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Celebrating 50 years of SEGD with President Kathy Fry

As President of the Society for Experiental Graphic Design (SEGD), Mayer/Reed principal, Kathy Fry, reflects on the organization’s 50th anniversary in her letter originally published on the SEGD website.

Dear SEGD Community,

I’m honored to serve my second and final term as SEGD President in our 50th year as an organization! I invite you to join us this year in “looking both ways” to recognize the evolution of SEGD – we’ll mark the 50th anniversary by joyously celebrating the present moment by equal parts honoring the legacy of the profession and looking forward to all that is to come.

When I meet members, I love to ask how they found their way to a career in experience design. This often prompts a story of discovery with a few twists and turns that was driven by a curiosity and an impression left by an experience design project they encountered. I, myself, grew up taking family vacations in an RV, visiting national parks. We stopped at countless viewpoints and visitor centers, devouring every interpretive panel to gain some understanding of the beautiful place we were visiting. I fell in love with park identity signs, but my first wayfinding love was on the ski slopes when I learned that green circle, blue square, black diamond coded every trail — giving me the information I needed to navigate. What are the experiences and projects that made an early impression on you? How have they changed over the years? How might these experiences evolve in the future?

IN CELEBRATION OF “LOOKING BOTH WAYS” FOR SEGD’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, KATHY RECALLS TWO MEMORABLE NATIONAL PARK VISITS: AS A CHILD AND WITH HER CHILDREN. BOTH EXPERIENCES WERE MARKED BY THE ENDURING DESIGN OF ICONIC PARK SIGNS.

When I started my career, I looked to SEGD to understand the breadth and history of my field, something that was not easily found in college courses at the time. SEGD helped me see a career path, gave me access to education specific to what I was doing, and I slowly built a network of friends facing the same challenges and joys. Our organization has incredible influence on the next generation of designers, and I believe we have an obligation to foster a field that strives for design excellence and socially responsible practices. I serve on the board and my firm, Mayer/Reed is committed to donating to SEGD because we believe in the value of service and giving back. I hope you connect with us during this milestone year and commit to the future of experience design. There are many ways to be involved!

– Donate to our $50 for 50 drive!
– Join the 50th Foundation – 50 individuals or organizations committed to sustaining SEGD
– Join us for our 50th Anniversary Celebration Annual Conference in Washington D.C. in August
– Submit your projects to the 2023 SEGD Global Design Awards
– Submit a nomination for the 2023 Achievement Awards
– Connect with a SEGD Chapter to volunteer or attend an event

I am thrilled to support SEGD CEO, Cybelle Jones and SEGD staff in these endeavors. This will be my last year as President of the Board of Directors and serving on the executive team with Traci Sym of Plus & Greater Than (Vice President), Mike McCarthy from DCL (Treasurer) and Anna Crider of Entro (Past President). In addition to returning board members, this year we welcome Darlene van Uden serving as Chapter Chair Liaison to the board, and new board members Genell Hoechstetter, Kirsten Southwell, and Masha Pyshkina.

I am looking forward to connecting with you all this year and celebrating our SEGD community’s 50th milestone in Washington D.C. August 24-26, 2023!

Celebrating a Career of Heart, Passion and Creativity

According to Mayer/Reed’s extraordinary senior landscape designer and project manager, Teresa Chenney, FASLA, “It’s time for me to wander over to another trail. I am leaving my usual professional life behind and looking towards new adventures and endeavors in 2023.” For Teresa, this means endless artistic pursuits, time with friends, family and community and activities that make the world a better place.

Teresa first came to Portland in 1995 from New York City where she had worked for a well-known landscape architecture firm, Quennell Rothschild and Associates. Mayer/Reed seized the opportunity the following year to hire her to design and oversee the firm’s award-winning landscape architecture work on the Nike World Headquarters North Campus Expansion. Spanning a 15-year period, she ensured that design solutions at all scales were sophisticated, creative and well-informed by the architecture, natural resources and site context. The Nike projects resulted in a world-class campus that reflected the aesthetic, ecological and innovation aspirations of the company and its workforce.

Beyond Nike, Teresa’s numerous Pacific Northwest projects feature outstanding public spaces, sustainable practices and urban design. Her notable body of work during her tenure at Mayer/Reed includes: The Rain Garden at the Oregon Convention Center, Director Park (in collaboration with ZGF Architects and OLIN), the Walk of the Heroines at Portland State University, Providence Portland Medical Center Expansion, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) Master Plan, the Mark Building at the Portland Art Museum, several projects at Portland International Airport and the south end of the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade.

In 2017, Teresa became a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in the category of Completed Works. Quoting from her nomination, “…her professionalism is characterized by maturity, patience, humor and active engagement with associated design and planning professionals, along with a deep understanding of the needs of communities and clients…Examples of her work in the Portland metropolitan area all derive their planning and design heart from Teresa’s deeply held personal values and design principles…She synthesizes art and science, seamlessly weaving the social, the aesthetic and the practical.” Teresa inspires her colleagues and clients alike as she advances social and environmental good. She remains a strong mentor for younger design professionals and leads by example by volunteering for non-profit organizations.

We at Mayer/Reed greatly value and admire Teresa’s enduring passion for her chosen path of landscape architecture; her contributions to the firm are lasting and deep. “It is a bittersweet departure for me, and I sincerely thank you all for your genuine thoughtfulness, collaboration and teachings you have so generously given to our important work…I will always treasure the many stories, visions and lessons that I’ve acquired along the way.”

What can we say? Surely, we’ll see you on many more trails ahead.

Mayer/Reed thanks you, Teresa!

Happy New Year

Explore new patterns. Embrace iteration. Wishing you a joyous 2023 filled with creative endeavors that click into place.

Happy New Year from Mayer/Reed!

With Gratitude

We are filled with gratitude for our collaborative partners who challenge us to elevate design; our forward-thinking clients who aspire to go above and beyond for the future of our communities and planet; and our amazing Mayer/Reed team for sharing their talents and vision through work and volunteerism.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!