President-Elect Campaign Speech, Shawn T. Kelly, FASLA
You are our hope.
This is a message I leave with every sophomore in our program at UW. I recently delivered the same message as a keynote at the LABASH celebration in Madison to the students. And now, I have the pleasure of saying to you, that You are that hope, writ large . Not just the hope of our profession, or society, or practice, but for our planet. Landscape architects truly influence the way the world turns on a daily basis. We are not a quiet profession any longer, hiding in the shadows of larger design orbits. We are becoming recognized as the leaders in truly sustainable practice. That is because of the work you do on a daily basis. Whether you are designing huge plazas, places of commerce, public or private practice, or educating the next leaders, you are making that difference, and I thank you for your work.
In all 50 states we have a presence at the design table. That is because of the work you have done to get us there. I know this well. I spent 11 years of my life working on our practice act in Wisconsin. When we became the 46th of 47 states with a practice act, we had a little party at a local restaurant. I was the last to leave, as I sat and reflected on the 11 years it took, the things that cost, the quote that resonated with me then remains today: The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance. We cannot relent in our work to remain relevant and important and remain licensed in all the states. One loss diminishes us all. In fact, the entire world is watching our practice, as there are countries that are fighting for the same recognition we enjoy, and our losses are theirs as well. The threats to licensure are real and present in all states. We must remain vigilant and active in our protection and enlargement of those laws. We are the core of design teams that manage water and space, standing tall in the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. We must continue that work for the betterment of all society. We are that thin line which stands between those who are least able to defend themselves and the elements which would cause them harm. And we do this ever so quietly. We need a voice to stand for our best work, and we must remain diligent in its use and presence.
Every one of us has a beginning. I began this journey growing up in a small town, one mile above sea level, in an intermountain basin in the Sierra Prietta Range in central Arizona. We kept horses and, from my youth, they were my center. I remember spending many nights quietly sitting with them, reflecting on a future away from little Prescott, Arizona. It was an interesting place to grow: isolated, yet accessible in the mountains. Prescott was the small town to which the surrounding ranchers all came for school and supplies. My first memory of a Porsche was the hand painted sports car that had belonged to Janis Joplin: her mother lived in Prescott, next to my cousin. My grandfather had trained movie star Tom Mix’s Wonder Horse Tony: I have the rugged spurs Lou Kelly received as gift for that work. I grew up on the freight docks of my father’s moving and storage company, learning first-hand lessons of leadership that I shall never forget. Sports became very important to me. The dance of life took me away from those mountains and that life, but I shall always remember the depth of my youth and value of place. My career took me to West Point, through NCAA athletics, and then to University of Arizona. Post-graduation, I worked on a project in sub-Saharan Africa for about a year, living and working in the country 300 kilometers away from the populace. Then back to graduate school in landscape architecture, where it all began to cohere. Along the way I worked driving tractor trailers, delivering furniture and freight, surveying, finishing thousands of yards of concrete, bending iron, building stone masonry, carpentry, working as a ranch hand, selling mountain climbing gear, and riding rough stock in rodeo. All these little things have given me the perspective through which I see the world. These all have made me a better landscape architect.
I have the pleasure of both teaching landscape architecture and maintaining a practice. Each has its challenges and rewards. Details are central to both. I think like a landscape architect, and that is why it all makes sense to me. Our students need our leadership. Be a mentor. Do the occasional invited lecture. Be a participant on project reviews, but remember: We are creating our next generation of leaders, and it is in our best interest to foster an environment of success. Anyone can deliver a hurtful criticism. It is the strongest leader who distinguishes themselves as the voice of positive change. Go beyond the obvious and look for the genius in place. You may be very surprised when you do. This applies to projects, as well. Some may appear small and unimportant but hold the keys to a career changing opportunity, if only we search out that special element hidden within the work.
