My name is Danielle Alexander and I am a licensed Landscape Architect in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I am licensed as well in Maryland, Vermont, and Massachusetts. I come today to speak of my strong commitment to the profession of landscape architecture and the necessity that it remains a licensed profession.

I studied at Harvard University, worked in a landscape architecture office for two years, then, after three more years of study, received my Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture here in Virginia, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I then worked for three additional years in Boston at the firm Reed Hilderbrand before taking my licensure exams and receiving my license as a landscape architect, which was one of the proudest days of my career.

I have worked on a number of high-profile projects that impacted the public’s health, safety, and welfare. At Reed Hilderbrand, I worked on the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where our work will have an influence on thousands of visitors that walk through and sit and enjoy its park, not to mention the thousands that walk on the surrounding New York City sidewalks. I designed an ADA accessible trail through the ravine at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, as well as coordinated with geofluvialmorphologists on how to best restore its riverbanks. I’ve worked on Harvard University’s Campus, helping to site new roads, infrastructure, and developments for an entire new campus district. Lastly, one of the projects I worked on that is nearest and dearest to my heart is a small park in Boston, where I helped to lead a team of engineers and other subconsultants in the design of a park that needed to mitigate overland flood control, negotiate shared fire-lane and pedestrian access, and provide ecological and recreational benefits to the community. It abuts a public library, and is filled with children every day. In the construction of this project, it was my review that resulted in the tearing out of poorly performed concrete work on the sidewalk that could have resulted in trip hazards, in recommending grading alterations during construction to better provide flood control, and in adjusting drain caps that could have resulted in problems down the line.

I now run my own landscape architecture firm Studio AKA. It is because of my licensure I can assure my clients, both public and private, that I have the training and skills necessary to provide solutions to their problems that will not have negative impacts. My clients specifically seek me out with complex issues, knowing that as a licensed landscape architect, they can trust me. The engineers and architects I work with, all who are also licensed in multiple jurisdictions, depend on me to do my work with the highest level of competence and training, which my license assures them of. My license is my credential that protects my competitiveness in the market and is a statement of my ability. My license also demands that I attain continuing education to maintain that ability so that I am continually learning about the newest technologies and techniques to protect the public. Voluntary self-certification programs do not assure the public of our skills and competency. Construction of the landscape, whether in the right of way, in a park, or in a private space, comes with many risks. It is essential that Virginia continues to license and maintain licensure for landscape architects so that the public benefits from our expertise on projects and is protected.