John Black Email & Phone Number

Palo Alto, CA, US

• Founding principal of custom residential landscape design studio (www.verdancedesign.com) renowned for thoughtful creativity, precise communication, and meticulous standards.
• Oversees projects of $200K – $1MM+ from predesign and site analysis through concept development, construction documentation and installation support.
• Provides landscape design consulting services for smaller projects.
• Manages finances, marketing, and administration. Manages staff and sub­­contractors for design, production, and project management.
• Writes blog and social media content.

Los Altos Hills, CA, US

• Instructor in Environmental Horticulture & Design. Courses led include:
• Landscape Design: Graphic Communication (HORT 40)
• Vectorworks for Landscape Designers (HORT 45)
• Landscape Design Forum (HORT 90G)

• Founder and Alpha Dog of innovative agency empowering personal creativity and free expression in a safe, playful environment.
• Managed staff and volunteers. Developed program curricula and defined success metrics.
• Cultivated inter-agency and vendor relationships that increased service opportunities and enhanced agency image.
• Identified funding opportunities and wrote grant proposals.
• Produced agency website. Publicized programs; wrote print and online communications for directors, volunteers, funders, partner agencies and media.

• Created unique brand positioning strategies for startups, pre-IPO and Fortune 500 firms. Wrote highly effective corporate communications, Web sites, advertising, editorial, speeches, presentations and public relations.
• Copy and concepts helped build personable brands for C|NET; Kimberly-Clark; Levi Strauss & Co.; Softbank Interactive Marketing; Silicon Graphics, Inc.; National Semiconductor; Wink Communications; Sunset Publishing
• Managed projects from concept through production.
• Coordinated workflow among staff, subcontractors and vendors.
• Led presentations to clientele and managed all client relations.

• Key liaison in team responsible for strategic direction guiding the award-winning Saturn Corporation national magazine campaign.
• Researched market opportunities and consumer interests; supervised campaign execution against budget; coordinated production and media planning.
• Guided creative development and production of regional television, radio, newspaper and direct-mail campaigns to drive showroom traffic for 20 Saturn retailers in eight markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles and.
• Previously coordinated extensive print, outdoor, radio and television production for consumer and trade advertising for Mirage Resorts, Inc.; KRON-TV; See's Candies; Stroh Brewery; Aspen Skiing Co.; and others.

M.A., Sociology

Certificate, Landscape Architecture

Environmental Horticulture & Design

B.A., Communication