Voices of Women in Landscape Architecture, Part 22

Left to right: April Westcott, FASLA. Stacy Paetzel, ASLA / image: Carl Timpone. Joy Kuebler, FASLA, PLA / image: kc kratt photography

ASLA's Women in Landscape Architecture Professional Practice Network (WILA PPN) is sharing the next set of profiles of women in the profession (see the previous installment right here). If you'd like to be featured, the PPN's call for submissions remains open, with profiles being shared on an ongoing basis.

Submit a WILA profile!

These profiles will appear on the PPN's LinkedIn group, Facebook group, and here on The Field. This post includes: Stacy Paetzel, ASLA, April Westcott, FASLA, and Joy Kuebler, FASLA, PLA.

Stacy Paetzel, ASLA, PLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

I discovered landscape architecture almost by accident. Initially, I had planned to pursue a career in fashion, though my family was less enthusiastic about that path. Having grown up working in my uncle’s nursery and spending time in my grandmother’s garden, I selected “Landscape Architecture” on my college application, thinking I might transfer into fashion after my first semester. Instead, I quickly realized it was a natural fit for both my skills and interests—and it continues to satisfy the creative instincts that first attracted me to fashion.

Stacy Paetzel, ASLA / image: Carl Timpone

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

When I was just starting my firm, I was serving on a licensure advocacy board with Kim Mathews, FASLA, PLA, of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architecture. We would carpool to Albany a few times a year, and those long drives became some of the most formative conversations of my early career. Kim was so generous with her advice, and her confidence in me helped quiet the doubts I had about striking out on my own. I was completely in awe of her and the work her firm was doing. Christy Ten Eyck, FASLA, PLA’s landscapes have also had a lasting influence. Her designs have an authenticity of place that I aspire to in my own work.

image: courtesy of Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture (MPLA)

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

Get involved in your local ASLA chapter or other professional organizations. It’s a great way to network and meet other professionals at all different places in their careers.

Village Saltbox, East Hampton, NY / image: Nicole Franzen

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

Just before Covid, I was approached by two prominent architects—a husband-and-wife team—to create a master plan for their historic country home. The property included a collection of outbuildings they were renovating, along with a few dilapidated structures that had already been removed. We used the footprints of the former barns to define new garden rooms and introduced a reclaimed granite-bordered game lawn to bring clarity and order to the varied angles of the outbuildings. I’ll admit, presenting the design was intimidating, knowing the clients' backgrounds and the caliber of world-class projects they had worked on. To my relief, they loved the concept, and we ended up building it almost exactly as originally envisioned.

Bridge House, Cutchogue, NY / image: Anthony Crisafulli

As lockdowns began, they relocated full-time to their country home, and the project evolved into a true collaboration—and eventually, a close friendship. Working with them on a project so personally meaningful has been incredibly gratifying. Although the major structural elements are now complete, we’re continuing to evolve the property together, slowly transforming much of the lawn into native gardens and meadows.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Document all your work, even if you don’t think it’s perfect! There are so many early projects I only have a few grainy photos of, because I thought they weren’t ready or good enough to photograph. Looking back, there were some great moments and ideas that I really wish I’d captured, and when you wait too long, the properties can change hands, or maintenance can be lacking.

April Westcott, FASLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

I was studying in the College of Architecture & Planning at Ball State when I first discovered landscape architecture. I learned about the different ways landscape architects shape the built environment while impacting communities. I was drawn to the depth and range of possibilities this field offers. Knowing I could do work that aligned with my passions and have a lasting, positive impact on people and the planet was exactly what I wanted. As a woman, I also felt a strong pull toward shaping a field that welcomes diverse perspectives and builds spaces that are thoughtful and welcoming for all.

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

Claire Bennett, FASLA, was one of my early influences. Claire was an adjunct professor, but also owner of Claire Bennett Associates in Indianapolis. She had the first female owned landscape architecture firm in Indiana and her work impacted places I knew in my hometown. A mother of four who was also a National ASLA President and Indiana's first Fellow gave me someone to aspire to become.

2023 Indiana Chapter of ASLA Awards / image: Indiana ASLA

Eda Sutermeister, who was possibly the first practicing female landscape architect in Indiana, worked with George Kessler, FASLA, on some of his most important works, including the Indianapolis Kessler Boulevard and Park System in 1909, which is still a roadmap to the direction of designers in Indianapolis today.

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

Landscape architecture is full of opportunity, but also a profession where women still have to carve out their place. Stay rooted in what brought you into the profession. Whether it's nature, communities, or sustainability, let that passion guide you.

Surround yourself with people who support your growth and don’t be afraid to ask questions or take the lead. Like RBG says, you belong in every room where decisions are being made. Hold the door open for others. Being a woman in this field isn’t just about representation. It’s about reshaping what leadership looks like and what our environments can become with your impact.

