Starting Strong: Integrating Emerging Landscape Architects into Practice

This session, hosted by ASLA President Bradley McCauley, gathers firm leaders, educators, and early-career professionals to discuss effective onboarding, mentorship, and bridging the gap between education and practice. 
Mar 24, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Groundwork Session | Open to All

Groundwork: Conversations Shaping the Profession is ASLA’s presidential forum series to convene members around timely, consequential issues impacting the profession nationwide.

Starting Strong: Integrating Emerging Landscape Architects into Practice

The transition from school to practice has long been a point of tension within the profession. Landscape architecture education emphasizes design thinking, critical inquiry, and creative problem-solving, while professional practice requires graduates to quickly adapt to the realities of projects, clients, and office workflows.

This Groundwork session focuses on a simple but important question: How can firms help new landscape architects start strong?

Hosted by ASLA President Bradley McCauley, PLA, FASLA, this conversation will bring together firm leaders, an educator, and emerging professionals to explore how offices are successfully integrating recent graduates into practice.

Rather than revisiting familiar critiques of education or hiring expectations, the discussion will highlight real examples of onboarding approaches that support both firm operations and early-career development. 

ASLA President Bradley McCauley, FASLA, PLA
ASLA President Bradley McCauley, FASLA, PLA

The goal is to examine how expectations on both sides—firms and graduates—can be better aligned, and how thoughtful onboarding can help new professionals contribute meaningfully while continuing to grow as designers.


Discussion themes may include:

  • How firms structure onboarding and early-career mentorship
  • Day One expectations for new landscape architects
  • Bridging design education and professional practice
  • Perspectives from emerging professionals navigating their first years in the field
  • Approaches that work across firms of different sizes

Through this dialogue, ASLA hopes to surface practical insights and examples that help firms integrate emerging professionals more effectively and strengthen the long-term vitality of the profession.

Panelists

  • Robb Berg, FASLA, PLA, president at Design Workshop
  • Terry Berkbuegler, ASLA, PLA, senior vice president at Confluence
  • Olivia Bussey, ASLA, PLA, principal at Curtis & Rogers Design Studio, Inc.
  • Gina Ford, FASLA, PLA, principal and co-founder at Agency Landscape + Planning
  • Madeline Steigerwald, ASLA, PLA, senior landscape Architect at Dix.Hite + Partners