Our Team
Meet Dani alexander
PRINCIPAL
Dani Alexander is founding principal of Studio AKA. Her work is imbued with the belief that putting people in touch with nature brings about a deep sense of well-being. She is passionate about transforming the public realm to be more equitable, resilient, and compelling.
Before founding Studio AKA, Danielle worked at Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, Verzone Woods Architects, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. While at Reed Hilderbrand, Dani contributed to the implementation of multiple projects set forth in Harvard University’s Allston Institutional Master Plan. She was also on the design team for the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, contributing to the design and preliminary construction documentation. For the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Dani helped to develop a planting design for a tricky ravine site, as well as re-imagined access in a site of difficult topography and flooding. In all of these projects, she enjoyed collaborative relationships with architects, engineers, naturalists, and stakeholders.
Dani’s commitment to communicating the impacts of design, climate change, and resilience efforts is additionally supported through volunteering, teaching, and writing.
As a trained Climate Reality Leader through Former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, she works to communicate the impacts of climate change on landscape and public health. She manages the Shifting Latitudes project, a communications platform covering these issues. She served as adjunct faculty at the Boston Architectural College, teaching in both the Architecture and Practice Departments, and has sat on numerous student design juries.
Dani’s writing has appeared in various print and digital publications. Most recently, she served as Editor and Contributor for the book Food Urbanism by Craig Verzone and Cristina Woods, published 2021. In 2019, she was the Urban Wild Writer in Residence for Freshkills Park.
Dani earned her Bachelor of Arts at Harvard University and her Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Virginia, where she was a William R. Kenan Fellow and Editor of the design publication lunch.
Meet CARSON GERMAN
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Carson is interested in all of the creative efforts that bring artistry into landscapes, whether through collaborative design or transformation from natural living systems.
Before joining Studio AKA, Carson worked with Oehme, van Sweden, where she managed an array of residential projects within the mid-Atlantic region, as well as a few commercial, urban-site site overhauls. She learned to approach each project with a sensitivity to site history, attention to local and regional ecosystems, and always with a four-season garden in mind.
Carson’s background in design-build and design-contracting work at Oehme, van Sweden and previously in Atlanta instilled her with an appreciation for craftsmanship throughout every step of building gardens and landscapes. She has guided smaller-scale projects through bidding and construction, and takes a hands-on approach to complex planting installations.
She loves and finds inspiration in spending time outdoors, whether on project sites or out in nature, in her Capitol Hill garden, or on a bike ride. Carson has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia.
Meet SPENCER CRAIG
DESIGN INTERN
Spencer Craig is a Master of Landscape Architecture student at the University of Maryland and joined Studio AKA as an intern in 2024. With experience in both design studios and on-the-ground landscape work, Spencer brings a practical and collaborative approach to creating thoughtful, resilient outdoor spaces. He has contributed to projects at Studio AKA and LandDesign, supporting planting plans, CAD drafting, digital rendering, and client presentations. His background in sociology, horticulture, and teaching informs a people-centered perspective on landscape architecture.