ASLA Presidential Candidate - Jeanne Lukenda, FASLA

ASLA Presidential Elections: May 7 - June 7
by Staff

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The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is hosting elections from May 7 through June 7. Bradley McCauley, PLA, ASLA and Jeanne Lukenda, FASLA are the two candidates running for ASLA president for the 2025-2026 term. LASN has reviewed the professional backgrounds and qualifications for both candidates and condensed the findings into candidate profiles.
Lukenda's profile is outline below including her biography and her major themes, positions, and statements. ASLA's original press release for Lukenda can be found at the bottom of this page. McCauley's profile will be posted tomorrow.
All full, associate, student, and international members in good professional standing are eligible to vote. Individuals who meet this criteria will receive a paper and/or email ballot.
Lukenda received numerous attempts from LASN to discuss her candidacy and positions, but she failed to respond.

Big Themes:
Prioritize the community within the ASLA and member inclusion through her Courageous Ask initiative.
Appears to not possess a landscape architecture license in any state.
Involved in the Frameworks Task Force and ASLA's reframing efforts.
Emphasis on facilitating change in climate action, equity, and representation.

Biography:
Graduated from the University of Guelph School of Landscape Architecture.
Serves on the Alumni Board for the University of Guelph.
Elevated to ASLA Council of Fellows in 2023.
Co-founder of the AIA Women's Leadership Summit and recipient of the inaugural national ASPIRE Award.
Long-time volunteer for the Boston Chapter of the ASLA.
Co-founder of the annual publication "Fieldbook."
Founder and Co-chair of the Task Force on Gender Equality.
Served on the ASLA Board of Trustees twice.
Held various roles within ASLA, including Federal Advocacy Day Representative, Public Awareness Representative, and Professional Awards Juror.
ASLA's VP of Public Relations and Communications in 2019.
Member of the Frameworks Task Force and the ASLA.org
Website Task Force.

Why do you want to be ASLA President?
She believes in the resilience of the ASLA community.
Lukenda seeks to bring hope through landscape architecture.
She aims to ensure inclusivity and representation within the ASLA community.
Emphasizes the importance of the ASLA community's strength.
Advocates for creating a supportive culture within the association through her Courageous Ask initiative.

Bridging Society Gaps Through Landscape Architecture:
The landscape architecture community holds an important role as agents of social change.
The design of green spaces promotes physical and mental well-being.
Lukenda advocates for addressing specific needs of marginalized communities through sustainable design practices and climate action.
ASLA's Biography:
Our community's collective power remains an invaluable source of inspiration for Jeanne Lukenda, FASLA. Deeply engaged in professional work and service leadership, Jeanne harnesses the value of our expertise and the voice of our members to elevate, influence, and advance the role of landscape architecture and our national organization. She is committed to cultivating strong relationships to ensure every member has ASLA as their foundational partner, from their student days through career-building and beyond. Jeanne motivates and empowers others to do the same.
A career-long Boston Chapter volunteer, she understands how chapters are critical in shaping landscape architecture by leveraging the passion of members. She has served as Federal Advocacy Day Representative, Public Awareness Representative, Professional Awards Juror, and Mentor, and is a Co-Founder of the annual publication Fieldbook. Twice elected to the Board of Trustees, she supported national initiatives on the Board Performance Task Force and Leadership Development Committee, working to increase accountability, diversity, and representation across ASLA.
In 2019, Jeanne was elected ASLA Vice President of Public Relations and Communications and served on LAM's Editorial Advisory Committee. In support of ASLA's current Strategic Plan, she is a member of the Frameworks Task Force (which works in conjunction with the Presidents Council on the branding and communications of landscape architecture to the public), member of the ASLA.org and LAM.org Websites Task Force (which leads the redevelopment and redesign of our two websites), and Founder and Co-Chair of the Task Force on Gender Equity (a groundbreaking initiative transforming workplace equity through leadership in management, practice, and service).
Jeanne graduated from the University of Guelph School of Landscape Architecture, and currently serves on its Alumni Board. She has received local, national, and international recognition for her work and leadership. Most recently, ASLA's Council of Fellows elevated her to the 2023 Class for service. Additionally, AIA honored Jeanne as a Co-Founder of its Women's Leadership Summit, an annual nation-wide gathering of women in design. In recognition of this visionary Summit leadership and her advocacy of landscape architects among allied professionals, she was awarded the Architects Foundation inaugural national INSPIRE Award.
Goals and Directions Statement

"Put yourself in the game, but you'll have to be prepared if you're going to be at the table."
- Michelle Obama
Meet the Moment
With increasing pace and frequency, landscape architecture and landscape architects are in the spotlight as convenors, facilitators, and change makers in the most pressing local and global conversations, with climate action, equity, and representation at the forefront. With pride, confidence, and healthy anxiousness, our whole community continues to come together to meet this moment.
Intentionality
Our ASLA membership is a mosaic of talent, curiosity, aspiration, and inspiration, increasingly willing to step right up and into today's unique challenges. We must continue to equip ourselves with and support one another in the fact-finding, skill-building, and bravery required to keep moving forward, with intentionality.
Leadership
The undeniable collective expertise of our Center for Landscape Architecture's professional staff, in combination with our Executive Committee volunteers who prioritize accountability to membership, places us in a position of great strength from which to now ask more of ourselves. Our upcoming opportunity to participate in the re-evaluation and updating of our Strategic Plan challenges us to bring a portion of our membership in from the sidelines. Leadership is not about having the answers but rather about being willing to pose the difficult questions.
Courageous Ask
Our Society continues to work diligently at identifying and addressing our collective needs, celebrating and optimizing chapter uniqueness, and being responsive to individual requests. However, for our profession to advance as quickly and robustly as the demands of our humanity and our planet necessitate, we must now take it upon our collective selves to prioritize support for those members struggling to find their place amongst us. The relevance and impact of our Society and our profession will continue to grow only if we hold space for members to ask for help. Together, we can close these gaps if we embrace and cultivate this "courageous ask" culture and stand alongside one another until this very important work is done.
Whatever your challenge, we see you, and honor you and your experiences.
Together, we must now meet this moment too.

For more information on Jeanne Lukenda and opposing candidate Bradley McCauley, go to https://www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=65045

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