Firm owner Ryan McKnight has served as a Landscape Architect on a wide array of projects, including private residences, state, recreational and urban parks, commercial retail and office developments, multi-family housing, university housing, corporate and educational campuses, hotels, churches and industrial facilities.

Working on various project types, locations and styles has strengthened Ryan’s design and project management skills. His ability to adapt to each unique project site’s opportunities and constraints are invaluable to his clients. Ryan’s design skills are supported by his hand drawing and rendering abilities plus his knowledge and use of current CAD software. As a young designer, he was an integral team member of Henslee-Cox Landscape Architects, a respected regional firm in practice since 1968. During this time he learned the importance of collaboration – working closely with clients and being a part of numerous multi-disciplinary design teams.

In December 2005, Ryan accepted an opportunity to become owner and principal of Henslee-Cox, and in January 2009 he renamed the firm McKnight Landscape Architects. Under his hands-on, participatory leadership, the firm has continued to provide comprehensive professional services in landscape architecture and planning.

Ryan earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from Louisiana State University in 2002. He is licensed to practice in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and Colorado.

Brian’s approach to design is based on an understanding of natural systems, the interplay of cultural layers, and how both inspire landscape narratives. Collaboration and research are at the heart of his process.

Brian graduated from the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU and received the dean’s medal in 2003. For nearly two decades, he has practiced landscape architecture primarily in the southeast United States. Prior to joining McKnight, Brian was a senior landscape architect at Suzanne Turner Associates, a firm which specializes in design and cultural landscape research.

As a Baton Rouge native, he is involved in many community organizations and projects. He is the co-founder of the Beauregarden, a community garden in downtown Baton Rouge, co-producer of the Beauregard Town Audio Tour, and most recently, the co-founder of the Baton Rouge Chapter of Urban Sketchers, a global community of artists who practice on-location drawing. He also represents the Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects as liaison to the national ASLA Historic American Landscapes Survey program.

At present, he is leading the design of a cemetery expansion, a school, a courthouse, a mixed-use development, and several residential commissions. He has earned multiple awards for his work and collaborations.

Hayden is a recent addition to the MLA team. He previously worked in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after earning his Master of Landscape Architecture from the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU. Hayden was born and raised in the sleepy small town of Ruston, Louisiana. His childhood and adolescence were characterized by explorations of the piney hills and swampy bottoms of north Louisiana, where his interest was in observing and understanding the systems and mechanics of these endemic landscapes. Over time, the hours spent within these landscapes forged a deep appreciation for “nature.” Most importantly, these formative years inspire and inform his approach to art and design.

Following his high school graduation, Hayden began a seven-year journey studying history at LSU and Mississippi College. During those years, his interests centered on colonial and antebellum Southern history. In his studies, he grappled with complex issues like class, gender, and race, cultivating a consciousness that people, culture, and place are interwoven. To that end, Hayden realized that a career in landscape architecture offered an opportunity to marry his creative instinct with his deep-seated interest in people and place.

When he is outside of the office, Hayden enjoys hiking, cooking, and gardening with his wife, Joni, and his son, John. Together, they love to explore their surroundings in search of adventure.

Anne Catherine leads our satellite office in Mobile, Alabama, where she manages projects in the southeast and gulf coast. Prior to joining McKnight, she worked with a prominent residential landscape architecture firm in Nashville, Tennessee, and collaborated on many residential commissions and a small blackberry farm in Kentucky.

As a 2019 graduate of the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at Louisiana State University, she received an Honor Award from the ASLA Louisiana Chapter for her collective academic work. Her senior capstone project focused on St. Augustine’s historic downtown and how green infrastructure improvements along Florida’s Atlantic coast can help protect it from storms and flooding. As part of the project, she also studied how contemporary materials may be used in historic contexts.

 While her academic career has provided her with experience in parks, neighborhoods, and commercial projects, Anne Catherine’s focus and love are within the details of design, especially in the intimate scale of residential and estate gardens.

Molly earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Mississippi State University in 2021 and received the Capstone Honor Award, which is given each year to designate the most impressive senior project. Her work, titled Redefining the Residential Landscape, focused on ecological restoration through native and resilient planting. While at MSU, she toured landscapes on the east and west coast United States, including a case study class which centered on Portland and Seattle.

In addition to travel, her inspiration is drawn from the natural landscapes of Birmingham, Alabama, her hometown. Molly is a life-long lacrosse player and is on the coaching staff for Red Stick Lacrosse, a league comprised of high school and middle school players.

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lorraine serves as our office manager and assists with business operations, client relations, and invoicing.

Prior to joining McKnight, Lorraine has held positions as an office administrator for a construction company and as a legal assistant in both public and private sectors. During her career as a paralegal, she obtained a license from the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigators and is a Concealed Carry Instructor.

Lorraine is a lifelong learner. In addition to her degrees in paralegal studies and criminal justice, she is currently pursuing a degree in Graphic Arts. With a newfound appreciation of plants and design, she often takes part in charettes and offers a different perspective and insight.