Sheila Condon
As president of Clark Condon, a landscape architecture firm based in Houston, Texas, Sheila Condon oversees design and general operations. Her depth of experience, from recreational and commercial facilities to public-sector projects, gives her a broad-based knowledge that assures accuracy and client satisfaction. Moreover, she directs and supports a team disciplined in how to respond to the growing value of environmental stewardship. Ms. Condon earned a B.S.L.A. at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in 1981 and cofounded Clark Condon four years later. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Rutgers University. In 2006 she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). She currently serves on The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Stewardship Council.
Statement: Cornelia is a pioneer within landscape architecture and a true inspiration to me. I came across her work in 1985 when I started a firm with Beth Clark in Houston, Texas. One thing that resonated with me was Cornelia’s early interest in green places. At age eleven, she told her mother, “I want to make parks.” Similarly, at age thirteen, I knew my future would be some combination of horticulture and art, which is what led me to landscape architecture. Cornelia’s influence on the profession, in addition to being one of the first women to graduate from Harvard, is extraordinary. Her impact on people and places throughout her career is motivational to me as a landscape architect and a mother. I am honored to be recognized as a Fellow on the ASLA Council of Fellows alongside trailblazers like Cornelia.
I was motivated to be part of the Oberlander Prize by the need to provide more education and awareness about the landscape architecture profession. This prize has the ability to help the general public better understand our field, since landscape architecture is broad and can be hard to explain. Landscape architecture affects people and impacts how they experience the environment around them. I would love to see more people fall in love with the profession like I did all those years ago.