Lucinda Sanders will serve as OLIN’s newly elected Chair of OLIN’s Board of Directors. In doing so, she and her Partners have invited Tiffany Jo Beamer and Richard Roark to lead the practice as co-CEOs.

At OLIN, our highest level of leadership comes from our Partners, who are active practitioners, and from our Directors, who help to guide the practice. Sharing the CEO role means that Tiffany and Richard will maintain the capacity to continue their project work, nurturing their relationships with clients, teams, and colleagues while contributing to OLIN’s steadfast vision—to create places that enhance life.

For the last two years, Tiffany and Richard have acted as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Purpose Officer, respectively, expanding their depth of influence through OLIN’s everyday practice. While they will each continue the work of these roles, they will take on the augmented authority to co-lead the studio—guiding strategy, building culture, inspiring innovation, and continuing to position the practice toward success in the many years to come.

“Tiffany and Richard have consistently demonstrated leadership inside and outside of the practice, upholding OLIN’s values and culture and propelling the practice and profession forward to meet the contemporary demands of our world with intelligence, compassion, and artistry.” — Lucinda R. Sanders

As co-CEO, Tiffany Beamer leads with compassion and creativity, as well as a concern for both the highest level of craft and sustainable performance. This speaks to her achievements as a designer and a trusted, human-centered manager. Projects—from Emerald Riverside in Shanghai, to Simon and Helen Director Park, to Google Bayview Campus—each exemplify a unique sensibility rooted in the arts as well as her talent as a SITES accredited professional. Alongside leading projects, Tiffany has cultivated her strengths as a people manager known for her intuitive style, founded on deep listening and fostering collaboration, and informed through executive leadership training at Harvard Business School. Her role as Board Member of The Cultural Landscape Foundation demonstrates her dedication to the profession and investment in future generations of landscape architects. Last October, Tiffany was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects for excellence across more than twenty years in practice.

“OLIN has been my professional home for more than 20 years, and I cannot imagine myself anywhere else. More than anything, this is a stewardship position —of the practice of landscape architecture, of OLIN’s legacy, and of the careers and well-being of each of our employees. The challenge is a privilege, and one that I am honored to take on.” — Tiffany J. Beamer

Richard Roark established his CPO legitimacy, stepping naturally into the co-CEO role, through passionate and consistent representation of the OLIN ethos. Richard creates powerful rubrics for decision-making, distills the standards that align our Partner group, and promotes a culture of research and innovation through projects and OLIN Labs. He inspires OLIN people—in collaboration with clients, professional colleagues, and communities alike—to plan, design, build, and steward a resilient future. Richard’s leadership on projects from the Los Angeles River Master Plan and Caño Martin Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan, to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and ResilienCity Park are testament to his commitment to environmental and social justice as well as the degree of detail, finesse, and excellence that define the broader OLIN portfolio of work. Richard is a SITES Accredited Professional, Certified Planner, and a 2025 inductee into the Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

“I’m deeply humbled to share this leadership role with Tiffany. Cindy and our Board have set an incredibly high standard for what this practice can achieve. Our work has always focused on realizing design that meets the needs of this moment while carrying the insight and resilience to grow, evolve, and help cultivate an enduring future. On behalf of our Board and our practice, that is the work we are committed to researching, planning, designing, and building!”
— Richard Roark

As CEO for two decades, Lucinda Sanders is largely to credit for OLIN’s leadership position within the profession and OLIN’s reputation for turning complex problems into coherent solutions—landscapes, urban places, and systems—that benefit human wellbeing while honoring our natural world. She passes the baton of OLIN’s Chief Executive position, while assuming the position of Chair on OLIN’s Board of Directors and continuing her design practice. As a past president of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), Lucinda is esteemed for co-founding and developing LAF’s transformational Fellowship for Leadership and Innovation program. She maintains ongoing influence as Chair of the Board at the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology, as well as an adjunct professor at the Weitzman School of Design. Lucinda is a sought-after lecturer, writer, and, through myriad other contributions to the discipline, a model of dedication to advancing the profession.

“In this 50th year of OLIN, it is one of the greatest honors of my life to have held the role of CEO for nearly 20 years, working with the talented partners, directors, and current and former employees and ushering OLIN into the future. I look forward to continuing work with my valuable clients and projects, engaging in some reflective writing, and assuming my new role as Chair of the Board of Directors.” — Lucinda R. Sanders

The 40-acre park will feature an 80-foot waterfall and unique industrial relics, carrying forward a vision that has deep community roots. The site will also include several overlooks, two playgrounds, a new pedestrian bridge, scenic trails, and restored meadows, woodlands, and groves.

