Our Team
Michael Szabo, PLA, ASLA | Principal Landscape Architect, President
Email: mike@szabo-la.com
SZABO Landscape Architecture founder Mike Szabo is an award winning licensed landscape architect with over 23 years of professional experience. His unique skill set of technical ability and creativity paired with broad experience allow him to develop creative solutions to complex design problems and create unique spaces of any size, scale or use.
Mike has led design teams on a wide range of projects throughout the west. Mike believes that creating outdoor spaces for people to enjoy, socialize, and recreate in is essential to building a healthy community. In all of his projects he encourages a philosophy of open communication and collaboration between all disciplines which ultimately produces a successful project for all users.
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, Colorado State University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2002
Oregon Licensed Landscape Architect #824
California Licensed Landscape Architect #5545
Washington Licensed Landscape Architect #1545
Member, American Society of Landscape Architects
Member, Bend Chamber of Commerce
Alumni, Leadership Bend Class of 2015
Brian Nierman, PLA, ASLA | Principal Landscape Architect, Partner
Email: brian@szabo-la.com
Brian Nierman joins SZABO Landscape Architecture with over a decade of experience in designing sophisticated spaces.
He is a graduate of the landscape architectural program of University of Idaho and holds a particular fondness for natural landscapes of the northwest.
Over his career he has brought value to a varied breadth of project types and scales to much of the west including Colorado, Arizona, California, and Oregon. Be it a large scale commercial or retail development, natural or culturally significant landscape, or an intimate residential outdoor room, Brian strives to bring timeless contextual design into every project while highlighting the unique social, environmental, and aesthetic qualities of the site.
With backgrounds in the arts and construction, he is excited about bringing an aesthetic construct-ability to the design while navigating the logistical and economic constraints. This cohesive design approach fosters solutions that bring together quality design with functional implementation.
Professional Affiliations
Colorado Licensed Landscape Architect #1156
Member, American Society of Landscape Architects
Alumni, University of Idaho, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2004
Mentor, ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering)
Samantha Williams, ASLA | Project Manager
Email: swilliams@szabo-la.com
Samantha has worked for firms in the USA, New Zealand, Germany, and French Canada. She brings her international experience to SZABO, combined with a passion for sustainability, a call to innovation, and a belief that spaces can be both fun and functional. Samantha has adapted her design process using her experiences to resolve distinct design constraints for a variety of project types. She enjoys incorporating region-specific characteristics into her projects to produce unique, creative design solutions, with a goal of restoration and decreasing our impact on the environment. She believes it is our responsibility, now more than ever, to develop and implement solutions to create a better world for the future of our planet.
With her highly creative, artistic tendencies, Samantha strives to bring a playful air to each design while abiding by functional and economic limitations. This artistic approach cultivates solutions that promote increased visiting time in the spaces created. In her spare time, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, painting, sketching, travelling, or outside adventuring with her husband, young son, and two dogs.
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2012
Member, American Society of Landscape Architects
Spencer Bugbey, PLA | Landscape Architect
Email: sbugbey@szabo-la.com
Spencer has contributed to the design industry for 20 years in a variety of roles. His early experience developed in a traditional landscape architecture studio near Portland, developing hand-drawn plans and renderings for high end residential projects. Later he developed advanced 3D modeling skills working as a survey and civil designer, mastering 3D rendering and grading modeling. He owned and operated his own landscape architecture studio in the Eugene area for 12 years, utilizing many of his multi-disciplinary skills to aid in design development. His focus has been rural high-end residential design, and commercial and institutional projects.
Having spent much of his recreational time in Central Oregon, it only made sense for Spencer to relocate with his family to the Bend area to enjoy the back country. In his free-time he can be exploring on foot or by back roads, or wrenching on vintage vehicle
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, Washington State University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Ian Fuller | Landscape Designer
Email: ifuller@szabo-la.com
Ian’s multifaceted experience, working in a variety of design-based professions, ultimately led him to SZABO to pursue his passion for Landscape Architecture. After graduating from the School of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, he worked in park planning, horticulture, and sustainable design, which broadened his understanding of design beyond the typical bounds of the profession. His creative inclination and logical demeanor make him an optimistic yet rational designer, striving to embody the union of art and science in every project.
Born and raised in Colorado, Ian spent most of his upbringing outdoors which instilled a deep-rooted appreciation for the natural world, from which arose a keen interest in exploring the relationship between the natural world and the built environment. Ian is an avid hiker, climber, skier, mountaineer, and traveler, and sees nature as the ultimate teacher. He is always up to the task, both in and out of the studio.
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, University of Colorado: Boulder, Bachelor of Environmental Design in Landscape Architecture, 2020
Jack Kane | Landscape Designer
Email: jkane@szabo-la.com
Jack was brought to the field of Landscape Architecture by his constant draw toward the outdoors and the realization that he could design spaces of gathering. Having grown up in the West, he developed an affinity for the region’s varied landscapes and seeks to preserve and enhance their natural ecology through our interface with the landscape. Jack feels right at home in Central Oregon, which is raw, beautiful, and rich in natural history.
Upon starting his higher education, Jack studied Construction Management with a focus in Construction Sustainability. He redirected to Landscape Architecture but has carried with him the values of sustainable building into his design. Since graduating, Jack has worked for a general contractor building outdoor environments and then a civil engineering firm where he started his professional design career. He is excited to work alongside the entire SZABO team where we have the privilege to design high quality spaces. If you see Jack outside of the studio, he’s probably on a trail getting dragged behind his two dogs or playing a game outside.
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, Colorado State University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2020
Sarah Phillips | Landscape Designer
Email: sphillips@szabo-la.com
Sarah Phillips is a Landscape Designer at SLA, where she specializes in crafting sustainable and site-responsive landscapes that celebrate the character and ecology of their location. With a strong foundation in both architecture and conservation, Sarah brings a multidisciplinary approach to design, balancing aesthetics, functionality, and environmental stewardship.
She holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Architecture from Roger Williams University. Originally from Rhode Island, Sarah relocated to the West Coast in 2017, where she gained hands-on experience in natural resources management and trail construction. This work deepened her connection to the landscape and ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in landscape architecture.
Sarah’s design philosophy is rooted in the use of native plant palettes and an appreciation for the diverse ecosystems of the American West. Her work reflects a commitment to ecological resilience and a belief in the power of landscapes to foster connection between people and place.
Outside of the studio, Sarah explores the landscapes she designs for—whether climbing, biking, or floating along the rivers of Central Oregon.
Professional Affiliations
Alumni, University of Oregon, Master of Landscape Architecture, 2024
Alumni, Roger Williams University, Bachelor of Architecture, 2017