Gresham Smith is proud to announce John Lavender, PLA, has joined the firm’s Land Planning market as a Project Executive in the firm’s Nashville office.
John brings over two decades of professional practice knowledge and experience in landscape architecture. Over the course of his career, John has worked on numerous public and private sector projects from design to completion, including parks and recreation department projects, public greenways and municipal government land development projects. John has been involved in the strategic design and comprehensive planning of park systems for communities of all sizes. With the goal of expanding the firm’s Land Planning portfolio in Middle Tennessee, John will lead business development strategies and enhance the quality of client services in the public sector as a Project Executive.
“We are happy to have someone as seasoned as John join our Nashville team,” says Jessica Lucyshyn, P.E., executive vice president and market vice president of Gresham Smith’s Land Planning market. “His wealth of experience working with both public and private sectors of the industry, combined with his enthusiasm for connecting communities to the natural environment will help drive smart solutions for our clients. He is a strong addition to our team and I’m excited to welcome him to the firm.”
John joins Gresham Smith from Alfred Benesch & Company as a Senior Project Manager where he led landscape architecture and planning services for clients across the southeast. Prior to that, he held various leadership roles at Lose Design in business development, planning and project management over the course of 17 years. Earlier in his career, he served as the Metro-Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation’s Assistant Greenways Director where he oversaw implementation of Nashville’s Greenway Master Plan.
John received his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the Ohio State University. He currently serves as chairman on the Wilson County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and as a partner member of the Tennessee RiverLine Initiative providing technical support to communities located along the Tennessee River.
Ringing true to his profession, John embraces local parks by spending his free time outdoors, biking and on the water. He resides in the Nashville area with his wife and three kids.
