Landscape Architecture Alumni Advisory Board

Heidi is the lead designer, project manager and founder partner of Living Habitats providing landscape architecture, ecological services, environmental planning and custom artwork throughout the Midwest. She works on private, institutional, and public lands in urban, suburban, rural and natural communities for a wide variety of clients. She focuses on natural areas restoration and vegetated roof projects and has extensive experience with native flora creating aesthetically pleasing and ecologically rich solutions. Heidi holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from UW-Madison (BSLA 1990) and graduated with distinction on the Dean’s list for ten semesters. She is a member of Motar Board, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Eta Sigma and Sigma Lambda Alpha. She also serves as an instructor and guest speaker at the Chicago Botanic Garden and volunteer steward with the Nature Conservancy.

Bill Patek, Director of SmithGroupJJR’s Madison office, has extensive experience leading a wide variety of complex campus and urban design projects requiring multi-disciplinary approaches to urban planning and land development. His expertise encompasses all project phases from master planning, schematic design, and design guideline preparation to construction documentation and administration. Current projects include the UW Madison Master Plan Update, Hill Farms Redevelopment, University Research Park, Historic Garver Feedmill Redevelopment and numerous mixed-use development projects. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in landscape architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1995. Bill is a Vice President at SmithGroupJJR and has served on the Board of Directors since 2012.

Tim received his Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1979. He is a Landscape Architect and Principal at the Houston office of the SWA Group who specializes in design control and construction phase services, working closely with clients and contractors from bidding phase through final punch list inspections. Before joining SWA he worked for several landscape design-build firms, on both the construction and project management sides. This varied experience gave him the ability to understand design at a practical level and to understand what can be constructed and the time it takes; to forecast budgets, to perform accurate cost estimates, and taught him the importance of building strong relationships with contractors which is key in our industry. Since joining SWA, he has performed construction phase services on numerous award-winning projects.

Brian graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture. He is now a registered Landscape Architect with Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland and highly regarded among his peers as an expert in design of amenity spaces as well as green roofs. Brian has been involved in several prominent residential mixed-use projects. Collaborating closely with the architects, interior designers and developers, Brian has served as lead landscape architect for some of Design Collective’s most attractive and successful civic, institutional and
developer projects. Brian has served as lead landscape architect for 100 Light Street, and the Under Armour Campus Entry and Sports Court projects. Prior to joining Design Collective, Brian served as Associate Principal for Mahan Rykiel & Associates where his work achieved national recognition and several design awards.

Principal and founder of Ryan Associates (landscape architecture and planning). Tom has been responsible for innumerable projects throughout the greater Boston area Tom has been responsible for innumerable projects throughout the greater Boston area and beyond for over 25 years. Mr. Ryan’s responsibilities on these and many other projects entails obtaining state and local approvals, overseeing project design, contract specifications, review of all contract documents, construction administration, and coordination of design issues with various disciplines. Prior to founding Ryan Associates, Tom was employed by many well-known Boston area firms including Hargreaves Associates where he was a Principal, Sasaki Associates, Carol R Johnson Associates, the S.W.A. Group, and Burck-Ryan Associates. Tom is also active as a guest instructor and critic at various Universities including Harvard, SUNY, the BAC, RISD, Radcliffe and the University of Virginia and is currently teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Tom’s wife, Heather, is also a practicing landscape architect and a graduate of our program.

Ken is a principal and founder of Ken Saiki Design, Landscape Architects, of Madison, Wisconsin. The firm, established in 1989, is the recipient of a number of design awards, both nationally and on a statewide basis. He is a licensed landscape architect in the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. In addition to his work at his firm, Ken has lectured at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Departments of Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. He has served on the City of Madison’s Zoning Ordinance Re- write Advisory Committee, the Lisa Link Park Advisory Committee and the Urban Design Commission. He is a Past President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Ken received his Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1979.

Pam is the Ice Age National Scenic Trail Manager for the National Park Service where, working with public and private partners, she oversees and carries out the federal requirements to plan, acquire, develop, interpret, and restore native ecosystems for this 1,200-mile trail that winds through 30 counties in the State of Wisconsin. She has also been involved in master planning efforts at the nine Ice Age National Scientific Reserve Units, and at various partner and non-profit sites. She serves as the Trail’s federal accessibility coordinator, and administers its grant programs. She also serves on the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Board. Pam received her Bachelors of Science in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980 and Landscape Architecture in 1986.