Team - DAVID RUBIN Land Collective

David A. Rubin

Founding Principal, PLA, FASLA, FAAR, CPRP

David A. Rubin, PLA, FASLA, FAAR is the founding principal of DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio committed to practicing socially-purposeful design. David’s visionary contribution to the field in “empathy-driven design” is a hallmark of the studio, earning increasing renown for fusing issues of social justice in cities with excellence in the design of public spaces. His projects have received awards and honors from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects, among others. David was recently appointed by the State Department to The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) Industry Advisory Group to advise the U.S. government on best practices in landscape architecture.

Gabriella Salvemini

Associate, PLA, ASLA

Gabriella is a registered landscape architect educated at the Pennsylvania State University. She has also studied in Italy and Tanzania, and spent her initial years in the profession designing a wide range of spaces in the Washington, DC, area. She is currently interested in the agency of place and how design can be a transformative factor for both communities and ecosystems, and she continues to apply that interest to the variety of scales at Land Collective.

Serine Kao

Intern

Serine Kao is a landscape architecture student at Purdue University currently completing a year-long internship at Land Collective. Growing up in Indiana and Texas, Serine has gained an appreciation for diverse landscapes and their relationships to culture. Driven by her passion for capturing the intrinsic beauty of natural environments within broader social contexts, Serine is excited to learn and develop her skills at Land Collective.

Satchel Williams

Studio/Gallery Manager

Satchel is an actor turned administrator, balancing studio operations alongside Land Collective’s marketing efforts and Gallery Land Collective’s exhibitions and events. She also assists studio principal David A. Rubin in managing his schedule and communications. After graduating from Temple University with a BA in Theatre Studies, they worked as a barista while establishing a blossoming theatrical career in Philadelphia. Satchel has had the pleasure of working with Inis Nua Theatre Company, Delaware Shakespeare, Revolution Shakespeare, Tiny Dynamite, and the Strides Collective. She has a deep appreciation for creativity in all forms and is excited to facilitate the artistry of Land Collective. In their free time away from the studio or the stage, she enjoys writing personal essays and studying sociology, media analysis, and astrology.

Christine Marsal

Business Development Advisor

As a collaborator with Land Collective, Christine directs the development strategies for our studio, building and nurturing our client base. With over twenty years of experience working with colleges, universities, government agencies, and arts organizations, she brings a spirited and tailored vision to our outreach and project pursuits. Please reach out if you have any questions about the studio or our work at cmarsal@land-collective.com.

Kyle Johnson

Landscape Designer

Having successfully completed a Master’s of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Kyle rejoins Land Collective in a full-time capacity after previously serving as a design intern. He is passionate about creating impactful and inclusive landscapes that help reveal a community’s identity. Kyle also holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University where he worked on projects in Rio de Janeiro and studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and Bonn, Germany.

David Elliott

Director, PLA

Since earning his degree in 1996, David has worked on a wide array of projects, all centered on creating community through great design. His role at Land Collective pushes the aesthetic and social possibilities of the studio, drawing on his past experience as lead designer at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he created notable urban parks and pop-ups. David holds an MA Hons degree in landscape architecture from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland.

Donelle Wedderburn

Marketing Manager

Donelle is a writer and editor who began to explore architecture through the written word. Her work sits at the intersection of Black history, oral storytelling, and the built environment. She has contributed to developing and producing a range of broadcasts and audio documentaries for NPR, Food Culture Collective, and The HEAL Food Alliance. Black women writers like Toni Morrison and June Jordan moved through the worlds of narrative, urban planning, and design and showed her it was possible to do the same. In her free time, she loves to draw connections between fiber arts and landscape as a teaching artist and community engagement facilitator. Please reach out if you have any questions about the studio or our work at dwedderburn@land-collective.com.

Rosemarie Mullen

Controller

Ro is responsible for the studio's financial operations. She parlayed her engineering degree from Drexel University and corporate management experience into founding a successful bookkeeping business, and now serves as Land Collective's Controller, with responsibilities ranging from billing process management to the performance of various treasury functions, and from pursuing the collection of the accounts receivable to reviewing and disbursing accounts payable. Ro applies her talents to the development of the kinds of close professional relationships and problem-solving/process improvements that ensure the studio’s financial stability.

Brian Staresnick

Associate, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP ND

Brian is a landscape architect and urban designer combining appreciation for the broad impact of large scale planning and a passion for enabling the nuances of well-designed spaces to flourish. With a focus on urban landscapes, his experience is spread across regions and multiple scales, from small urban plazas and productive rooftops to large waterfront parks and reclaimed lands.

Scott Archer

Principal, AIA, AICP, LEED AP ND

Scott is a certified planner, urban designer, and registered architect in Washington, DC, who is energized by collaboration with communities and clients to plan and implement shared visions for a more inclusive, beautiful, and thoughtful future. Whether shaping a vision for a building, a campus, or a city, he is adept at weaving disparate ideas into collective concepts that span scales and merge with broader spatial and social networks to amplify possibilities of success.

Isabella West

Landscape Designer

With a background in architecture and design, Isabella explored her love of nature and its connective qualities at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she obtained her master of landscape architecture. With the belief that well designed landscapes are a fundamental right for all, Isabella strives to create physically and emotionally beneficial places for the public to enjoy. She prioritizes being conscious of existing social conditions and structures throughout the design process. In her free time, Isabella enjoys architectural strolls through the city, picnicking, and cozying up with a good book.

Lindsey Tabor

Associate, PLA, ASLA

Lindsey Tabor is a registered Landscape Architect with over a decade of design and construction experience in the DC area. Her diverse professional exposure ranging from private residences to institutional campuses, as well as her love of world travel and art, informs her site-specific designs in a wide range of styles. She is passionate about integrating beautiful detail into functional spaces, enjoys drawing inspiration from unexpected places, and gets particular satisfaction from witnessing a design transform into reality for her clients.

Mandi Fung

Principal, PLA, ASLA

Mandi has a background in art, landscape, and architecture. She is passionate about shaping public space at the intersection of the three and exploring narrative through design. Prior to joining Land Collective, Mandi has taught undergraduate studios and seminars focused on temporary urbanism in Berlin and public space along Scandinavian waterfronts. Her professional project experience includes cultural landscapes; state, regional, and urban parks; conservation agriculture projects; and botanic gardens. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture with Highest Honors from Pratt Institute.