August 30, 2023

Berger Partnership

Arango

Smith

Jiang

Miller

Garcia

Daniels

The Berger Partnership has hired Jennifer Garcia as project manager; Belle Miller, Cristal Jiang, Stephanie Smith, and Paulina Arango as landscape designers; and Lily Daniels as the firm's summer intern.

Garcia supports the firm as a project manager with 12 years of experience and a focus on multifamily, mixed-use, residential, and parks and open space projects. She is a highly collaborative team member and is currently working on the City Hall Park Renovation and the Washington Park Arboretum Japanese Garden in Seattle, the West Sound Technical Skills Center in Bremerton, and the Quincy Aquatic Center in Quincy. She has a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Miller is particularly interested in sustainable and equitable design and is currently working on Springwood Park in Kent, the Sweeney Blocks and AMLI multifamily developments in Seattle, and a renovation of the Woodland Park Zoo Snow Leopard Exhibit. In addition to her project work, Miller is helping to lead the firm's summer internship and is an active member of the American Society of Landscape Architects Washington Chapter(WASLA). She is an Honors College graduate from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture.

Jiang joins the firm as a landscape designer bringing her graphic skills to the Redmond Central Connector Phase III in Redmond, the West Sound Technical Skills Center in Bremerton, and 121 Boren multifamily development in Seattle. She has three years of experience in landscape architecture with projects ranging from biotech campuses, resilient waterfront parks, and stormwater management. Jiang holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Bachelor of Engineering in Landscape Architecture from the East China University of Science andTechnology in Shanghai.

Arango recently joined the firm as a landscape designer and is working on the Tiny Homes Relocation project in Bellingham and Meydenbauer Bay Park Phase II in Bellevue. She is the recipient of an ASLA Honor Award for the Alabama Meadows Research project and brings a background in both landscape architecture and architecture. Arango holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Auburn University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia.

Smith joins the firm as a landscape designer with five years of experience in mixed-use development, pedestrian-oriented streetscapes, trails, and open space. She is working on the University of Puget Sound Campus Master Plan in Tacoma, the Southeast Redmond Neighborhood Park in Redmond, and the Orcas Island Farm Retreat, among other projects. She is a licensed landscape architect in the State of California and has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnical State University, San Luis Obispo.

Daniels joins the Berger Partnership as a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at the University of Washington. Her internship research project, titled “Where the Street Ends: a closer look at Seattle's shoreline street ends and the abundant interconnectedness of our waterways,” explores Seattle's unique relationship with its waterfront and how the 140 street-end pocket parks along our waterways hold the potential for public use and ecological benefits. The final document will touch on the history of shoreline street ends, the importance of water and our connection with it, and a unique approach to utilizing the interconnectedness of our shoreline.