Sasaki Welcomes Allyson Mendenhall, FASLA, as New Director of Strategic Initiatives
Allyson Mendenhall, FASLA, is joining Sasaki as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Sasaki’s landscape architecture, civil engineering, and ecology practice. Mendenhall is a landscape architect who has practiced in several leading landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firms.
Mendenhall has also just been appointed president of Harvard University’s Alumni Association, the first graduate of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design to hold this position.
Mendenhall was elevated to the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows in 2019 in recognition of her contributions to the profession and society at large. She is distinguished for her leadership of large-scale, complex, multidisciplinary design and planning efforts. Her projects tackle climate and social challenges with evidence-based methods and metrics. She directs practice-based performance research, DEI, quality assurance, and project management initiatives, and presents regularly at conferences on these topics.
In July 2022, Mendenhall will be joining Sasaki’s Denver office and will collaborate with leadership to oversee the strategic advancement of the firm’s landscape architecture, civil engineering, and ecology practice. Her work will advance Sasaki’s research in these areas, with an emphasis on evidence-based design, post-occupancy analysis, and other scientifically-centered methods. Mendenhall will also work closely with Tamar Warburg, Sasaki’s Director of Sustainability and Resilience, to ensure that the firm remains at the forefront of global issues resulting from climate change and biodiversity loss.
Mendenhall is recognized for bridging design practice and academia through research partnerships and publications, an interest she has advanced through service on the board of the Landscape Architecture Foundation. At Sasaki, Mendenhall will further Sasaki’s work with programs like the Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Investigation program and other academic institutions to objectively evaluate the impact of our design solutions through independent third-party reviews.
Mendenhall received a Master of Landscape Architecture degree with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a degree in English and American Literature from Harvard College. She thrives in settings where she can connect people around content, foster knowledge exchange, and inculcate effective methods in design practices. These interests, and her firm belief in the benefits of collaboration, will be an asset in her ongoing work at Sasaki.