News Release
Design Workshop’s Jessica Garrow and Anna Laybourn Selected to Join American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows
Posted 3/4/2024
Design Workshop, an international landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm, is pleased to announce that Jessica Garrow and Anna Laybourn were selected for induction into the 2024 American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows (FAICP). The highest honor the AICP bestows on members, FAICP are nominated and selected by their peers to recognize their outstanding contributions as a professional planner. This honor recognizes their execptional and sustained leadership, innovations in the planning practice, and contributions to society that have led to significant community improvements. Jessica and Anna are two of just 33 planners nation-wide selected for induction in 2024.
“It is highly unusual for two members of the same organization to achieve Fellowship in AICP in the same induction period, so this is an exceptional achievement for Jessica and Anna,” said Becky Zimmermann, CEO of Design Workshop. “Jessica and Anna join a prestigious group of AICP Fellows including our own Kurt Culbertson and Bill Kane. The College of Fellows began 25 years ago and there are currently only 514 active members nation-wide. We are proud of their incredible contributions to the communities where they work and their advancement of the planning profession.”
Jessica Garrow, principal at Design Workshop, focuses her career on rural and resort communities building consensus among stakeholders and navigating the political process, resulting in effective and collaborative planning outcomes. She has pioneered effective policies that advance significant affordable housing development, is dedicated to authentic community engagement, led efforts to preserve important historic places, and gives back through mentoring and volunteer activities. She has a continued commitment to advancing the profession, developing young professionals and advancing quality planning. With a 20-year background as a municipal planner, Community Development Director, and serving on the Design Workshop Board of Directors, Jessica is well versed in creating connections, community, and delivering for public and private clients alike.
As a principal at Design Workshop, Anna Laybourn’s career is in service of a belief that nature is a source of healing and a conviction that we must mend our damaged landscapes and communities through collective action. She has had an exceptional impact in fostering regional collaborations for natural resource protection and creating systemic change in public investment priorities. Her leadership and commitment to social equity has reshaped cities including Salt Lake City, Spokane, Tempe, Duluth, and regions throughout the Rocky Mountain West by promoting investment in parks, greenways, and public spaces that benefit under-resourced and historically marginalized groups. She is committed to innovation in engaging community members in the planning process, as recognized by 45 industry awards. She is a Board Member of non-profit Youth Engagement Planning (YEP!) advocating for youth to be an intrical part of community planning.