President Biden Appoints Landscape Architect to Federal Agency

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Landscape ArchitectLisa E. Delplace, FASLA, is one of seven members on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) welcomes President Biden’s appointment of Lisa E. Delplace, FASLA, as the newest member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). Delplace is CEO of Washington, D.C.-based  landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden (OvS). With her appointment, the federal agency that reviews the design of all public buildings, parks, and memorials in Washington, D.C. will once again have the expertise of a landscape architect. OvS’s work in Washington, D.C. includes the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall, Francis Scott Key Memorial Park, and Virginia Avenue Gardens.

“Landscape architects are at the forefront of designing sustainable and resilient urban spaces, including parks, streetscapes, memorials, and public educational landscapes, and others,” said ASLA President Eugenia Martin, FASLA. The legacy of landscape architects as members of the CFA includes one of the original Commissioners, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., who was one of the 11 founders of ASLA. Olmsted Jr. served on the Commission from 1910 to 1918 (1912-1918 as Vice Chair). His eventual replacement, James L. Greenleaf, a former ASLA President, was also a landscape professional.In 2021, ASLA called on President Biden to ensure the Commission included a representative from the landscape architecture profession. “We thank President Biden for reaffirming the importance and value of having the counsel of a landscape architect on this important federal agency,” said Torey Carter-Conneen, ASLA’s Chief Executive Officer.

For more information about ASLA click here.

To read more on landscaping at the White House click here.