“What drew me to planning was the prospect of being able to have a positive influence on our communities. As planners, we’re presented with an incredible opportunity to blend a community’s vision with projected trends and smart growth principles to develop a plan that benefits us and future generations. It’s this collaborative process of taking the expressed needs and desires of a community and molding them into a plan that really excites me.”

Wes earned a B.S. in Regional and Community Planning in 2007 and a Master of Landscape Architecture in 2014. Wes brings a passion for large-scale planning projects and new urbanism to our practice.

Maude Wilkinson areas of expertise and interests lie within the integrated approach of civil engineering and landscape architecture. Particularly her areas of interest include merging of engineering, art, and sustainability through building and urban design.

Briana is passionate about urban ecology and environmental challenges. Her deep appreciation for the public realm and the relationships between systems at a larger scale brings an added perspective to our practice. Briana’s collaborative spirit adds to our project team’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Over the years, Bill has developed into a design mentor for our team, helping others further their understanding of telling a project’s story through drawing, composition, and evoked emotion. With more than 25 years in design and construction, he has worked in a dynamic, multi-discipline design environment on a broad range of project types, both nationally and abroad.

“I love efforts that demand a quick turnaround. You hit a home run, and at project close-out, the client leaves feeling they got their dollars’ worth.”

Building upon her previous experience in the Titles and Real Estate industry, Kelly felt a greater need for professional land surveying services within the St. Louis region. In 2009, Kelly began a career to provide interconnected professional land surveying services throughout the Bi-State area. Kelly’s previous experience in real estate brings a wealth of knowledge to land surveying and research services.

Colleen is an experienced urban planner who thrives in collaborative environments, working with multi-disciplinary teams and with diverse stakeholders to complete sustainable, equitable, and inclusive projects. Having been a city Zoning Administrator and private sector Transportation Planner, she understands the many perspectives involved in project development. Her background makes her uniquely qualified to find common ground and creative solutions. She is also an entrepreneur in the St. Louis area.

Focusing on a distinctive collaboration of landscape architecture, architecture, and infrastructure in the metropolitan landscape, Bonnie’s interests fundamentally lie in bringing clients economically and environmentally responsible design solutions. Her leadership of multi-disciplinary teams drives an internal process rich with data, benchmarking, and both pre- and post-occupancy evaluations.

“We’re always learning from design performance – metrics is a dynamic tool that can tell us whether a design achieved its goals, or if we need to rethink a solution. In the end, we want to capture measurable outcomes.”

Her passion for large-scale regional impacts is evident in her design and planning approach, whether through her process of engaging public stakeholder groups, analysis of existing conditions, or iterations of design concepts.

As a professional landscape architect, Scott brings more than 5 years of experience to SWT Design, and his versatility as a designer lends to a successful project portfolio within the urban environment. Downtown streetscape enhancements, urban plazas, land use plans, and parks & trails are just a few examples of his diverse experience. And it is this same versatility that gives Scott the ability to see projects and their impact at multiple scales, from a comprehensive master plan to detailed site work. Regardless of project type, Scott gains most satisfaction from working alongside the communities that are directly impacted by our team’s recommendations.

“Urban populations are only going to continue to grow. And as we see populations shift, the demand for open space and better quality of life will only increase as well. Today, our profession is one of the most important within our industry. Landscape architects are so well equipped to serve as the ‘glue’ that holds our built and natural environments together.”

Scott also brings an appreciation of technology to our practice, continually introducing our team and clients to new software, programs, and representation techniques that help us better articulate the design process is the most effective manner.

For 20 years, Jay has cultivated a portfolio at SWT within the public sector, particularly in the parks and recreation industry, from the district and county-wide master plans to individual built community parks. His success is directly tied to a community-focused process, a partnership that listens to the needs of municipalities and their residents, and works closely with them from project initiation through construction completion. In doing so, Jay and our team can directly address a city’s concerns and provide both short and long term recommendations for park systems, facilities, and trail networks.

“SWT has developed a long-standing reputation for park planning and design. But the real benefit we bring is the ability to find funding and get projects built. Because a plan is just that – a roadmap for the future. But to bring a plan to fruition and create spaces that people can actually enjoy – that’s a good thing.”

Lance’s experience from large-scale Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning across the country is founded on an approach blending planning, outreach, green infrastructure, social equity, engineering, ecology, corridor planning, and construction procurement and implementation. His experience is focused on linking and enhancing parks, corridors, and nodes that transform communities.

“Joining SWT Design is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a design-focused studio blending landscape architecture, planning, and engineering for an improved built environment.  For us, sustainable design is not simple replacement technology or materials, it is an approach that balances design, nature, people, and place for a better community.” 

Creativity and logical solutions to a wide range of projects have shaped Chantal into the professional engineer she is today. She brings over 10 years of extensive experience in designing sustainable stormwater solutions and Best Management Practices. Her ability to bring synergism between landscape architecture and civil engineering is going to add a new dynamic to our process, which will only make us stronger designers, collaborators, and design partners.

