2021 Quarter 3: Chapter Newsletter

NMASLA — June 2021

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear NMASLA Members,

While I was not able to attend the Quarter 3 Golf Tournament, it was a great outing for our members and vendors to get into costume, get outside, be together, and play some golf. For next year’s for Quarter 3 event, our president elect, Courtney McKelvey will be shaking things up with a new venue possibly. Do you have a great idea for it? Let her know!

It has been a tremendous and informative experience to be the NMASLA President for two terms, including one through a pandemic. What I would say that I enjoyed the most was interacting with our Executive Committee group. These are the best people, dedicated to our profession, our state organization, and our members. So I want to give them all a BIG GIANT THANK YOU for all they have done to make my job easier and more fun. Jitka, thank you for your guidance from all of your experiences as past president, current trustee, and other excom roles. It was invaluable. Richard, thank you for your hard work on pulling together all of the email blasts and these quarterly newsletters (and for bringing in more sponsors!). Brian, thank you for meticulous minutes and your support. Bonnie, thank you for stepping into some very big shoes as Treasurer. Courtney, thank you for stepping up to President! And Tony, thank you for helping us create some unique scholarship opportunities for UNM Landscape Architecture students during the pandemic.

Also, for someone dropping into an NMASLA role as President with no other previous experience here, I had amazing support from PAST Excom members that I leaned on heavily for their institutional knowledge and experience. A very special thanks goes to my friend and colleague, Rob Loftis, for the highest level of state advocacy and guidance. To Aaron Treviso as our past treasurer, who was there to hand the baton over smoothly to our current treasurer. And the entire Excom is deeply indebted to Aaron Zahm for leading and organizing the Q3 and upcoming Q4 events! He is an event planner extraordinaire! And to all others not named above, you each have contributed to making us a greater NMASLA.

I am honored to have been your president for the last two years, and to be a landscape architect in our state. It is my hope that everyone will help us continue to advocate for our profession, licensure, and to elevate the work we create to make New Mexico landscape architecture more remarkable and resilient for an unknown future upon us.

All my best,

Kenneth Francis

2022 NMASLA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The NMASLA chapter members have voted, and the new Executive Committee for 2022 will be:

• PRESIDENT: Courtney McKelvey

• PRESIDENT-ELECT: Claudia Horn

• PAST PRESIDENT: Kenneth Francis

• TRUSTEE: Jitka Dekojova

• SECRETARY: Ashlie Maxwell

• TREASURER: Bonnie Strange

• MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Brian Griffith, Richard Bumstead, Ken Romig, Indy Mitchell, Ted Weber, Lana Indriss

The newly elected Executive Committee will take office after the 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in Nashville on November 19-22, 2021.

But the work has just started. After the new Ex Com has taken office, all of the Working Committees will need to be staffed for the coming year. Take a moment and think about what you can contribute to NMASLA to move it forward into 2022. Here is a list of the NMASLA Committees that could use your talents:

• Advocacy Committee

• Audit Committee

• Sponsorship Committee

• Tellers Committee

• Awards Committee 

• Nominating Committee

• Fellows Committee

• Public Relations Committee

• Communications Committee

• Constitution and Bylaws Committee

• Membership Committee

• Education Committee

• Emerging Professionals Committee

• Student Activities Committee

• Allied Professionals Liaison

2021 NMASLA GOLF OUTING

The Silver Anniversary of the NMASLA Golf Outing took place on August 27 at the Arroyo del Oso Golf Course in Albuquerque.  While registrations were down from previous years due to too many factors to list, there were 6 teams of four and 7 individuals who came for the lunch, those in attendance were ready for a good time and happy to be able to once again gather in person.

The Team Theme competition again brought out the creative side of the participants and four of the six teams that signed up to golf dreamed up the following themes:

• New Mexico Legends

• 80s Fitness

• Spring Break

• Flamingo Yard Art

The judges, Pat Gay and Tag Gay, complimented all teams on their creativity, but it was the classic Sony Walkman strapped to Brian Verardo’s waist that tipped the hat to the 80s Fitness Team for the win. 

We also had a great deal of support from our sponsors this year, and without them this event would not be possible:

HOLE SPONSORS:

• Creative Recreation 

• MRWM Landscape Architects 

• Westwind

AWARDS SPONSORS:

• Trephenal/Landscape Forms

SPECIALTY HOLE SPONSOR:

• Anova

LUNCH SPONSOR:

• Victor Stanley

• Playwell

• Mountain West Golfspaces          

DRINK SPONSOR:

• Victor Stanley

• Anova

PRIMARY SPONSOR:

• NM Travertine

• Exerplay

PUTTING CONTEST SPONSOR:

• Playwell

• Trephenal/Landscape Forms

VENDOR BOOTH:

• Victor Stanley

Thank you to our generous sponsors, as well as all the participants!

RECENTLY PUBLISHED…..

A continuing feature of the NMASLA Newsletter highlights member projects that have been included in recent publications (books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, podcasts, etc). If you or your firm have such a project, please send it to me at glenclcark6517@yahoo.com and get the recognition you deserve!

NOTHING TO REPORT, but send me your submissions for the next issue!

OUR SPONSORS……..

Tap ad to link to their website.

PROJECT DASHBOARD

Continuing with the new feature for the NMASLA NEWSLETTER, Project Dashboard showcases the projects in New Mexico firms, from those recently awarded, in design, under construction, or recently finished. This will be updated in the Spring and Fall Newsletters, so if you are not listed now, please send me your information for the next update.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

NMASLA GALA and Awards - November 12, 2021, Sid Cutter Pilots Pavilion, Albuquerque NM

ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture - November 19-22, 202, Nashville, Tennessee

….and in 2021

ENJOY THE COMING AUTUMN!