Our Leadership

Co-Founder  + Board Treasurer 

Urban Planner | Landscape Architect | Certified Arborist

Washington, DC

Maisie brings decades of leadership and management to her practice. As a 2018-2019 Leadership and Innovation Fellow with the Landscape Architecture Foundation, she explores identity in a documentary series that records how a variety of people interpret the same five urban landscapes. Honest and unvarnished insights provide a framework for people-centered design. Maisie won the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association 2016 Fredrick Gutheim Award for Distinguished Leadership by a Professional Planner and the 2014 Award of Merrit for the “Citizen Advocate Handbook”. Maisie is an urban designer and Certified Arborist with a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Morgan State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Afro American Studies from Howard University.

Co-Founder + Board President

Urban Designer | Landscape Architect  | CBLP Certified 

Washington, DC

Kendra Hyson is a trained landscape architect and urban designer - currently working as a Senior Planner - with the Prince George's County Planning  Department.  Kendra also serves on the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Partnership steering committee and various ASLA National committees. She exudes a deep commitment to community-based planning and a passion for using design as a tool to achieve social equity. As a native Washingtonian, she continues to pursue her commitment to equity and inclusivity in the design process through the facilitation of youth and community design programs throughout the District.  Kendra is a 2015 University Olmsted Scholar and an emeritus member of the Landscape Architecture Foundation's Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Spelman College and a  Master's of Landscape Architecture from the University of Arizona.

Founding Member + Board Vice-President

Landscape Architect 

Austin, TX

 Andrew Sargeant is a landscape designer and innovative new member of the Lionheart Team in Austin Texas. Andrew’s design sensibilities, combined with his technical abilities, allow him to work on some of the most complex projects. His technical proficiency using various software has been instrumental in the coordination between multiple consultants and his internal design teams. Andrew is the recent recipient of the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Research Fellowship. His research will focus on immersive technology’s role in landscape architecture today and its effect on the client and public engagement within the design process. 

Founding Board Member + Administrator

Urban Planner | Landscape Designer

Los Angeles, CA

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, the occupied territories of the Tongva People. Daví is the first of his family to pursue higher education. Daví de la Cruz studied at Cal State Northridge in the San Fernando Valley, territories of the Tataviam people, and in the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington, Seattle, territories of the Duwamish people. Today, Daví is working with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust to address park justice and green space access as a Project Manager. He currently manages three projects throughout Los Angeles at various phases of development, from early community design to construction. In these projects, he brings his commitment to hearing from community voices and fulfilling those expectations through built projects. He looks forward to contributing to the LA Neighborhood Land Trust and also expand the work of Studio South Central in his own neighborhood. 

Board Member + Communications

Integrative Designer | Landscape Architect  

Washington, DC  

Jenn is an integrative designer, educator, and landscape architect with over twelve years of experience as a Landscape Architect in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle. She holds an MDes in Integrative Design at the Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington. Expanding her skillsets beyond traditional modes of urban design practice, her work seeks to redistribute power in the design process to address issues in spatial justice. In collaboration with the 1882 Foundation, they prototyped Dear Chinatown, DC, a making and sharing pop-up installation that explored how we can redesign public engagement practices that give community members a more meaningful role in how our neighborhoods are planned and designed.

Student Board Member
Artist | Videographer

 Washington, DC

 Jelani Byrd is a passionate student, international traveler, and lifelong learner currently working toward his high school diploma, with a focus in architecture and engineering, at Phelps ACE High School in Washington DC. He is also pursuing advanced course work at the University of the District of Columbia. Jelani has spent years of independent study refining his artistic abilities to prepare himself for his future organized education. Through this independent study, Jelani has acquired professional proficiency in a myriad of fields including sound design, video editing, graphic design, web design, and more. As a previous participant in the Studio DC program with The Urban Studio, Jelani never ceased to showcase his skills as a designer and collaborative leader, producing high-quality work with his fellow cohort members. Jelani’s greatest desire in life is too, “create the world I would have wanted to grow up in,” and most importantly, “have fun while doing it”.