MLA ALUMNI PROFILES

Mario Cambardella

BLA, MEPD, MLA
Urban Agriculture Director, City of Atlanta, GA

Mario Cambardella is a three time graduate from the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design, with a BLA, an MEPD, and an MLA. His young career has already seen him work for a high profile firm, begin his own edible landscape centered design-build firm, and become Atlanta’s first ever Urban Agriculture Director. Additional achievements include being named to the Food Well Alliance Advisory Committee, 2016, as well as the Winner of Trinity Avenue Farm Competition, City of Atlanta, 2015.

Becoming the first Urban Agriculture Director for the City of Atlanta was heavily influenced by my training and the education I received in the College of Environment and Design. Had my design portfolio not set me apart from the other candidates at the interview, there is a good chance I would not have received the position. The portfolio I presented that day, a year and a half ago, showed more than colorful renderings and glossy photos; it illustrated problems solved through a defined process. The images and drawings explained graphically for all to understand the carefully thought-out solutions. It captured the imagination of not merely what is, but what ought to be.

I have used the CED degree to obtain a job upon graduation with a well-respected multi-national landscape corporation and, several years later, to start my own food-producing landscape design and build firm. Now, as a landscape architect for the City of Atlanta, I am in the service of others, and the part of my job I enjoy the most is when I can become the tool or instrument for those who wish to re-imagine their built environment and create their own point of access to fresh and healthy food.

I am grateful for my time in Athens, the professors who mentored me, and the sense of University spirit that those experiences instilled in me. The College of Environment and Design bestowed an amazing gift, enabling me to find gainful employment, confidence for an entrepreneurial effort, and the opportunity to work in the service of others. Feeling blessed. Go Dawgs!

Rachael Shields 

Rachael Shields graduated with an MLA in 2019. With an interest in Landscape Architecture research, She is (as of spring 2023) enrolled in a PHD program at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Her interest in research was furthered by taking classes with Brian Orland, a former UGA professor. She lists graduate assistantships at the college as one of the most impactful parts of her education, and is grateful for the time and effort that she put into her thesis as she graduated. When asked about advice she would give to other students in the program, she encourages them to spend as much time in the studio as possible. The studio is not only a place where work gets done, but a place where relationships grow, and time is spent with other like-minded students. 

Isabel Jacome 

Isabel Jacome graduated with an MLA in 2010. Isabel is currently with architecture group 3G Office, and works as a country manager in the field of urban design. She appreciates the reward that one gets from creating places that make people feel comfortable. She also points to the importance of resourcefulness, something she felt UGA helped her understand. When faced with issues, the spirit of “If I don’t know it, I can still do it” is tremendously valuable. 

Yongzhi Xiao 

Yongzhi Xiao graduated with an MLA in 2015. Through school, she found interest in many of the fields that Landscape Architecture addresses. Some of these are: parks, open spaces, campus planning, waterfront areas, and commercial districts. She has been working as a landscape architect at Smithgroup in Ann Arbor, Michigan since 2015. When talking about the MLA program she lists two things that she says were important to her. One was learning about the practicality and flexibility of sustainable design. The other was learning about Urban Design which sparked her interest in the field. She also is thankful for learning about construction in school. She says the knowledge she learned there was incredibly practical and has helped her go a long way. She encourages anyone in the program to enroll in the construction basics course and practices putting her knowledge to good use as she designs spaces in urban areas. 

Michael Hans 

Michael Hans graduated with an MLA in 2022. His interests lie in Urban Design and Park Design, and after graduating he began working for Smith Planning Group in Watkinsville, Georgia as a Landscape Designer. He is grateful for his time at UGA and lists a couple of the more important parts of his education. He recalls enjoying working on a project where he was able to individually work out a design for a large scale park. He also appreciates the time he spent learning AutoCAD and other graphic communication skills as they are used very often in the field. Another important part was the people that he met in the program, including faculty. His advisor, Brad Davis, was one of these people: “he was my thesis advisor and helped me tremendously. We are still in touch and he has continued to be a great guide, advisor and friend”. He appreciates the amount of new challenges that take place every day in the field, stating that every day he learns something new, and though sometimes it is difficult, that is what keeps the work entertaining.  

Jon Davis 

Jon Davis graduated with an MLA in 1975. His main interests are in land planning, and he currently is a practicing Registered Landscape Architect and Land Planner out of Duluth, Georgia. When recalling his years at UGA he remembers having a great experience meeting with a partner from Sasaki. He was in town to meet with former UGA professor Vince Bellafiore, an important faculty member to Jon Davis. He speaks highly of the education from UGA stating that: “You will have the best training in Landscape Architecture [from the MLA program]”. One thing he appreciates about the profession is the range of services that can be utilized to improve communities, and as a landscape architect, he enjoys the gifts that these services can bring to people.  

Charles Brenton 

Charles Brenton graduated with an MLA in 1981. His interests lie in green infrastructure, and he works as a member at Brenton Landscape Architecture based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Charles founded the firm in 1996 and they have been involved in community projects ever since. At UGA, he was influenced by former professor Richard Westmacott who encouraged him to dive into creativity and self-expression. He remembers exploring the Founders garden on campus, and is grateful for the education that focused on proficiency in site and planting design. He says to make an impact in the field, it is important to be a good listener wherever you may go. 