“I’m excited to look at design through the lens of engineering to bolster art with science. Being part of the creative process challenges me to consider solutions that will not only provide function but enriching experience.” 

Jim brings over 25 years of experience in the survey industry to the team.

Jim is a Professional Land Surveyor for Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas. He is also a member of Missouri Society of Professional Land Surveyors.

Known around the country for his tacit knowledge of park planning, landscape design, horticulture, environmental planning, and landscape maintenance best practices, Ted brings more than 30 years to our team and the profession of landscape architecture. His vision and talent are infused in our practice, ever-challenging accepted standards and methodologies.

“I am fascinated with biomimicry and what it means to understanding sustainability. It sounds simple, but if we just take time to better understand our natural surroundings and how nature works, we can be more impactful designers.”

In 2012, Ted was awarded the Robert Goetz Award for this contribution to the profession of landscape architecture.

Leslie Cerny schedules all surveying fieldwork and draws all boundary, topographic, and ALTA surveys from start to finish using Autodesk Civil3D. Creating detailed and accurate surfaces of existing sites is one of her specialties as well as communicating with field personnel to ensure that all pertinent information is captured efficiently. She also has years of experience in civil engineering site design which helps her notice and include details in a survey that an engineer would need.

Julian is a creative and dedicated team member who resolves complex issues with creative, innovative design solutions. His proficiency in site design, computer rendering, and graphic design helps clients understand the scope and vision of their projects. His understanding of the design process allows him to fulfill project requirements, resulting in outstanding projects and satisfied clients.

With a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Teaching English as a Second Language, Paul began his professional career in academia teaching inner-city children at an elementary school in Louisville, KY. Concerned over the lack of green space and safe parks available to his students, he learned of landscape architecture and soon after discovered the many social and environmental impacts the profession has on our communities. After earning a Masters of Landscape Architecture, Paul discovered his passion for trails and biking, and is an avid proponent of alternative transportation. During his time with SWT, Paul has been integral in projects that address various planning and design elements, from economic development and transportation/access to green infrastructure, placemaking, and site development.

Gary comes to SWT Design with a strong background in financial management and financial sustainability. He regularly collaborates with our project managers during the design process to help maintain healthy project budgets and identify ways in which we can improve our project management process.

During his time with SWT, Zach has helped our firm develop a process that supports evidence-based design – a concept whereby research and historic data can influence future design decisions.

“The planning and design of open spaces of any scale requires us to observe interconnected systems, from hydrology and ecology, to the various users who interact with the site. The end result is a design whose indicators of success can be monitored and measured.”

With our team, Zach played a pivotal role in testing the Sustainable SITES Initiative rating system – the only global rating system for the design of sustainable landscapes. It was then that he worked on the design and subsequent certification of two projects during the rating system’s pilot phase. His strength in our design process, among others, comes from observing systems as they change over time, and how past projects can inform smarter, more innovative design solutions.

Will began working at an architectural software startup in Kansas City following the completion of his undergraduate degree. He quickly developed an interest in green infrastructure and discovered the profession of landscape architecture. Throughout graduate school, he continued working and has grown as an advocate for designers’ impact on sustainability and resilience in the built environment. After finishing his graduate degree, Will participated in the Tallgrass Artist Residency program before joining SWT. His personal work explores the cultural aspects of environmental history, land use, and ecology.

Since 2002, Mindy has assisted our office with marketing, accounting, and production art. Her interests lie in urban homesteading and community gardens.

Lee Hyde has been working in the survey industry since 2010.  His experience includes time as a field surveyor, project management, and administrative duties.  In 2012, he became head of business development for the survey division.

Klaus has been practicing Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering since 1982, including 11 years of landscape construction. In practice, his experience is supported by years of observation and discussion of site designs and environmental engineering starting with his history in Germany and Turkey, travels in Europe, and working as a professional Landscape Architect in the United States.

“I have realized how important listening, communication, and collaboration are for any project, regardless of project scale and location. Through that and the understanding of resource management, we can achieve truly innovative, sustainable, and successful projects that can leave a legacy for future generations.”

Klaus has experience in Urban Design and Landscape Architecture in areas such as site design and complete streetscapes, roofscapes, analysis of environmental impacts, and development of strategies for sustainable resource management.

While there is no singular project typology that defines Felipe’s portfolio of work with us, the common thread always comes back to “constructability and coordination.” During his years with SWT Design, he has meticulously studied and come to enjoy the balance of art and science that is needed to take a truly innovative design from concept to reality. Every project brings with it the need to manage a multi-disciplinary team, and further refine design details that can turn any idea into a tangible experience. As a designer, Felipe’s attention to detail in design development and construction compliments his role as a project manager, bringing with it the ability to effectively communicate with partners and achieve design intent.

“Our team is always pushing the notion of what can be achieved through innovative design. To take the mere idea of a place from a sketch into something real – something you can experience – is where I find the most satisfaction.”