Team

Deneen Crosby

Principal, Landscape Architect

Bio

Deneen Crosby, Principal and Director of Landscape Architecture, has over 30 years of design experience including more than 100 constructed projects in the Boston metropolitan area. Her work includes the design of significant open spaces such as the North End Parks section of the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, urban parks and playgrounds, educational and institutional facilities, multi-use recreational paths and greenways, streetscape improvements, and several transportation-related site planning and design projects. Deneen directed the landscape architecture practice at a previous affiliation for over twenty years before becoming a founding Principal of CSS. In 2009, she was appointed to the Boston Civic Design Commission where she provides design input into significant new development within the City of Boston.

Carole Schlessinger

Principal, Urban Planner

Bio

Carole Schlessinger, Principal and Director of Planning, has over 30 years of experience in urban planning, with expertise in urban revitalization, neighborhood planning and urban renewal projects, land use and zoning studies, transit oriented development planning, and design and implementation of community participation programs. She has managed successful revitalization and master planning projects throughout New England and has been actively involved in Women’s Transportation Seminar and the Urban Land Institute. Prior to founding CSS in 2003, Carole was a Principal and Director of Planning with a previous affiliation.

Skip Smallridge

Principal, Urban Designer

Bio

Skip Smallridge, Principal and Director of Urban Design, has over 30 years of experience in land use and urban design projects in established urban areas involving land use and joint development studies, revitalization master plans, Transit Oriented Development, transit corridor urban design studies, context sensitive design for highway & bridge projects, and transit center siting studies. Skip was Urban Design Director for the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), and Project Urban Designer with the Boston Redevelopment Authority before joining The Wallace Floyd Design Group in 1981 where he was a Principal and Director of Urban Design prior to becoming a founding Principal of CSS.

Cullen Meves

Senior Associate, Landscape Architect + Urban Planner, LEED Green Associate

Bio

Cullen joined CSS in 2013. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s Master of Urban & Regional Planning program, having previously obtained two B.S. degrees in Landscape Architecture and Agriculture/Horticulture respectively from Ohio State University. She has experience in urban park, university campus, and mixed-used development landscape architectural design as well as regional land use and transportation planning. She enjoys traveling, backpacking, and hiking, both around the U.S. and abroad. She is also a self-admitted tech geek, dabbling in web design, 3D design, and coding in her free time.

Daniel Norman

Senior Associate, Landscape Architect + Urban Designer, LEED AP

Bio

Since 2009, Dan has worked on a variety of CSS projects that vary widely in scale, ranging from transportation infrastructure and urban streetscape to schools and parks. He received a B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University and a M.L.A. from the University of Virginia, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Since 2015, Dan has been volunteering at The Rose Kennedy Greenway recording weekly phenology changes for Parcels 19+21. Dan recently served on the East Cambridge Open Space Planning Committee.

Tamar Zimmerman

Senior Associate, Landscape Architect
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Bio

Tamar has been a Landscape Architect at CSS since 2003. She earned her B.A. and her Masters in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. Her projects range from large-scale park systems and campus master planning to small urban parks and schoolyards. When not at work, Tamar creates her own graphic art, collects antique paper ephemera, and raises dwarf rabbits.

Wileen Kao

Senior Associate, Landscape Architect

Bio

Wileen joined CSS as an Associate in 2018. With an M.L.A from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, she is a registered landscape architect who has led the design of transformative open spaces, landscapes, and urban infrastructure in the United States, Middle East, and Asia. She is committed to engaging the landscape from a creative perspective and has served as an Advisor and Panelist for Creative City, an artist grant program led by the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Barr Foundation. Wileen also leads graduate level studio and visualization courses in the Urban Landscape program at Northeastern University, and is frequently an invited juror at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, Northeastern University, and Boston Architectural College.

Sam Basta

Landscape Architect

Bio

Sam joined CSS in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Union College and an M.L.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design. He was drawn to landscape architecture for its ability to improve people’s quality of life in a meaningful way on a day to day basis. Sam likes to rock climb, experiment in the kitchen and hike with his dog when he is not at work. The Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox also consume a fair amount of his free time.

Emily Milliman

Landscape Architect, LEED AP

Bio

Emily is a registered landscape architect dedicated to the revitalization of streetscapes, trail networks, campuses, parks and plazas. She has experience in design and construction administration and has been involved with the design of ten constructed projects since joining CSS in 2013.She is a graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design and holds a B.A. in Architecture from Miami University in Ohio. An active member of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, Emily has served as the Chair of the Scholarship and Emerging Professionals Committees, leading initiatives including the BSLA student scholarship program, professional development workshops, Gingerscapes competitions, and Sketch Boston meetups. Her strong graphic sensibility and textured approach to design is inspired by her artistic practice. She has hosted workshops and exhibited at the Piano Craft Gallery and Harvard Natural History Museum and was named a Polly Thayer Starr Artist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. In her free time, Emily enjoys exploring coastal New England towns and kayaking.

Haipeng Zhu

Landscape Architectural Designer + Urban Designer

Bio

Haipeng Zhu, known as Zhu, joined CSS in 2013. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in Urban Design and Planning from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology in Xi’an, China and a M.L.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design. His work has covered a wide range from regional master plans and residential district plans, to parks, urban plazas, school campuses, streetscapes, and trails. Zhu is a member of both ASLA and BSLA. Zhu keeps active outside of work with his daily workout schedule, weekend basketball games, and cheering for the Boston Celtics. He also likes doing experiments in the kitchen, many of which have been very successful.

Tania Bronsoiler

Landscape Architectural Designer + Architectural Designer

Bio

Tania joined CSS as a designer in 2017. She earned her B.Arch. from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and her M.Des. in Sustainable Urban Environments from Northeastern University. Her prior work ranged from interior design and architecture to urban design and landscape, with a particular focus on resilience and climate change. Before moving to Boston, she founded her own architecture firm in Cancun, where she managed the design and construction of sustainable architecture projects. Tania also volunteers as a legal interpreter and enjoys traveling, competing in obstacle races, and Crossfit.

Meghan Casey

Office & Marketing Manager, LEED Green Associate

Bio

Meghan joined CSS in 2018 after graduating from Tufts University with degrees in Architectural Studies and Economics. Her interests in urban design surround adaptive reuse, sustainable practices, and transportation oriented development, and later plans to continue her education in the field. Outside the office, you can find Meghan planning her next adventure, rock climbing, or exploring the streets of Boston.

Dale Atlas

Accountant

Bio

Dale’s accounting career began in 1980 at Boston-based Bennett Associates, and eventually led to working with the C|S|S partners at their previous firm, Wallace Floyd Associates. She followed them to their newly formed partnership in 2003. Dale also has a second career as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). When not at work, Dale is usually at the beach or traveling, with most recent visits to Costa Rica, Jordan, Israel, Nepal, and China.

The Team