“This project will transform downtown Rochester by connecting people to the dramatic Genesee River gorge and celebrating its rich ecological, cultural and industrial history,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

OLIN has the honor of leading the landscape architecture, planning, and urban design team to develop this comprehensive vision. We are proud to carry this vision forward with critical support from the State of New York, local government, and current property owners. We are grateful to our collaborators GWWO Architects,Chiuten Trowbridge Landscape Architects DPC, Highland Planning LLC,Biohabitats,Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.,PROS Consulting, INC.,Azar Design Co,The LiRo Group, Geosyntec Consultants,Mott MacDonald,TYLin,Encorus Group, and Flaum Management Company, Inc. for their roles in this process.

Phased construction is expected to begin in late 2026. We look forward to realizing this monumental project—a true testament to collaborative community planning that will define a new era for downtown Rochester!

What makes you unique or sets you apart—in this profession, in general?
A few things. I always try to keep my promises and I believe in putting outcomes above accolades. I have discovered that what makes me different from other landscape architects is my deep experience and range. I honestly believe in deep collaboration, and have always felt it is my role to enable those ideas to be shared and ultimately acted upon.

Are you more driven to figure things out, gather things together, or disseminate and apply what is gathered? (Not that these things are mutually exclusive, but what’s your tendency?)
I am a critical maker. The process of exploring materiality, form, program, data, and other realities usually leads me to a resolution. As I make, I tend to take a critical look at the work and explain it—not just to an audience, but to myself. I’m aware enough to know what I don’t know. This leads me to connections and bringing together colleagues for the best possible project.

What is something from your own life that has given your work greater depth?
Both of my parents’ families hail from a small, mountain village on the island of Lesvos, where there are few resources, the land is unforgiving, and far away from places that connect to the broader world. Despite that humble beginning, both my parents developed the courage, and the resourcefulness, to seek a better, more fulfilling life for themselves and their families.

They instilled in me and my sisters a sense of eudaimonia. This is the concept of living a good, purposeful and flourishing life and engaging in meaningful activities that align with one’s highest potential. Despite the challenges that life has presented them there is always this sense to continue on with purpose.

I carry this into my work. I remind myself that the work we do is more than a transaction or an expression of ego, but an opportunity to do better. Better for the communities that we work with, better for the people we partner with, better for our profession.

Describe a formative experience you had at OLIN
I joined OLIN in February 2012, after graduate school (RISD), and having recently completed a project at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston with Ron Henderson. Upon my arrival in Philadelphia, I had received a call from OLIN to come in for an interview as soon as possible. A day later, I found myself in the office with Chris Hanley, and his first question to me was, “Do you have a valid passport?”

This led to my first week at OLIN where I worked to prepare for a site visit to Bangalore, India. It was filled with late nights, daily deadlines, and getting to know my new colleagues. By Saturday I was ready to embark on the 16 hour flight to Mumbai. My travel partner was OLIN CEO Lucinda Sanders; although I was new to OLIN, I spent the trip getting to know her well and I believe it was during our time in India that we formed a true bond.

The week I described above was indicative of my life for the next 9 months. While this project was difficult, through it I got to know many in the office, earning their trust and respect as they accepted me as a colleague and ultimately a leader. I learned how to be nimble, truly collaborate with others, and support my colleagues under difficult circumstances.

Can you point to one aspect of your practice at OLIN that demonstrated the leadership quality recognized by this promotion?
My calm demeanor as a leader and my ability to navigate difficult situations both with project partners and clients to produce the best possible outcomes for the project and OLIN.

What work are you most proud of?
I’m proud of a great many things that I’ve accomplished at OLIN, but there are three projects that resonate the most with me.

The first is Pier 26 and the great challenge that it represented both as a design and construction problem. The circumstances surrounding the project were especially challenging: it began in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy; we had to respond to a horrific terrorist attack outside our project; and ultimately, we completed the project during the COVID pandemic—to be the only new NYC park to open in 2020. Notwithstanding this, Pier 26 would become an award winning, internationally recognized project.

The second is Dorchester Bay City—where OLIN re-entered into the Boston market with a project the scale of previous OLIN projects: Battery Park City and Playa Vista. I was proud to lead that effort and to see it through its successful adoption by the City of Boston.

The third is a series of projects that have transformed Akron, Ohio. Modestly beginning at the Akron Art Museum, we demonstrated to the City and people of Akron the value of meaningful, dynamic, and culturally significant public spaces. This success led to broader planning for Locks 2, 3, and 4 and then the design and implementation of a fantastic gathering space and public venue at Lock 3. I feel very fortunate that Akron has welcomed us back time and again and to see the impact of each project—in transforming the built environment, and evolving attitudes of those who live there.

What will be an important driver in our discipline in the coming 5 years? 25 years?
In light of rapidly advancing technological enhancements, our ability to share, teach, connect, and narrate will be more paramount than ever. Ultimately, we build spaces for living things and those spaces are built by living things, and we need to not lose sight of that.

Why OLIN?
Because OLIN is a community that takes great care in the thinking and crafting of landscapes. I am lucky enough to be embraced by this place and to contribute to OLIN and our work in a meaningful way.