Call for Volunteers: Professional Practice Network Leadership

The Campus Planning & Design PPN event at the 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture featured presentations on inclusive landscapes for higher education campuses by Taylor Wilson, Student ASLA, MLA candidate at North Carolina State University, and April Riehm, Student ASLA, MLA & City and Regional Planning candidate at Clemson University, followed by breakout discussions facilitated by PPN leaders. / image: Alexandra Hay

Call for Professional Practice Network (PPN) Leadership Volunteers

For those who attended the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture last weekend, the PPN events in Practice Basecamp were a wonderful way to see the PPNs in action and get a sense of what these practice area-focused groups are all about—namely, providing opportunities to members for networking, peer-to-peer learning, and knowledge-sharing.

Interested in the call for PPN leadership volunteers, but want to know more before you sign up? Here’s a PPNs 101 overview:

ASLA offers 20 Professional Practice Networks that represent major practice areas within the profession of landscape architecture.

All ASLA members may join one PPN for free, and each additional PPN for $15 per year. Log in to asla.org to check which PPN(s) you’re in.

Any member of a PPN may volunteer to join their PPN’s leadership team.

PPN leaders provide input on specific practice area needs and ASLA programming. Appointments are for one year, and all ASLA members are welcome to volunteer. Most leadership teams meet once a month via Zoom during regular working hours. Come nerd out with like-minded professionals about your practice area niche!

PPN activities include:

Organizing webinars and virtual events for members.
Contributing to The Field blog, a platform for members to share their experiences and expertise.
LinkedIn groups for practice area-specific discussions and information.
Curating content for the PPN webpages on asla.org and for email newsletters to PPN members.
PPN events at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture.

2022 highlights from the PPNs:

15 PPN leaders were education session speakers at the conference, and 35 PPN leaders facilitated 14 PPN events in San Francisco. If you weren’t able to make it to the conference this year, stay tuned for the PPN recap, to appear on The Field next week.

The Planting Design PPN drew a crowd for their campfire session on using native plants effectively to create authentic gardens. / image: Alexandra Hay

PPNs have hosted 20+ webinars and virtual events this year, including:

Adaptation Along the Edge: Best Management Practices for Coastal Resilience | Sustainable Design & Development PPN
Lots of Lots: A Discussion of Policies, Trends, and Opportunities for Landscape Architects and Vacant Land Stewardship | Landscape—Land Use Planning PPN
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Landscape Industry | Water Conservation PPN
Creating Welcoming + Inclusive Landscapes on Higher Education Campuses | Campus Planning & Design PPN
Face-to-Face: Making the Return to In-Person Engagement | Transportation PPN
River and Water Access | Parks & Recreation PPN

The most-viewed Field posts of 2022 so far, of the 100 posts published by the PPNs this year:

SJTU School of Design Launches Professional International Master of Landscape Architecture Program | International Practice PPN
The Changing Roles of Landscape Design in Nature-Based Solutions | International Practice PPN
A New Design Guide for Nature Exploration Areas | Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN
Celebrating & Preserving Rhode Island’s Historic Cemeteries | Historic Preservation PPN
Equity at Work: Designing an Inclusive and Equitable Workplace Culture | Education & Practice PPN

The Women in Landscape Architecture PPN event in Practice Basecamp. / image: Alexandra Hay

One more fun fact about PPN leaders: they are well-represented amongst ASLA Outstanding Service Award honorees, celebrated each year during the general session at the ASLA conference. This program recognizes ASLA member volunteers who are making notable contributions to or on behalf of the Society at the national level, including:

Amy Wagenfeld, Affil. ASLA | Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN
Kristina Snyder, ASLA | Women in Landscape Architecture PPN
David Cutter, FASLA | Campus Planning & Design PPN
Lisa Casey, ASLA | Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN
Jean Senechal Biggs, ASLA | Transportation PPN
Emily O’Mahoney, FASLA | Women in Landscape Architecture PPN
Chris Stevens, ASLA | Historic Preservation PPN
Christine Pattillo, FASLA | Historic Preservation PPN

We hope many more PPN leaders join this illustrious list going forward!

If you are passionate about your landscape architecture practice area—whether it is ecological restoration, planting design, urban design, or any one of ASLA’s 20 PPNs—consider volunteering to join your PPN’s leadership team.

To volunteer as a PPN leader, just complete this short form.

Jodie Cook, ASLA, SITES AP, serves on two PPN leadership teams and helped facilitate both the Sustainable Design & Development PPN event (pictured here—Jodie is right of center, in the dark vest) and the Planting Design PPN event in San Francisco. / image: Alexandra Hay

Please note: all ASLA members are welcome to volunteer to be a PPN leader, but you must be a member of the PPN whose leadership team you would like to join. If you’re not sure which PPN(s) you are currently a member of, please log in to asla.org. ASLA members’ PPNs are listed on the Activities / Orders tab in your member profile. Members may request to change or add a PPN at any time via this form or by contacting ASLA Member Services.

ASLA is committed to fostering a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. ASLA staff and member volunteers uphold the Society’s Standards of Conduct and comply with the PPN Guidelines. ASLA values are excellence, integrity, diversity, leadership, and stewardship. The ASLA culture is collaborative, inclusive, member-focused, accountable, and volunteer-supported.