Design Workshop Appoints Jessica Garrow and Conners Ladner to its Board of Directors

Posted 1/4/2024

We are pleased to announce Jessica Garrow and Conners Ladner have been appointed to serve on the firm’s Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2024. In this role, Garrow and Ladner will provide strategic direction to ensure the firm continues to advance its mission, vision and purpose. They fill the roles of Jeff Zimmermann and Jim MacRae who served on the board for 15 years, both stepped down from the board to open up seats for the next generation. “We are thrilled to welcome Jessica and Conners to the firm’s board,” said Becky Zimmermann, CEO and Chair of Design Workshop’s Board of Directors. “Both bring extensive industry experience and track records of noteworthy client and community work that will contribute towards a sustainable future. We are also grateful for Jeff and Jim’s service to the board over the years.”

Based in Design Workshop’s Aspen, Colorado studio, Garrow is a community planner specializing in comprehensive planning, policy planning, public participation, entitlements and land use development. She enjoys collaborating with others to create solutions that respect diverse opinions, promote community values, and protect the characteristics that make communities thrive. With nearly 15 years as a municipal planner and community development director, she is well versed in creating connections, community, and delivering for public and private clients alike. She earned her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, and her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Ladner, a distinguished landscape architect and principal operating from Design Workshop’s Austin, Texas studio, believes that the vitality and well-being of our communities are profoundly enhanced by immersive experiences with the outdoors. Employing a comprehensive approach involving research, meticulous analysis, iterative methodologies, and a commitment to innovation, Ladner endeavors to articulate a creative design response that mirrors the intrinsic beauty of nature within the confines of urban landscapes. His professional portfolio includes a diverse range of experience in the planning and design of urban landscapes across the country. Ladner is an honors graduate in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University and has a Masters of Human Dimensions of Organizations from the University of Texas.