ASLA Council of Fellows
Tennessee has four members in the ASLA Council of Fellows:
Samuel M. Rogers, FASLA became a fellow in 2014
Rogers was instrumental in founding and accrediting the UT Landscape Architecture Program, and has been a long-time faculty member of landscape design. He received his nomination under the category of “Service” from with the Tennessee Chapter. His nomination was co-authored by fellow faculty member Brad Collett. In the letter of recommendation, it noted:
Both the landscape design and landscape architecture programs owe their vitality to Sam’s servant leadership, have derived a significant part of their identity through Sam’s expertise, and have been enriched by his emphasis on service-based learning in the classroom. Generations of alumni who studied under Sam carry with them an understanding of social responsibility through environmental stewardship, recognition of the value of service to the community, and have witnessed first-hand the impact that we as professionals can have through servant leadership.
Rogers has served the profession through education, advocacy, and practice over four decades. Throughout his career, he has been a practitioner and educator who has merged academia, practice, and pro bono service. As his nomination notes, he has “elevated the visibility, capacity, and stature of landscape architecture to the benefit of the profession at large and the various constituencies his service has touched.”
Rogers earned is Bachelors of Science in Agronomy and Soil Science from the University of Tennessee, and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia, Athens. (Credit: UT LA)
Caron Beard, FASLA became a fellow in 2018
Beard Landscape Development (Retired) | Friendsville, Tennessee
Caron Beard received his nomination, in Service, from the Tennessee Chapter. As a lifelong practitioner, mentor and ASLA leader, Beard has made extraordinary contributions to ASLA chapters across the nation as well as to the national society.
Cleve Larry Mizell, ASLA (2024)
Nomination in Service by the Tennessee Chapter
Over 60 years ago, as a young graduate Larry Mizell started on his path of doing service work to raise the profile and understanding of what landscape architects are capable of. A member of ASLA since 1963 and one of the first licensed landscape architects in Mississippi, he fought licensure battles in Mississippi, shaped regulations that preserved and improved upon the built and natural landscapes of Baton Rouge, LA, and informed Tennessee state stormwater regulations. Within ASLA, Larry has been part of more activities than can be counted: He chaired the Tennessee chapter and brought it back to financial solvency. He worked diligently to bring the ASLA national meeting to Nashville. He chaired the ASLA Membership Committee when it started producing a bi-monthly newsletter with ideas for ways to enlist new members. Currently he is a member of the ASLA Audit Committee. Larry’s professional work moved between the public and private sectors. In 2007, he started working for the City of Franklin as a land planner in the Sustainability and Planning Department. Among other things, he rewrote the local zoning ordinance to include a landscape section, something unique to city ordinances at the time. Since its adoption, other Tennessee cities have used it as a model. Larry received the Olmsted Award from the Tennessee Chapter in recognition of his significant contributions to the profession. Larry retired from Volkert, a multidisciplinary firm in Franklin in 2023, but continues his unflagging efforts for the profession.
Kim Hartley Hawkins, ASLA (2024)
Hawkins Partners, Nashville
Nomination in Leadership/Management by the Tennessee Chapter
Kim Hawkins has helped redefine the role of landscape architecture with her design acumen, her visionary approach, and her exceptional leadership and management skills. Her influence extends far beyond the confines of the successful firm she cofounded into the very fabric of the cities where she works. Over a 40-year career, Kim has established herself as a trusted leader in the Nashville area and beyond. She has been a major voice in the Nashville design scene, helping municipal and business leaders better understand what landscape architects are capable of. As the founding director of the Nashville Civic Design Center, a nonprofit advocating thoughtful civic design and meaningful community change, Kim established herself and landscape architecture as a significant voice in urban design and education. She and the team at HPI played a pivotal role in saving Nashville’s historic John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge from demolition and transforming it into cherished public realm and an integral part of the city’s greenway network. Well-respected by her staff, other landscape architects, allied professionals, and many municipal and business leaders, Kim has acted as an informal adviser to seven Nashville mayoral administrations since 1991, significantly shaping city policies and projects. Kim’s active involvement with the Urban Land Institute led to her cochairing a major ULI meeting in Nashville and showcasing the city to a global audience of real estate professionals. Her deep-seated commitment to community betterment has fostered a dynamic and empathetic workplace culture.
From the ASLA website:
Fellowship is among the highest honors the ASLA bestows on members and recognizes the contributions of these individuals to their profession and society at large based on their works, leadership and management, knowledge, and service. The designation of Fellow is conferred on individuals in recognition of exceptional accomplishments over a sustained period of time. Individuals considered for this distinction must be full members of ASLA in good standing for at least ten years and must be recommended to the Council of Fellows by the Executive Committee of their local chapter, the Executive Committee of the ASLA, or the Executive Committee of the Council of Fellows.