Celebrate a 30 Year Career with a Senior Landscape Architect
From blooming flowers to budding greenery, the Walt Disney World landscape team keeps everything growing all year round! And no one knows this team better than Carla, a senior landscape architect with over 30 years under her garden belt!
"My Disney journey began thirty years ago as a part-time contractor in the Landscape Architecture department and I never left! Our parks and resort facilities have changed and grown, providing opportunities for renovations and improvements. My role has also grown from a couple of projects and one small festival to year-round EPCOT festivals and Facility Asset Management (FAM) portfolios while also working with Walt Disney Imagineering, Engineering Services and Operations team members. I enjoy the wide reach of landscape architecture and coordinating early concepts.”
A Perennial Mindset
The team works all year round on EPCOT’s many festivals. From topiaries to garden beds, they bring blooms to life across the park. She shared, “I am a proud member of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival team, starting when all the topiaries and gardens could be installed in one week of exhausting overnight work. Now grown to over three months of celebrating horticulture, it is a year-round planning effort that has inspired other EPCOT festivals. We start work on a new festival soon after closing the previous. A mighty team of horticulturalists, construction managers, operations coordinators, chefs, entertainers and many, many more create memorable experiences.”
New Ideas Through Collaboration
“I knew Disney was a large company and did not realize how inter-connected cast and departments create its greatest success,” Carla shared. It takes a lot of effort and brainstorming to create beautiful environments at Walt Disney World. Carla loves the collaboration from many teams across the resort. “FAM Design is a multi-disciplinary team of architects, engineers and technical talents who support each other on complex projects. We share information, project history, solve problems and have fun. Our many Walt Disney World partners have different needs and perspectives to consider, which often take time and re-design options. Working in a built environment always uncovers surprises. It is rewarding to see guests and cast members enjoying the final products.”
Connecting with the Community
Carla’s days aren’t always spent in the garden. Her team finds many ways to spend time together, including Disney VoluntEARs events! “Our team creates Disney-themed ‘canstruction’ sculptures with canned goods, which are donated to local food banks. We also help connect the diverse FAM departments together with a variety of events, education and tours.”
Throughout her 30 years, the most constant joy has been seeing guests enjoy her team’s work. “Seeing guests enjoy our parks and resorts is a wonderful motivator. I enjoy talking with people from around the world about plants and gardens.”
Thanks to Carla and her team, Walt Disney World is kept colorful and lush all year. So, next time you find yourself at one of our festivals, don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!
Interested in learning more about opportunities at Walt Disney World? Head to DisneyCareers.com!