In Washington, DC / image: courtesy of April Westcott

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

I was on the design team for Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Home to Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, the stadium is a 42,000-seat ballpark featuring a natural grass-and-dirt playing field.

The ballpark is a part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. I designed the original irrigation for the ballpark and outside stadium landscape. I also redesigned the upgrades of the system numerous times since it opened in 2004. This project rooted me in design of efficient irrigations systems in ballfields across the country.

The Council of Fellows Investiture Ceremony at the 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture / image: ASLA

What advice would you give your younger self?

To my younger self: I know you're searching for where you belong, and it might feel overwhelming not to have all the answers. Trust your instincts as they lead you somewhere meaningful. Know that the questions you’re asking about place and purpose are exactly what will guide you.

Don’t shrink yourself to fit what you think others expect. Your curiosity and empathy are not just strengths. They are your tools that will shape communities and landscapes in ways that matter.

Remember that small hinges swing big doors. Do not miss an opportunity to meet someone and build your support system. Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room, but the one that actively listens and responds accordingly. As a woman, there will be times you will feel pressure to prove your worth. But you already belong. Step forward with confidence, and be a part of reshaping the world.

Joy Kuebler, FASLA, PLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

I started college in engineering, and found the program not creative enough for me. I was offered a scholarship to study interior design, where I found a passion for design, but found walls and ceilings limiting. A course in how the environment around us shapes behavior eventually led me to landscape architecture. It's here that I've been able to pull all my interests into a career where every day is new.

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

I first met Cornelia Hahn Oberlander at an ASLA conference when I was just in my 20s; we sat together at a simple lunch table. Her masterful work allowed me to see the intensity of landscape architecture's influence on the built environment if one was willing to be tenacious. When I met her again years later, I was in awe that she remembered me and we again shared a lunch.

Janet Rosenberg, FASLA, and I actually started our firms around the same time, she in Toronto and I in Buffalo, NY. I've often looked to Janet's success as a model, and greatly appreciate her.

And my never-ending mentor Paula Horrigan, FASLA, Emerita Professor, Cornell University. Paula has consistently guided, nurtured, and celebrated me for 30 years and I truly wouldn't be who I am today without her!

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

Landscape architecture is a career that allows for so much exploration; it offers opportunities to shape and nurture both land and hearts. Women have unique voices in this shaping, and I invite you to foster this uniqueness in yourself as your important gift to the places you touch. There is only one of you and your gifts are precious. Enjoy your life and your contributions pour forth.

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

There are so many and for so many reasons. I'll share two, for two different reasons. I was short listed for a creekside park in a rural upstate New York park and went to interview. Up against two engineering firms, I was the last to interview and was asked why I felt I was qualified to lead the project and I shared that while the creek had tremendous design challenges to overcome, ultimately it wasn't about that; the project had an opportunity to change the entire community's relationship with its water. I later found out that despite some skeptics in the room, my discussion about relationship made the difference. We went on to create a piece of art that functioned as an amphitheater where the creek was the main attraction every day while also providing universal access to the water. We went on to be recognized for our first engineering awards at both the chapter and state levels for the American Public Works Association (APWA), but my favorite moment was receiving photos from the first wedding held there.

The second project is more recent, and it honors 10 lives tragically taken in a racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, on May 14, 2022. We were invited to first guide the engagement process, where we used our PLAYCE engagement model to create relationships with survivors, families, neighbors, and the grocery store where the tragedy occurred. We extended our methods, playing longer, forging what truly became love. The concepts for the space were directly influenced by that love. From there we were asked to help bring the Honor Space to life. For the next nine months, every detail was crafted, coordination with the City of Buffalo was created, custom features fabricated in Montreal were overseen, creative writing in collaboration with the Poet Laureate to ensure a unique experience with every visit, and the creation of "Unity" with a local metal artist was achieved. The Honor Space gardens tell a story over the season through color and texture, and the family-selected Adinkra symbols shared an enduring language of the community. The detail and thoughtfulness I was allowed is unmatched in my career, but why I'm most proud is that the night of the unveiling, after the crowds had receded, multiple local biker gangs arrived and quietly filed into the space and the surrounding corner. In unison they removed their caps, raised their fists and declared the space "Sacred Ground." The space was not only a reminder of their love, but a call to be ever vigilant in the protection of their community, their neighbors, their family. This act of ownership was a truly humbling moment of a designer's life.

What advice would you give your younger self?

To my younger self: always hire the lawyer, find a partner rather than muscle through the business alone, and create as much security and ease for yourself as you do for others.

Submit a WILA profile!

2025 WILA Profiles:

Voices of Women in Landscape Architecture, Part 15