Mentorship at Mithun

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From the beginning, mentorship has been integral to Mithun’s culture. Our founder, Omer Mithun, was a professor at the University of Washington and brought an educator’s mentality to the firm daily. He deeply valued mentorship, and “Pull up a chair” was one of his favorite statements.

Each year around Omer’s birthday, staff are encouraged to nominate others for the Mithun Mentor award. Nominees are those who embody the “pull up a chair” spirit, teaching, inspiring and empowering others through mentorship, both formal and informal.

While each recipient is unique, there are common themes found across the years. Mithun mentors lead by example. They push to elevate both design and their teams, sharing their wealth of knowledge with everyone. While they’re often experts with many years of experience, they are keen listeners, strong collaborators and exhibit a desire to continue learning themselves. They help teammates grow and thrive. Above all, Mithun mentors care — about design and, more importantly, about the people around them.

Explore the list of past recipients below to hear more about how Mithun mentors advance the firm’s mission and enrich internal community.

2025 Mithun Mentors

Erin Ishizaki
“Erin has an extraordinary ability to recognize and nurture the unique strengths of those around her — often before they even see those strengths in themselves. She brings out the best in people by aligning their superpowers with opportunities that stretch and inspire them, even on projects they may not have imagined themselves on.”

Tom Fitzgerald
“Tom is an excellent mentor who leads by example. His ability to listen deeply and teach with clarity has made a lasting impact on my growth. I’m especially grateful for how he shares his design vision, communicates thoughtfully and guides others with his strong sense of long-term purpose.”

2024 Mithun Mentors

Dorothy Faris
“I’ve had the rare privilege of designing alongside Dorothy from the beginning of our careers. I have never stopped learning from or being inspired by Dottie. She leads and supports our landscape architecture team with a steadfast spirit, dedicated to our craft and our community.”

Elizabeth Gordon
“Elizabeth has the sort of quiet yet evocative presence that beckons you to be more curious about our world of design. I always ask myself, ‘What would Elizabeth think of this?’ She would tell me to add something a little unexpected. She would tell me to pare it down, be intentional, do fewer better things. She would remind me that what we show should be exceptional. I am so grateful to have her as a teammate, leader, and mentor, and I’m excited to see what else I can learn from her.”

JoAnn Hindmarsh Wilcox
“JoAnn was one of the first people in leadership to help me realize the importance of valuing myself as a designer even as a new professional, and of speaking up for myself to get what I need to be successful. She emphasizes that everyone should contribute ideas, and even with all her experience, she continues to seek input from everyone at the table.”

Kristen Belt
“Kristen’s open nature, optimism, honesty, good spirits and generosity with her time and expertise have inspired and supported Mithunees over decades. She’s always alert to the needs and aspirations of less experienced staff, innately attuned to their interests and learning edges, and ready with gently insistent prompts for how they could lean in to improve their skillsets and contributions.”

2023 Mithun Mentors

Erin Jacobs
“Erin emulates what it means to pull up a chair, as many people all throughout the workday seek her wisdom, knowledge, or ability to comfort and empathize. Remarkably, her people skills are matched by her design expertise, love of the process, technical skills, impressive capabilities with many project workflows, facility with instruction, deep knowledge of the firm, and drive to improve it for all.”

Lisa Jacks
“What a great example of leading by example! I’ve learned so much from Lisa through osmosis sitting in proximity to her. How to handle tough conversations, how to ask the right questions, and how to convey design intent, just to name a few.”

2020 Mithun Mentors

Casey Huang
“I see Casey as a steadfast and irreplaceable part of Mithun. She’s always “all in” and does her work with grace. She’s resilient and continues to be a mentor for so many project teams. She’s approachable, honest, and knowledgeable in so many different areas, and is always happy to talk with anyone who needs anything. Casey embodies the goal to create positive change.”

Lana Lisitsa
“Lana’s quiet guidance steers the ship at so many levels. Every one of us, from intern to board member, has a lifetime of wisdom to take away from her leadership. I’m continually surprised by the amazingly passionate care she’s able to give to each and every conversation. Lana has this unusual ability to empower even your most rebellious impulses, quietly nurturing every team member to bring out their individual passions and be proud of their achievements.”

Walter Schacht
“Walter’s character is ideal for mentoring. He brings a balance between an intense approach and humor, and has a willingness to sit down, talk through issues, and explain with clarity, and he welcomes input from all. He encourages others to be active participants not only in day-to-day work, but also relationship building, project pursuits, professional organizations, and firmwide activities. He’s an advocate for others and has a willingness to provide as well as to solicit counsel.”

2019 Mithun Mentors

Debra Guenther
“It’s a true rarity to find a leader that individually connects to each member of their team, such that each one of us feels valued and heard. Deb is special. Her energy and love for the landscape profession are infectious. She inspires her team every day and motivates us to dig deeper, to go further, and to advocate for what we most believe in.”

Bert Gregory
“A good bit of my personal growth has been a direct result of Bert’s mentorship through his willingness to share knowledge and to challenge us to research and to iterate any design challenge. He’s not the type of leader to hand off napkin sketches and expect the final product to match an initial idea. Instead, he affords an equal voice to his team, encouraging rigor and creativity that ultimately lead to a healthier design process and a higher-quality product. I can only dream of being half as good a mentor to someone else as Bert has been to me.”

Tim Mollette-Parks
“Through thick and thin, Tim always shows up with a positive attitude, a willingness to collaborate, an open mind on design strategy, and a sincere commitment to equity in the work we do. He’s knowledgeable and rigorous without ever being pedantic, and he has a native ability to engage with folks from all different backgrounds, demonstrating the possibilities design can offer. He welcomes many kinds of ideas and has a unique ability to draw out and build on what other individuals’ languages of design may be offering up.”