LAUP Honors Inaugural Renowned Alumni Award Recipients
The new department-level award recognizes three exceptional honorees across its landscape architecture, planning, and land and property development disciplines.
Dr. Kent Anderson ’93, Elizabeth Gilbert ’04 and Dr. Louis Le Blanc ’78 were honored as the inaugural recipients of the Renowned Alumni Award in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP).
The Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP) at Texas A&M University recognized three former students with its inaugural Renowned Alumni Award at this year’s Scholarship and Awards Banquet.
The 2026 inaugural recipients are Elizabeth Gilbert ’04, Kent Anderson ’93 and Louis Le Blanc ’78. The new department-level honor recognizes one former student from each of LAUP’s three disciplines: landscape architecture, planning, and land and property development.
Dr. Galen Newman, department head, said this is the highest department-level award any former student can win.
“These renowned former students, in their respective careers, have done exceptional work and performed meritorious service to the department over an extended period of time,” Newman said. “They exemplify what it means to be a former student of LAUP and are more than worthy of the honor.”
Elizabeth Gilbert ’04
Elizabeth Gilbert ’04 has worked in landscape architecture since graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M. She began her career at Clark Condon Associates, Inc. in Houston, where she has developed a diverse portfolio of projects across the public and private sectors.
Her work has focused on the design of public spaces, including streetscapes, parks, plazas and master-planned communities. In 2022, she and her two business partners assumed ownership of the firm, and she now serves as managing principal.
Gilbert has also remained involved with Texas A&M through service on the Landscape Architecture Professional Advisory Board. She supports LAUP through guest lectures, desk critiques and student mentorship. In 2024, she helped establish two scholarships on behalf of Clark Condon.
“Receiving this award is one of the highlights of my career, a symbol that my dedication to landscape architecture is felt and has an impact on the future of the field,” Gilbert said. “I was surprised and very grateful to be acknowledged in this way. Our LAUP community is full of exceptional alumni doing great work. I’m excited to see the remarkable contributions of my peers recognized in the years ahead.”
Kent Anderson ’93
Dr. Kent Anderson ’93 earned his Ph.D. in urban and regional science from Texas A&M and has worked in residential land development and graduate education. Since retiring in 2019, he has remained active in the field as a consultant to the development of master-planned communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Anderson also served as an executive professor in the Master of Land and Property Development (MLPD) program from 2008 to 2019. Previously serving as MLPD program coordinator, Anderson continues to support the program as a member of its Development Industry Advisory Council.
During his time at Texas A&M, Anderson was recognized for his teaching and service to students. His honors include a departmental teaching award and the Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching from the Association of Former Students. Before his retirement, his students presented him with a letter of gratitude recognizing his dedication to their personal and professional development.
“This Renowned Alumni Award has special meaning to me because it comes from my colleagues,” Anderson said. “To be recognized by the ones who understand and appreciate my commitment to not only the students, but to the Aggie tradition is most gratifying.”
Louis Le Blanc ’78
Dr. Louis Le Blanc ’78 earned his Ph.D. in urban and regional science from Texas A&M and spent 36 years in higher education, primarily teaching in business schools. His work bridged planning research and teaching, focusing on transportation systems, decision sciences and analytical methods in urban and regional planning.
His dissertation research at Texas A&M helped launch his long-standing work in ports and waterways planning, which he later expanded to include vessel safety on inland waterways. Over the course of his career, Le Blanc also contributed to teaching and mentorship and received multiple teaching and research awards.
Now retired for 12 years, Le Blanc said his time at Texas A&M helped shape the research path that defined much of his professional life.
“This Renowned Alumni Award gives some noteworthy publicity to my career research in ports and waterways planning that was initially supported by my dissertation research at the College of Architecture at A&M,” Le Blanc said.
