Cheryl Corson Design: About Cheryl and landscape architecture

Cheryl Corson Design, LLC

Cheryl Corson creates outdoor environments that offer a deep sense of personal comfort, safety, and beauty to her clients. Cheryl knows that the outdoor environment powerfully influences our health and well being. And she has learned that our environment has a greater capacity for positive change than we sometimes think.

Cheryl enjoys both residential work and public projects - schools, playgrounds, natural play spaces, hospitals, religious institutions, etc. She is a nationally certified playground safety inspector (CPSI) and frequently writes on landscape design, schoolyard environments and playgrounds. She teams with other talented designers on selected playground projects, creating an exciting synergy that benefits clients.

Cheryl Corson Design, LLC is a certified minority business enterprise (MBE/DBE) in the State of Maryland and with the US Dep't. of Transportation. She is specifically certified for landscape design and consulting (NAICS Code 541320), playground safety inspections (NAICS Code 541690), writing and journalism (NAICS Code 711510). Cheryl welcomes opportunities to partner with other contractors and design professionals on government, private, and institutional projects.

Cheryl Corson

Design has always been central in Cheryl Corson's career. In the 1980s, her company Acadia Design produced hand woven accessories sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's. Later, she became a public art administrator for the states of Maine and Colorado, collaborating with artists, design professionals and community members. This work drew her to landscape architecture. She received a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1994. Since then she has practiced in the greater Washington, DC area.

Cheryl served as Continuing Education Manager for the American Society of Landscape Architects in the mid-90s, playing a key role in creating the education program for the ASLA annual meeting. She has been a guest critic for landscape architecture design studios at the University of Virginia, University of Maryland, and the Rhode Island School of Design. She has taught landscape design studios at the George Washington University and the University of Maryland. She taught a popular landscape design workshop series at the U.S. Botanic Garden from 2004-2011.

In 2003 Cheryl launched her private practice, Cheryl Corson Design, LLC. She delights in her direct relationship with clients, craftspeople, and artists, and her ability to participate in every stage of the design and construction process.

PLACES

Cheryl lived in a Brooklyn, NY, apartment building until she was 17. Her earliest experiences of nature were at the beach in Coney Island, and at her grandmother's "sleep-away" summer camp in the Catskills. After about 5 years living in lower Manhattan, she moved to Mount Desert Island, Maine, where she's cared for 1/4 acre of land (and a home) adjacent to Acadia National Park since 1984.

Fast forward a bit...after 10 years in Washington, DC, she and her husband moved to a 5 acre property 20 miles away, near Maryland's Patuxent River. Caring for this land has given Cheryl and her husband invaluable experience in landscape restoration and management - and with heavy equipment! They grow hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, and perennials in this "living laboratory," and astounding amounts of organic vegetables and fruit.

Recently, Cheryl traveled through Guatemala, Belize, and Chiapas, Mexico, experiencing ancient Mayan cities, travelling on rivers and lakes, and in one very large cave.

Affiliations

American Society of Landscape Architects
Cheryl is a full member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Maryland ASLA Chapter. She was secretary of the ASLA Potomac Chapter in the mid-90s, and also served on the ASLA national staff as Continuing Education Manager and editor of the Annual Meeting Proceedings.

National Playground Safety Institute
Cheryl has been a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) through the National Playground Safety Institute since 2003.

Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council
Cheryl Corson Design is a business member of CCLC, a regional not-for-profit dedicated to improving the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay region by advocating and educating people about ecological design practices. She is included in the CCLC Eco-Pro Listing.

Montgomery County Rainscapes Program
Cheryl completed the RainScapes Program Contractor Training in 2012. She can advise Montgomery County, Maryland, homeowners, institutions and commercial establishments on how to incorporate stormwater management techniques into their landscapes to reduce pollution, and how to obtain County rebates ranging from $2,500 -$10,000.

Arlington StormwaterWise Landscapes Program
Cheryl Corson Design is on the contractor list for this Virginia County program that offers rebates to residents and business owners for implementing landscape best management practices to reduce stormwater pollution.

Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards
CLARB manages the professional certfication for landscape architects in the U.S., and helps track their education, experience, and examination records. Cheryl's professional records are held by CLARB.

Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
Cheryl is proud to support this annual film festival, now the largest showcase of environmental films in the United States. Held during the second half of March, the festival screens over 150 films all over the city. Most screenings are free.

Association of Professional Landscape Designers®
Cheryl was a member of the APLD and the DC, Maryland and Virginia chapter from 2004 - 2010. She served on the chapter board as Communications Officer from 2008-2010, helping create the chapter website and supporting promotional publications.