3 Under 30BY PHIL BARLOW, ASLA, AICP, LEED AP

As a sampling of our emerging professionals' community, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with, and learning more about, three of our finest. With all three, I was struck by their enthusiasm and commitment to our profession. From public service to professional achievements, they are engaged, hardworking, andknowledgeable. As you will see in the following profiles, the future of landscape architecture in Connecticut is bright.

LIVER GAFFNEY calls him self a landscape architect with a small "l" and a small "a." As

he explains, his approach to practice is not chasing high-profile, big-budget projects, but rather seeking opportu nities for community engagement that educate both clients and the general public on the value of the profession.

I had a chance to catch up with Oliver on Chapel Street in New Hav en during this year's PARK(ing) Day celebration. He arrived on his bicycle and was soon schlepping plants and site furnishings into place. Prior to the hectic pace of the coming day, I asked him about his background, as well as thoughts on his career.

Born on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and later raised in Weston, Connecticut, Oliver reminisced about his "terminally shy'' youth and his aver sion to public speaking. In high school, he was influenced by an aunt who practiced architecture, his cinematogra pher father, and a vague notion that he wanted a "thinking man's career," and thus decided to enroll at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute to study architecture.The folly of this choice soon became self-evident when he observed a mere 90 desks for 150 students in the fresh man studio. Not wanting to find him self among the 60 unlucky individuals destined to quickly wash out, Oliver made the choice to transfer to another university.

His identical twin brother Jim, then an Animal Science student in UConn's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, suggested that he take a look at the plant science program which offered a landscapearchitecture degree. After enrolling as

an undeclared transfer student, Oliver soon decided to study landscape archi tecture with a minor in ornamental horticulture. In his senior year, he became president of the student chap ter of ASLA at UConn and was recog nized with the Karen Ann Shopis-Fox Memorial Scholarship.

Upon graduation in May of 2012, Oliver joined the design-build firm Site Systems to provide residential design and property management services.He was grateful to have two excellent mentors in Joanne and Dale Parsons who taught him the nuances of client service, site design, and collaboration with allied professionals. However, the seasonal aspect of the work, combined with trying to please the whims of capri cious clients, made Oliver aware thathe wanted to try something different with his career. He explained his defin ing moment thusly: "I got a call from a woman in Westport who told me that her petunias were wilting at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday. She wanted me to drive down there in rush hour traffic to water them. What other choice did I have?"

In early 2015, upon becoming licensed in Connecticut, he found out that Site Systems would be transition ing to new ownership. However, the buyers were not familiar with oper ating a landscape architecture office and struggled to find the right role for Oliver. After assisting them through the transition period, he joined TPA Design Group in New Haven. As one of the firm's two landscape architects, he collaborates with in-house engineers and surveyors on a number of project types including multi-family housing, municipal streetscapes, and commercial development.

Our conversation soon drifted to the all too common frustrationregarding our place in the design pro fessions and how we position ourselves to be relevant. Far from the usual hand-wringing, Oliver expressed a more sanguine attitude towards howwe can position ourselves and our proj ects to better serve our clients and the community. In his explanation, he ref erenced the career of the late city land scape architect, David Moser, who qui etly went about his work of improving the diverse communities within New Haven. David won the respect of both neighbors and stakeholders by beinga genuine listener and an advocate for their interests in his projects.

In the same vein, Oliver isn't con cerned if his projects appear in the glossy pages of LAM. He sees land scape architecture as falling short when practitioners focus on chasing ritzy, "made-for-magazine" projects at the expense of opportunities that better serve the public good. Additionally,he says, the profession is stuck in the "Cathedral of Olmsted" mentality, unwilling to try new things that might shake up the orthodoxy of the profes-

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sion as it has been practiced for the last 150 years.

Oliver has been involved with an eclectic group of organizations that reflect his interests as both a designer and an individual. For the past sever al years he has volunteered with the Wakeman Town Farm in Westport to help them expand their teaching gar dens, establish a pollinator meadow, and create a site master plan. Addition ally, he plays his Bb and A clarinets in a New Haven contra dance band and helps organize monthly community dances in downtown Stamford.

With CTASLA, he has been serv ing as an executive committee member since 2016, overseeing the Emerging Professionals section. As the new presi dent-elect, he will represent the chapter in a more prominent role. For emerging professionals and seasoned practitioners alike, Oliver advises, "Put yourself out there, meet new people, develop skills that extend beyond your comfort range, and advocate for issues that matter to you and your community."

WEN HEERSCHAP is anemerging professional with a vision and a path. Growing

up in New Jersey, she loved plants but didn't know what she wanted to study in college, with only a vague sense of wanting to do something that involved creative problem-solving. Initially thinking that a career in fashion merchandising would scratch that itch, she enrolled at the County College of Morris New Jersey, and took a part time job at a local garden center. It was the garden center job that changed her life. Her employer recognized Gwen's passion for design and suggested that she study landscape architecture. It was off to Rutgers University.

An apprenticeship with Rutgers University's Ag in the City Program fueled an interest in Urban Agriculture. Through the program, Gwen mapped farms, community gardens, and nurseries, linking them with urban consumers.

Immediately after graduating Gwen was hired by the National Park Service in St. Croix, USVI to assist with the Bioluminescent Waterways project, a four-mile Shoreline Exploration of His tory, Culture, and Natural Resources at Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. The project team created a trail system around Salt River Bay that allows participants to interface with history, culture, and the environment through physical activity (paddle craft) and mobile technology (NPS-STX App).

