President's Message: May 2025

Dear Fellow Landscape Architecture Professionals,

As World Landscape Architecture Month wraps up, we’re excited to turn our focus to our biggest event of the year—the annual Design Awards Gala—next Tuesday at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. This is by far my favorite Maryland ASLA event. Ever since my student days at the University of Maryland, I looked forward to the buzz of the Gala—surrounded by professionals I admired, all in one place. With a little encouragement from professors, it was easy to strike up conversations with these seeming titans of the industry—thankfully, landscape architects are some of the most approachable people you’ll meet. 

This year, we’ve built in time to explore the museum’s exhibits before the awards program, so be sure to arrive at 5:30 to take full advantage. Huge thanks to our planning committee—especially co-chairs Jack Sullivan and Zach Brown—for organizing this event over the last 6+ months. And thank you to our generous sponsors, who help make it all possible! 

Mid-April, we hosted a Movie Night at the historic Parkway Theatre, featuring Sitting Still, a new documentary on Laurie Olin. We were honored to welcome the director, Gina Angelone, for a live introduction. I left the film inspired by the power of our profession—and reminded of the importance of simply pausing, sketching, and “sitting still”. Thank you to Mark Haney of Division 32 and Robert Applegate of ForeverLawn for co-hosting this memorable evening. If you missed it, don’t worry—we hope to host another Movie Night this Fall! 

Tonight, we gather at Vectorworks for our first official Mentorship Program event—complete with a tour and trivia. Not in the program? No problem—come anyway and join the fun. We also have several more tours on the horizon. On May 22nd, we’re teaming up with AIA Baltimore for a studio tour and happy hour at Mahan Rykiel Associates. We’re also finalizing our Advocacy Site Tour of Rash Field and the new Wetlands at the National Aquarium—an exciting chance to show policymakers the real-world impact of our work. And soon, we’ll visit Prince George’s County for a Play Tour with Sparks@Play, diving into playground design and the role landscape architects play in shaping these spaces. 

Finally, we’ve opened our chapter Call for Nominations. Whether you love planning events, connecting with students, shaping policy, or reimagining PARK(ing) Day—we have a place for you. Now is the time to raise your hand and get involved! 

Thank you again to all our sponsors, especially our newest sponsors, Vestre and Curbs Gone Wild—welcome to our community, and thank you for supporting our mission.  

See you at the Gala! 

Sincerely,

Michael Pullano, PLA, ASLA

President, ASLA Maryland