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Dear MDASLA Community,
I am humbled to be taking over the reins of this Chapter and am excited to work with, and for, you during the term of 2023 – 2024.
I have just returned from Minneapolis where I attended my first Chapter President Council meeting, held right before the annual National Conference. I was joined by Michael Pullano, our President-Elect, and Om Khurjekar, our illustrative Trustee, so I was in good company in representing the state of Maryland. I very much enjoyed meeting with leadership from around the country and hearing what the different states are focused on; I truly believe that we can work together to enhance our profession. This also provided a great opportunity to learn more about National ASLA and what they do to support the individual chapters. It was inspiring to hear from the now immediate Past-President, Emily O’Mahoney, who charged us to “get outside ourselves” and build a more public presence for landscape architecture. And CEO, Torey Carter-Conneen, delivered an update on ASLA’s strategic plan and the vision for 2030.
Our own strategic planning meeting at the beginning of October was a great success and I am happy to report that there was strong participation from both of our academic professional programs - Morgan State University and the University of Maryland. The student chapters shared their plans for the coming year and contributed to the overall enthusiasm in the room. There was a consensus that we as a chapter would like to increase our visibility within the public realm, and getting students better involved in the chapter is a great way to start.
We have a very robust Executive Committee this 2023- 2024 term, which is bolstered by the largest number of volunteers that the Chapter has seen in years. This means that we have plenty of support for the various committees that the chapter involves. If you are a volunteer, or member of the Executive Committee, thank you! I know how busy everyone is and committing the time to join as a board member or volunteer is hugely appreciated. It ensures the future of MD ASLA going forward.
I will have more to report in my future letters as President, but I wanted to end here by thanking the Executive Board for their trust in me. I want to thank Joe Ignatius, who has been a strong and thoughtful chapter President and who has led us for the past two years as we have all made the transition post-pandemic. He has helped to dispel some of the mystery of this position and has eased the process of assuming the role of President. And to Om, who I met in 2003 when I moved to Baltimore and was my first point of contact with MD ASLA. Thank you both. I look forward to the year to come.
Sarah Trautvetter, ASLA
2023-2024 President