Katherine Perry

MLA 2016
TSW, Atlanta, GA

When I entered UGA’s MLA program with a background in finance, I knew that I had a lot to learn in three years. During my time at the College of Environment + Design, I was challenged and supported by faculty with a range of interests and areas of expertise. The close relationships that I formed with the faculty and staff at the CED helped shape my research interests, and ultimately helped me narrow in on the type of professional work that I wanted to pursue post-graduation.

A desire to design public spaces helped me find my way to TSW. Our landscape studio works primarily on public projects and mixed-use or multi-family residential projects. Our projects range in type, scale, and context which keeps work interesting, and has exposed me to a breadth of design challenges and opportunities.

Over the course of a day at the office I could be sketching initial design concepts, building a 3-D model, drawing construction details, compiling a cost estimate, coordinating with clients and other disciplines, working on illustrative renderings, or a myriad of other tasks. It is this required combination of both creative and critical thinking and skill that drew me to landscape architecture, and I will always be grateful to UGA’s CED for teaching me the fundamental skills necessary to approach the multiple and varied aspects of this field.

Thomas Baker

MLA 2015
Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd., Alexandria, VA

In retrospect, the education I received at the CE+D prepared me for a highly competitive job market. The facilities afforded me the right environment to develop as a designer. The faculty was supportive and offered mentorship in my area of interest. I learned about my personal design process while working on variety of project types – garden, city, and regional scale. I was given opportunities to travel and learn through fieldwork. I learned the importance of conceptual design narrative. I learned from my peers and developed lifelong friendships. Many of the students in my graduating class are working throughout the country in studios that fit their exact design interest, which is a testament to the Program.

When I first visited the CE+D for an interview, one of the first questions was “So, do you like to draw?” Three years later, around the time of graduation, I reflected back on that question. For me, drawing is everything fundamental to landscape architecture and the MLA program is one of the few in the country that still celebrates and teaches hand drawing. The college is focused on producing designers that know how to think critically and drawing is an important part of the process.

The program enabled me to develop as a designer and tailored parts of the curriculum to fit my needs. The CE+D pedagogy is progressive and free-form, while maintaining a curriculum that has withstood the test of time. I recall an entire semester in which I annexed a wall to pin-up notes, sketches, and bits of research. No one questioned what I was doing. For me that kind of freedom is essential in an academic environment.

Andrew Bailey

MLA 2014, MEPD 2015
Jacobs Engineering Group, Atlanta, GA

As a graduate of both the MLA and the MEPD programs, I have felt very prepared in terms of the technical skill and thought leadership required to effectively work across scales and project types. The MLA program and the College of Environment + Design provides students with the opportunity to engage the breadth of complex issues facing landscape architecture and planning professions through coursework, academic research and studio design application. The program leverages the experience of a large faculty to provide a setting where you can specialize or remain a generalist. The support from the faculty, the diverse backgrounds of the cohorts, and the opportunities to participate in public outreach projects make the program truly amazing.

Allen Pratt

MLA 2014
Perkins+Will, Atlanta, GA

My time at the College of Environment and Design exposed me to the innovative and creative world of landscape architecture and urban design. During my two years immersed in the Master of Landscape Architecture program, I was fortunate to serve as a graduate assistant in the Center for Community Design and Preservation (CCDP). While there, I helped organize and execute a series of outreach programs where I developed relationships with stakeholders, community members, fellow students and landscape and design professionals. The CCDP and CED facilitated an educational environment where I was given real-world experience while maintaining the freedom to pursue my own personal research goals and interests. The communication skills, design education, and research knowledge I gained while at the CED prepared me exceptionally well for my professional career. I immediately was offered a job at a large interdisciplinary design firm in Atlanta, Perkins+Will, where I currently work on design, documentation, and creation of a range of landscape and urban design projects throughout the southeast and around the world. As my career progresses, I will always be grateful for my time at UGA and will continue to support the excellent staff and students of the CCDP and CED.

Blake Conant

MLA 2013
Dundee Golf Design, Omaha, NE

My job is to help build good golf courses. Clients give us a long leash to design and build most anything, but we’ve got to be able to justify those decisions. The CE+D treated my classmates and me the exact same way. We were encouraged to be bold and weird with our work in the MLA program, but held to the standard that every decision must have sound reasoning in function and form. This standard extends beyond the classroom. The program consistently fosters students’ enthusiasm and rewards their initiative. The CE+D places such high value on that fundamental cornerstone of education, it pervades through the entire college. The Tanyard Creek Chew Crew or the Material Reuse Program are evidence of their commitment to student initiated projects. A driven individual with crazy ideas will have an opportunity to reach their full potential at UGA. Most importantly, classmates always come from different backgrounds, have different aesthetics, and offer different perspectives; the CE+D embraces that. They encourage this funky, holistic environment of collaboration, camaraderie, and inventiveness. Living and working in such an environment was the biggest advantage I had upon entering the real world.