Lisa DuRussel, RLA, LEED AP, ASLA has a unique background as an educator, landscape architect, urban ecologist, builder and design activist. Her 15+ years of experience has resulted in a progressive landscape design portfolio of professional work, creative inquiry into ecology + design, a flexibility in teaching interests and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary collaboration within the academy and the profession. Her desire to teach was born from an interest to create a stronger connection between theory and practice - to expand practice by deepening design inquiry through the lens of landscape architecture. She has led the design and implementation of award-winning projects that innovate on ecological design as a project leader at established design firms: West 8 New York, Future Green Studio Brooklyn, MNLA New York, and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects Chicago. Her own collaborative practice, dubbed Site Science, partners students (“Field Catalysts”) with nonprofits and community partners to use landscape as a lens to amplify thoughtful public engagement with collaborative action and impact. Lisa has been supporting Michiganders since relocating back to her home state in 2020. Projects include support for Detroit residents through her involvement with Detroit Land Lab, PLOT plan realization, beautification grant material support, community soil sampling + assessment, and design. In addition to teaching graduate level courses on design, design thinking planting and public engagement at the University of Michigan, Lisa collaborates with firms OSD Outside on design implementation of an Arts Campus in downtown Detroit, with Unknown Studio on green infrastructure and urban afforestation initiatives in Baltimore and with Horizon Geospatial on geodesign- based community engagement workshops around the country.