new principal hires in san antonio, austin offices
AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO – TBG Partners, the visionary Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning firm, is pleased to announce a strategic addition to its practice with two new Principal hires.
Samantha Whitney, AIA, who was previously Principal, Director of Urban Design at Overland Partners in San Antonio, and Russell Larsen, PLA, who previously worked for Walt Disney Imagineering based in Los Angeles, will deepen the Principal leadership team and expertise across the firm. Whitney is located in TBG’s San Antonio studio, with a focus on urban design, urban planning, placemaking and Larsen is in TBG’s Austin studio, serving as a design Principal and team leader.
“These two talented visionaries truly embody our firm’s culture and have invaluable expertise and passion that aligns with TBG’s mission, vision, and values,” said TBG Partners President Bill Odle. “We are excited to see both Sam and Russell grow into their new leadership roles as they continue to elevate design and impact across our projects.”
About Samantha Whitney, AIA
Whitney is an architect and urban designer with over 20 years of experience. Her project breadth includes mixed-use development, downtown revitalization, campus master plans, and urban streetscapes. Recent work includes urban design strategies for the University of Texas at San Antonio’s new National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science; overseeing analysis and development of the I-35 Cap and Stich Opportunities & Constraints Report; and collaborating with constituents on the City of Lubbock’s Master Plan Update. She holds a Master of Architecture with an Urban Design specialization from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University.
“Leveraging my experience at Overland working on urban design and architecture projects around the world and at home here in Texas, I am really excited to be joining TBG and feel incredibly motivated to contribute to amplifying the efforts of the firm,” Whitney said. “Combining forces with Elaine and the team in the San Antonio office is a natural evolution for me as we have collaborated on numerous projects over the past few years so continuing to do so together with a strategic focus on the public realm in our day-to-day work is incredibly exciting to me.”
About Russell Larsen, PLA
With nearly 30 years of experience, Larsen continues to be motivated and inspired by the power of design and the role it plays in daily life. Larsen comes to TBG from Walt Disney Imagineering where he was Executive Landscape Architect and helped bring creative ideas to life for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. In his past work, Larsen has been a key member of the creative leadership team for many projects such as Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park Expansion Projects and Disney’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge where he was responsible for overseeing and maintaining the integrity and design direction of the projects. Larsen holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnic University.
“Moving to Austin, I wanted to find a Firm that would allow me to impact the city that I knew would be simultaneously having an impact on me,” Larsen said. “Additionally, I want to bring my vast portfolio of work and years of experience on a construction site building complex projects, to help mentor, teach and encourage the next generation of landscape architects within TBG to be thoughtful designers and skilled technicians in bringing their projects to life.