Officers and Designers

5200 River Road, Bldg. 5
Bethesda, MD 20816
Tel: 301-652-8844
Fax: 301-907-8070

Meet Our Staff
Officers and Designers

Officers and Designers
Michael Abert
Kripa Rayamajhi
Melissa Clark
Alison W. Ward
Abby Yager

Management and Supervisors
Cindy Mason
Mark Mostrom
Scott Jenkins
Kirk Floyd
Luis Hernandez
Cesar Hernandez
Manuel Diaz

Michael Abert, President

A District of Columbia native, Michael Abert developed a love for gardens and for caring for them at an early age, when he started mowing lawns in his neighborhood at age 12. He has been in the landscaping business since 1978. After graduating from Duke University with a degree in computer science in 1987, he founded Landscape Projects. He enjoys being outside working in gardens.

These days, however, in addition to having primary overall responsibility for running the company, he spends most of his time working closely with outside designers and landscape architects who bring their projects to LPI for installation and maintenance. Michael takes pride in LPI’s personal level of service and in its high level of maintenance services. As Michael puts it, “Gardens evolve over time and require knowledgeable and regular attention to develop properly.”

Kripa Rayamajhi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland and has worked at LPI since 1998, when she joined the company as an intern. Since then, she has had extensive experience supervising the maintenance division, overseeing the process of ordering bulbs and annuals for clients, and designing gardens. For Kripa, having close relationships with clients who are knowledgeable in gardening is what makes her work enjoyable and fulfilling. One of the company’s strengths, she says, is that all the staff “from laborers to designers, care about what they do,” which “shows in our work,” something she feels is not always found in other companies.

Melissa Clark, APLD
Designer, Newsletter Editor, and Client Representative
A 2001 graduate of George Washington University's landscape design program, Melissa has been with LPI since 2002. She believes in a collaborative approach to designing gardens, working closely with clients to ensure that within the constraints of the site, their landscapes reflect the architectural style of their homes, their programmatic needs, and the kinds of landscape styles that appeal most to them. She is a certified member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. In 2009, a Bethesda garden of hers won an Award of Merit in APLD's international residential design award competition and a Grand Award from LCA. In 2004, she won First Place in APLD's first competition for a design in Chevy Chase. Other awards include a Grand Award from LCA and an Award of Distinction from PLANET for a Bethesda garden, and a 2009 Merit Award from LCA for a D.C. garden. The Bethesda garden that won the 2009 APLD award was featured in 2008 in Home & Design Magazine. Her greatest source of satisfaction is helping gardens develop over time and adapting them to meet changing conditions and/or the owners' desires for improvements. For more information about her approach to design, visit Melissa's website. To see some of her photography and thoughts on its relationship to design, check out her blog.

Alison Woodrow Ward
Designer and Client Representative
Alison Woodrow Ward, who is currently enrolled in the GW Landscape Design program, holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). Prior to joining LPI in 2005, she worked in a number of nurseries and has loved plants and gardening for years. Alison enjoys designing gardens and watching them grow from installation to completion. She also works on projects that come to LPI from outside designers and landscape architects, and on maintenance clients' seasonal design and annuals needs. Alison is currently on maternity leave from LPI.

Abby Yager
Designer, Maintenance Manager and Client Representative
Abby joined LPI in 2006 as Maintenance Manager, bringing with her experience in design, maintenance and plant selection from a background in nursery sales and operating her own company. In addition to being a Certified Horticulturist and an ISA-certified arborist, Abby is also a CPA. She is currently studying in the Horticultural Landscape Design program at Northern Virginia Community College, and recently passed LCA's Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) test. At LPI, she is the primary contact for client maintenance concerns, responding to infill design and maintenance needs and working closely with the company's maintenance and landscape installation supervisors.

Page last updated 4/18/10




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						5200 River Road, Bldg. 5 Bethesda, MD 20816 Tel: 301-652-8844 Fax: 301-907-8070
			Meet Our Staff Officers and Designers
Officers and Designers Michael Abert Kripa Rayamajhi Melissa Clark Alison W. Ward Abby Yager Management and Supervisors Cindy Mason Mark Mostrom Scott Jenkins Kirk Floyd Luis Hernandez Cesar Hernandez Manuel Diaz			Meet Our Staff Officers and Designers
					Michael Abert, President A District of Columbia native, Michael Abert developed a love for gardens and for caring for them at an early age, when he started mowing lawns in his neighborhood at age 12. He has been in the landscaping business since 1978. After graduating from Duke University with a degree in computer science in 1987, he founded Landscape Projects. He enjoys being outside working in gardens.
			These days, however, in addition to having primary overall responsibility for running the company, he spends most of his time working closely with outside designers and landscape architects who bring their projects to LPI for installation and maintenance. Michael takes pride in LPI’s personal level of service and in its high level of maintenance services. As Michael puts it, “Gardens evolve over time and require knowledgeable and regular attention to develop properly.”


		Kripa Rayamajhi Designer and Client Representative Kripa Rayamajhi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland and has worked at LPI since 1998, when she joined the company as an intern. Since then, she has had extensive experience supervising the maintenance division, overseeing the process of ordering bulbs and annuals for clients, and designing gardens. For Kripa, having close relationships with clients who are knowledgeable in gardening is what makes her work enjoyable and fulfilling. One of the company’s strengths, she says, is that all the staff “from laborers to designers, care about what they do,” which “shows in our work,” something she feels is not always found in other companies.



	Melissa Clark, APLD Designer, Newsletter Editor, and Client Representative A 2001 graduate of George Washington University's landscape design program, Melissa has been with LPI since 2002. She believes in a collaborative approach to designing gardens, working closely with clients to ensure that within the constraints of the site, their landscapes reflect the architectural style of their homes, their programmatic needs, and the kinds of landscape styles that appeal most to them. She is a certified member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. In 2009, a Bethesda garden of hers won an Award of Merit in APLD's international residential design award competition and a Grand Award from LCA. In 2004, she won First Place in APLD's first competition for a design in Chevy Chase. Other awards include a Grand Award from LCA and an Award of Distinction from PLANET for a Bethesda garden, and a 2009 Merit Award from LCA for a D.C. garden. The Bethesda garden that won the 2009 APLD award was featured in 2008 in Home & Design Magazine. Her greatest source of satisfaction is helping gardens develop over time and adapting them to meet changing conditions and/or the owners' desires for improvements. For more information about her approach to design, visit Melissa's website. To see some of her photography and thoughts on its relationship to design, check out her blog.


	Alison Woodrow Ward Designer and Client Representative Alison Woodrow Ward, who is currently enrolled in the GW Landscape Design program, holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). Prior to joining LPI in 2005, she worked in a number of nurseries and has loved plants and gardening for years. Alison enjoys designing gardens and watching them grow from installation to completion. She also works on projects that come to LPI from outside designers and landscape architects, and on maintenance clients' seasonal design and annuals needs. Alison is currently on maternity leave from LPI.

	Abby Yager Designer, Maintenance Manager and Client Representative Abby joined LPI in 2006 as Maintenance Manager, bringing with her experience in design, maintenance and plant selection from a background in nursery sales and operating her own company. In addition to being a Certified Horticulturist and an ISA-certified arborist, Abby is also a CPA. She is currently studying in the Horticultural Landscape Design program at Northern Virginia Community College, and recently passed LCA's Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) test. At LPI, she is the primary contact for client maintenance concerns, responding to infill design and maintenance needs and working closely with the company's maintenance and landscape installation supervisors.

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Page last updated 4/18/10