LSU alumna Gretchen Wilson, ASLA, PLA, principal and co-founder of Dig Studio, has been named to the 2026 Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), one of the highest honors in the landscape architecture profession.

Wilson is one of just 35 landscape architects nationwide selected for this year’s class of Fellows, a distinction recognizing exceptional contributions to landscape architecture and society through leadership, service, knowledge, and professional practice. Her selection comes at another milestone moment in her career as she prepares to serve as ASLA President.

“Landscape architecture has the power to bring people together, strengthen communities and help address some of the biggest challenges facing our cities and environment today,”  Wilson said. “I’m incredibly honored to be recognized by ASLA alongside so many talented leaders in the profession. This recognition reflects not only my work, but also the collaborative spirit of Dig Studio, our partners and the communities we’ve had the privilege to work alongside.”

For Wilson, whose work has focused on community-driven design, ecological resilience, and public spaces that connect people with nature, the honor reflects a professional journey that began in southeast Louisiana.

Finding Her Path

“My mother graduated in art and my father in forestry from LSU,” she said. “My aunt and brother also graduated from LSU and now my daughter is there studying horticulture. I moved to Colorado with my husband, Stephen, another LSU RRSLA graduate, in 1999 and we have lived and worked here ever since.”

Wilson’s path to landscape architecture was not a straight line. She grew up Hammond, Louisiana. After graduating from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, she enrolled at Georgia Tech to study environmental engineering.

“At the time, it was what counselors recommended for people with an aptitude for math and art,” she said. “After one year, I knew that was not for me, so I tried out film studies because of my love of film sets and stories.”

Everything changed during a visit to Baton Rouge.

“Then I came across Landscape Architecture Magazine by chance in a Barnes & Noble store in Baton Rouge and knew right away that this was my calling,” Wilson said. “It was a perfect way for me to blend my love of the natural world with my interest in art, culture, engineering, design, and storytelling.”

Once she discovered landscape architecture, choosing LSU was easy.

“Once I had chosen landscape architecture, I realized that LSU had the best undergraduate program in the country at the time, so it was a no brainer,” she said. “This was bolstered after meeting some of the professors at the time who later became like a second family.”

LSU RRSLA: “Like a Second Family”

Wilson credits her years at the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture with providing experiences and relationships that continue to shape her career decades later.

“Touring West Coast landscape architecture projects and offices with Max Conrad was one of my most memorable and formative experiences, especially getting to see different types of offices,” she said. “I was inspired by the fun, collaborative vibe at the office of Lawrence Halprin. Studying abroad in Manchester, UK, opened my eyes to a whole new world.”

She added that the LSU community remains one of her strongest professional foundations.

“The strong, supportive relationships I made with my classmates and professors have lasted until now and will last forever,” Wilson said. “I also loved plant classes and sketching on the LSU campus so much.”

After graduating, Wilson built a career that spanned private practice, entrepreneurship, and large-scale planning and design projects across the country.

“I did an internship my junior year at a small firm in North Carolina,” she said. “When I moved to Denver, I started working full time at DHM Design, then started my own business doing my own design and consulting with other firms when I had my first child.”

She later joined EDAW, where she worked on projects nationwide before the firm became part of AECOM.

In 2012, she left that firm to start Dig Studio with three partners, Wilson said. “Now we are a firm with three locations and 45 staff doing award-winning work across the western U.S.”

Among Wilson’s proudest achievements are not only awards and recognitions, but the communities and landscapes her work has helped shape.

Landscape Architecture: Transforming Communities

“I really love seeing the places I help design become experiences where people are connecting with nature and each other.”

She also points to her years of leadership within ASLA as a defining part of her professional journey.

“I am very proud of my involvement with ASLA over the years,” Wilson said. “I have gained so much from the relationships and knowledge I have gained through the organization.”

Her favorite project to date is one that embodies many of the values that have defined her career.

“My favorite project has to be the one we are finishing at the moment — Carpio-Sanguinette Park/Heron Pond Open Space in Denver,” she said. “This is the largest park of my career at over 80 acres and incorporates all of the aspects of design that I love — community engagement, stormwater quality, trails, play, gathering spaces, environmental education, and art.”

Inspiring the Next Generation of Designers

As Wilson prepares to take on the national leadership of ASLA in 2027, she also hopes to inspire the next generation of designers emerging from LSU.

“Learn how to successfully collaborate while you are in school,” she advised students. “It is such an invaluable tool in design and planning.”

She encourages students to embrace adaptability and creative problem solving.

“Practice starting over with new information and new ideas frequently,” Wilson said. “If you are good at listening, synthesizing what you hear into realistic solutions grounded in strong concepts, and envisioning your design, then AI cannot take your job away.”

She believes landscape architects bring an irreplaceable perspective to some of society’s most pressing challenges.

“Our work entails thinking not only about what a place will look like to begin with but also how it impacts the environment, its users, and how it will change over time,” she said.

For Wilson, the profession remains as exciting today as when she first discovered it in the pages of a magazine years ago.

“Landscape architecture is an awesome profession to be in,” she said. “Most days I am doing something different and learning something new about people, users, construction methods, materials, and more. It is not a dull job, and the rewards of watching people use the spaces we create never disappoint.”

As part of her work at Dig Studio, Wilson has led the design and planning of nationally recognized public spaces and community-focused projects, including Denver’s, City Park Nature Play, the City Park Living Land project, and Carpio-Sanguinette Park/Heron Pond open space. Her work integrates ecological restoration, play, mobility, public health, and green infrastructure to create spaces that serve both people and the natural systems surrounding them.

Beyond her design practice, Wilson has held numerous leadership roles within ASLA at both the state and national levels. She previously served as Colorado Chapter Secretary and Colorado Trustee and currently serves on the ASLA 2025 Executive Committee and the Annual Conference Education Advisory Committee. She has also led conversations around climate resilience, equity, and gender parity within the profession. She recently completed a Master of Science in Environmental Science with a specialization in water systems and ecosystems.

“The 2026 Class of ASLA Fellows represents the very best of our profession—leaders whose work strengthens communities, advances environmental stewardship and expands what landscape architecture can do for people and places,” said ASLA President Brad McCauley, FASLA, PLA. “Their careers reflect a deep commitment to design excellence, service, innovation and the power of our profession to create healthier, more equitable and more resilient communities. I am proud to celebrate these Fellows, their leadership and the lasting impact they continue to make.”

Wilson’s recognition as an ASLA Fellow and her upcoming service as the society’s president underscore the impact LSU alumni continue to make on the profession nationally and internationally, while serving as an inspiration for future generations of designers at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, said Arne Flaten, Dean of the LSU College of Art & Design.

ASLA Fellows will be elevated during a special investiture ceremony at the 2026 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, which will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 16-18, 2026.