to those needs and constraints and consistently delivering great work.Our philosophy is to build good relationships that will produce great projects for years to come.

My responsibilities included business development and client relationship management as well as all aspects of design development and construction documentation. I was involved in a number of large scale masterplan projects, including the Springwoods Village street and parks plan. I was heavily involved in the design and development of the new headquarters for Southwestern Energy in the new Springwoods Village development.

This is a startup firm specializing in Landscape Design and Installation. We are accepting a wide range of projects, from high-end residential to commercial retail and large-scale master planning. We provide conceptual designs and graphic representation to get our design across to the client; we then translate those conceptual designs into detailed landscape, irrigation and construction plans and provide construction support to take the project through to completion.

My responsibilities included all aspects of design and development for many large scale shopping centers developed by Regency Centers in the Southern California area. I worked on a number of local and regional park development and redevelopment plans that included feasibility studies, schematic design, construction documentation & irrigation design.