Hayden and Joni are landscape architects and teach landscape architecture at LSU's Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. They have been members of ANPP since 2019, and Joni served on the board from 2022-2024. They have been able to lend their professional expertise to help advance ANPP's mission--most notably by helping develop a master plan for the Teche Woods property in Arnaudville. ANPP has been an invaluable resource during their early professional careers, and it's been a joy to connect with the passionate volunteers who make up the organization. Joni grew up in Parks, Louisiana. Her upbringing on the Bayou Teche instilled in her the value of land stewardship and played a hand in her journey to landscape architecture. Joni's practice as a landscape architect centers on making quality planning and design services accessible to under-resourced communities. Her work is rooted in South Louisiana and seeks to generate environmental, social, and economic benefits through landscape interventions. A focus on resilience planning and climate adaptation is woven throughout her practice, and she has led the development of climate adaptation resources and decision support tools at the community and state scales. Joni holds a BA in English and Philosophy and a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from Louisiana State University. She has worked in the private and non-profit sectors and is currently a professional-in-residence and the Marie Bickham Chair at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU.
Hayden was born and raised in the small town of Ruston, Louisiana. His childhood was characterized by explorations of the piney hills and swampy bottoms of north Louisiana, where he cultivated an interest in observing and understanding the mechanics of these endemic landscapes. Over time, these spaces forged a deep appreciation for “nature” and continue to inspire and inform his approach to art and design. Hayden went on to study history at LSU and Mississippi College. During those years, his interests centered on colonial and antebellum Southern history. In his studies, he grappled with complex issues like class, gender, and race, cultivating a consciousness that people, culture, and place are interwoven. To that end, Hayden realized that a career in landscape design offered an opportunity to marry his creative instinct with his deep-seated interest in people and place. Hayden is a Project Manager at CARBO Landscape Architecture in Baton Rouge.
Joni and Hayden met in design school at LSU and decided to get married while out on a plant identification walk around campus. They live in Baton Rouge with their son (with another baby boy arriving any day now), and their yard is a living laboratory for naturalistic planting design featuring their favorite native plants.
Thank you, Hayden and Joni, for your advocacy!