So how does a Jerseyite end up in Connecticut? Fate intervened in her senior year of college. Connecticut's Anne Penniman needed staff and she reached out to a Rutgers landscape architecture professor, Holly Nelson. Professor Nelson recommended Gwen and it was a match. Anne had her new employee.

Initially skeptical about living in Connecticut, Gwen's opinion changed when she discovered the vitality and community spirit of New Haven. The city became even more attractive when she discovered that one could be at a beach or hiking trail in 20 minutes or less. She has lived in the Elm City for four years, commuting to the office of Anne Penniman Landscape Architects in Essex. Her love of he ocean fuels vol unteer service with Save the Sound, an organization that promotes a healthier, more sustainable environment in Long Island Sound.

At Anne Penniman Associates Gwen has been involved with a variety of residential, park master planning, and community development projects. Currently a challenging residential project in Brooklyn, New York is giving her opportunities to design at a smaller scale. Anne has introduced Gwen to not only solid design skills, sustainabil ity, and stormwater management, but also the soft skills of client relation ships, business management, and pro fessional development. Always giving freely of her time and expertise, Annehas become not only an employer, but a mentor as well.

Looking at Gwen's accomplish ments and involvement with CTASLA, it's hard to believe that she has only been in the state for four years. She is on the executive committee, the emerg ing professionals committee, awards committee, helped organize the 2018 PARK(ing) Day, and attended ASLA's national Public Awareness Summit in Austin, TX. In addition, she is also finding time to help with a much-need ed redesign of the chapter's website.Although it's a challenge to work these activities into a busy schedule, Gwen recognizes that volunteer service is a great way to network and learn about the profession.

Art classes in Essex and Guilford provide another creative outlet for this busy professional, and she hopes to continue to explore activities and opportunities outside of landscape architecture.

When asked about the future, Gwen remains in the present, with a solid focus on passing the last of the LARE licensing exam sections, which she will take in April.

She is looking forward to opportu nities to expand the traditional realm of landscape architecture, perhaps in the non-profit world, with programs that connect urban children with nature.

eet MYLES SIMON, alandscape architect who is determined to do what it

takes to achieve his dreams. I know Myles, as he did an internship at my

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firm a few years back, and I was happy to catch up with him recently.

Delving into his formative years, it turns out that he grew up in South east Hartford, where his artist motherinstilled a creative spirit. Legos were his first creative outlet and Myles credits the small ubiquitous toys with fueling his love of design. He speaks fondly of that feeling of accomplishment from the creations he would make fromthe plastic blocks. Later attending the Greater H;irtford Math and Science Academy ·at The Learning Corridor, and the The Great Path Academy in Man chester he achieved a solid foundation.

Like many (if not most) of us, Myles knew nothing of the profession of landscape architecture when he first chose a college major. At UConn he enrolled in the civil engineering pro gram, envisioning it as a career that would allow great creativity. Disillu sioned after a year, he wanted a new

field of study and - luckily for us - found this thing called landscape archi tecture in the course catalog.

From his first graphics course with Kristen Schwab he was hooked. Myles knew that this was a profession that he could excel in, quickly realizing that landscape architecture was larger than he or most people thought. He thrived

in the UConn landscape architecture program, graduating in 2016.

As Myles made his way through the internship years he says that many in our chapter were free with their knowledge, help and advice, specifically crediting Heidi Hajna, Rory Fitzgerald, Tim Magee, and Mark Fisher. He has gained valuable work experience at TO Design, Stadia Engineering, and Madi son Earth Care. Each of these very different experiences has helped him along the path to licensure.

At TO Design he was exposed to comprehensive site design, at Stadia he sharpened his AutoCAD skills, andwork at Madison Earth Care, a design build firm that caters to Connecticut shoreline property owners, he learned the hands-on, nuts-and-bolts skills that are invaluable to a working profession al, forming relationships with clients and seeing projects from conception to reality.

His favorite projects include the Superkilen Park in Copenhagen and the

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Cheonggyecheon River Restoration in South Korea. Both projects, he says, were used to restore the culture and community of their city, transforming sites that were previously run down and abused to become much appreciated public spaces for all to enjoy. "Not only do the parks get utilized by the locals but they have becomes a destination location for visitors."

Myles is indebted to Mike Ret tenmeier of SLAM Collaborative for keeping him involved after graduation with UConn's student ASLA chapter, where he is able to share his knowledge with the students and give portfolio critiques.

Myles will start the LARE process this year. Upon earning his landscape architecture license, he would liketo become more involved with the conceptual design process and apply big-picture thinking to large-scale development projects. He doesn't rule out the possibility of starting his own firm someday. He can also envision a career at a well-established landscape architecture firm.

When not pursuing his passion of design, Myles trail rides and snowboards. He counts himself as one of us who loves the winter season and the stark, sublime landscape of that time of year.

When asked about his take on the future of landscape architecture, Myles is optimistic, although he feels that the profession is greatly undervalued by many. He would love to see us get more publicity, especially through the many social media venues.

Advice for those just leaving school with a landscape architecture degree: "any experience is good experience" and "take advantage of those professionals that are willing to share their knowledge."

I think that Myles has a bright future in landscape architecture. In fact, as we go to press, I have just learned he has landed a job at Fuss & O'Neill.

-Phil Barlow is principal of TO Design LLC, Landscape Architects, in New Britain, and the editor of this magazine.

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