LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership: First Residency Complete!

Last week, the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) welcomed its first cohort of the new LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. The four LAF Fellows, two participating Olmsted Scholars, and fellowship facilitators gathered in Washington, D.C. for an intense 3-day residency to kick off the fellowship year.

Before getting to work, the participants attended a special dinner with the LAF Board of Directors, local Board Emeriti, and representatives from the National Park Service, which was recognized with the 2017 LAF Founders’ Award. After an inspiring evening, the cohort gathered at Impact Hub DC, a non-profit co-working space for “entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social, economic, and environmental change,” and the fellowship’s home-base for three days.

Lucinda Sanders, CEO and Partner at OLIN, and Laura Solano, Principal at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, serve as facilitators for all three fellowship residencies. At this first one, they explored the different aspects of transformational leadership with the cohort. They also underscored the importance of asking for help and of mentorship in all directions, as each cohort member is there to support the others throughout the fellowship year.

Residency I of the fellowship is designed to deepen the commitment of each cohort member and to help remove obstacles from her or his path. Repeated presentations and critiques were one of the primary exercises used to achieve this. The LAF Fellows and participating Olmsted Scholars presented their project proposals multiple times and in multiple formats over the course of this first residency, with each speaking opportunity further reinforced with guidance and feedback from the cohort team, facilitators, and invited guests.

Day 1 was dedicated to small group, workshop-style discursive presentations and some project work time to advance or refine their presentations for Day 2, when the entire cohort reconvened for their formal presentations and critique with invited guests Brad McKee, Editor of Landscape Architecture Magazine and Daniel Pittman, Design Director at A/D/O, a design/creative incubator in Brooklyn, New York. Their insights and perspective were invaluable to the project team. The cohort also received feedback from the LAF Board of Directors following a round of short, PechaKucha-style presentations.

Residency I wrapped up on the morning of Day 3 when the fellowship cohort and facilitators came together to reflect on the past two days and discuss the work and challenges they plan to confront over the course of this year.

To maintain momentum throughout the fellowship year, the cohort will check in monthly via conference call to report out on progress. In six months, the cohort will reconvene in Washington, D.C. in early November for Residency II. We look forward to sharing their progress in the months ahead!