We must reach out to students to continue on their path to leadership in our organization and the design community. Advocacy should be incorporated into the fabric of education of our future leaders. If students learn to participate on legislative alerts −read, evaluate, and respond − then we have done a great deal to forward our profession and our commonly held objectives. The legislation of today is, indeed, the practice that stretches before us. Who better to be a voice for that positive change than our very students? We must make the effort to reach out to them and help them understand that this only makes good sense for them. Take the time to discuss and encourage discussion about the legislative topics that we are forwarding to our representatives in government. Become involved in the evolution of our art by reaching out to students and young employees in our firms. This is how we grow and nurture our professional practice. This is how we maintain our place at the design table.
We must persist in our advocacy efforts to lead in legislative mattersthat affect our environment and the health, safety, and welfare of our society.
We must take the lead in reaching out to youth, until, truly, no child is left indoors. These children may become landscape architects; perhaps they will be our future clients. At a minimum, they will enjoy our work and become future advocates. I recently spoke with some young women who had indicated they were interested in learning STEM in secondary education. These were middle-school students. I spoke to them about how they can positively affect change. Simple things that can make a positive change to the negatives among which they navigate on a daily basis. The environment is bad. The economy is failing. The oceans are rising. No schools are safe. These are some of the sound bites that surround these young people each day. Some were probably in homes with little food security: they were hungry. But they all understood when we talked about small things they can do to change the trends. Things like planting a few seeds, walking when they can, turning the lights out, and turning the water off when they were brushing their teeth. Little things that can make a huge difference. I suggested they look with new eyes at the old buildings, the barns, the corner shops, and the old green space that is left alone. Rather than fear the new neighbors with different cultures, try to find the common rather than stop at the different. That is the world of landscape architects. Make safe routes to schools. What is that? Well, let me tell you about the work that landscape architects are doing nationally… Make this your speech.
The 900- pound gorilla in every room is that we are running out of potable water. We must take the lead in making our legislators aware of this, and, at the same time, provide the leadership and vision to guide our society toward a more logical and sustainable use doctrine about water management. We are the best profession for water harvesting and water quality improvement on micro to macro scales, across this amazing country. Landscape architects must lead in the management of water to provide water security for our nation. Working with engineers and planners we can take the lead in making this a priority with our elected officials. We already do this on a project basis. Let us take this national, If not global. We know that the little improvements combine to form great solutions.
We must lead in place-based design. If Landscape architects are not preserving place, then we can be certain no other profession is leading here. We must become that vocal lead. We have the skills and tools to make culture obvious and celebrated. We are the hope.
Whether it is a new city design or the proper placement of one excellent tree, landscape architects make a difference every day. From the largest to smallest project we make a positive difference. Focus on making places that resonate within the context of the landscape. Be a leader by example. Be the voice of positive change in our world. You have my commitment to forward our good work; to be that advocate for change and our profession as the key;to remind the powerful that we are the way to a better future: One small thing at a time, it all counts. I live by these standards; I teach, practice, and speak about them with my every breath. I have your back and stand with you to make our voice heard. I am, after all, a landscape architect.
We need to celebrate our successes, and come together as a unified professional body. We represent the best chance at a sustainable planet, and need to acknowledge our successes. We must take time to enjoy the distance we have come as a profession. Each chapter needs to gather all the new, old, and prospective members to celebrate our profession as a community of landscape architects. We can grow the membership by sharing our work and our celebrations. Let us enjoy the company of our peers and share this gathering with our new professionals. In this way we can grow as a unified professional body, with governance opportunity for those who wish to participate. One success at a time, no matter how small, or humble: This is how we can grow. Come celebrate with me.
Success was born a twin. I am honored to be considered for your president at the same time as my true friend, Mr. Chad Danos. I consider this a distinct honor to share this ballot with him. I have come to know him because of our combined commitment to leadership in the ASLA. The benefits of membership reach beyond the immediate rewards of doing the good work, or seeing some goal accomplished. We form a community of successes that, when taken together, form a culture of success, for success is not a destination, but a journey.
I would like to thank my wife for the support that only an angel can provide for all these many years. I would also like to thank the Nominating Committee and Executive Committee for allowing me this opportunity.
And I would also like to thank you for this chance to serve you on this, our journey of success that began some 115 years ago. Let’s do this together, and make this a year of furthering our successes, one day at a time.
Thank you.