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Gretchen Wilson, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, is a co-founder and Principal of Dig Studio with offices in Denver, Phoenix, and Spokane. She is the 2026 President-Elect of ASLA national. Gretchen is dedicated to utilizing the power of public space to bring diverse communities together, improve health and well-being, connect people to healthy foods, create resilient habitats, and improve the environment. She is involved with CU Denver through teaching, lecturing, and jurying, and serves on the Master of Urban Design Advisory Council. She recently received her Master of Science in Environmental Science from CU Denver focusing on water systems and ecosystems.

Andy Thibodaux joined LandWest in 2018, with over 19 years of experience working at design and planning firms in Texas, Louisiana and Thailand. A Louisiana State University graduate with a degree in landscape architecture (2006) and licensed to practice landscape architecture in Texas (2013), Andy’s experience includes roles as project manager, designer and team leader. Certified LEED AP, his experience working in Austin and the ecological landscape it inhabits has created a passion for sustainable design that focuses on creating environments that are native and natural.

Following college graduation in 1993, Scheen, ASLA worked on various residential landscape projects in Louisiana. In 1995, Scheen relocated to Austin where he rose through the ranks of a large land design firm, with responsibility for design, construction supervision, and business development. Scheen also used his entrepreneurial skills to start and expand the company’s residential division.

In 2000, Scheen founded LandWest Design Group, Ltd. where he oversees the company’s three divisions and serves as chief designer. His distinctive vision is the foundation for every LandWest project.

Town Landscape Architect The Town of Mt Laurel

John Courtney, ASLA, LEED-AP, QSP/QSD, BLA 1990 is a landscape architect in private practice continuously since graduating in the class of 1990 from Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU. John currently serves as the Managing Director of the Sport+Recreation Practice Area of LPA Design Studios, based in Irvine, CA with studios in Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Dallas and San Antonio. John’s career has focused on being the lead manager of multi-disciplinary A/E teams to create parks, recreation facilities, sports venues, aquatic centers and large site development projects. In his role as leader of community outreach and engagement he deploys techniques pioneered by the late Lawrence Halprin to facilitate community-inspired public spaces and design solutions. Inclusivity, equity, resiliency, transparency and life-cycle sustainability are foundational requirements studied and maximized for every project and every design process that John leads.

Recently John leads the design efforts of multidisciplinary teams to program and design community wellness, recreation and aquatic centers in Carlsbad, Davis, Escondido, Rancho Cordova, Woodland, Pico Rivera, Los Angeles, and El Segundo, California as well as in other communities such as Payson, Arizona, Pendleton, Oregon, and Round Rock, Texas. Based on skills he learned during his senior year final project at LSU, John provides visionary policy and roadmap documents for communitywide parks, recreation, trails and open space master plans. These are 25-year master plans that provide CIP budgets, sustainability goals and conceptual plans for an entire City’s recreation facilities and programs.

John’s home is in Roseville, California where he lives with his wife of 32 years, Liz Evans Courtney and with whom they share parenting responsibilities for a golden doodle named Maggie and three beautiful daughters Gillian, Indie and Isabel who are all in post-graduate or undergraduate studies across the US.

Following graduation from LSU in 1972, relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to practice landscape architecture with the nationally renowned firm of Stresau, Smith and Steward, P.A. from 1972 to 1990. In 1975 became a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.

In 1979, received an award for landscape designs at Miami International Airport which was presented by First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the White House.

In 1990 accepted a position with the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, to serve as the department’s head landscape architect to oversee the landscape program at Miami International Airport, for 26 years until his retirement in 2016. Upon retirement, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County recognized his exceptional service to the County by issuing a proclamation declaring May 13, 2016, as “Jeffrey Dawson Day”.

Appointed to serve on the Miami-Dade County Community Image Advisory Board, serving from 2006 – 2016.

Member of the American Society of Landscape Architectures since 1975, as a member of the Florida Chapter until 2017 and later the Louisiana Chapter from 2017 to present. While a member of the Florida Chapter, served as President in 1985 and President-Elect in 1984. Also served as Co-Chair of the Annual Convention Committee in 1977 and 1978, Co-chair of the Annual Awards Committee from 1975 – 1978 and Co-Chair of the Membership Committee from 1975 – 1978.

Jacob is an alumnus of the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at Louisiana State University trying to push the envelope in thematic design, sustainability, education and guest experience.