Penny began her life dedication to landscape architecture when she enrolled in a new program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, receiving a landscape architectural technology diploma in the first graduating class of 1976. A few years later, she received her BLA from the University of Guelph.
Penny’s professional career began at EDA Collaborative in Edmonton. With a few breaks away (for a summer job in Germany, work with a fellow Guelph grad in Victoria for nine months, and another nine months at Alberta Recreation and Parks), she remained at EDA for twenty years where she was involved in a wide diversity of projects. In 2001, she changed direction and joined Stantec, becoming practice lead of the planning and landscape architecture group. She became LEED accredited and a champion for the use of LID techniques, working closely with planners, enigeers, and biological scientists for sustainable stormwater management solutions. Penny now lives on the west coast but continues to work on Edmonton projects (at a slower pace) with her solo firm, Balance Landscape Architecture, continuing her focus on sustainable stormwater management.
Throughout her career, Penny has been involved in many organizations including the AALA, where she filled several roles including many years as Exam Board Chair, Alberta Naturalization Network Society, Edmonton Design Committee, NAIT Advisory Board, and Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership. She continues to be involved in BC at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden, the Halfmoon Bay Citizens’ Association, and the Sunshine Coast Arts Council.