David Garce

Biography

David Garce received a BLA at Utah State University in 1980. He continued to earn certificates in Business Administration from the Advanced Management Institute for Architects and Engineers. He began his career in 1985 with several small firms in Salt Lake City. In 1986 he moved to San Jose, California and worked for a mid-sized Landscape Architecture firm. He became licensed in California and started his own practice in 1988.

The desire to share information acquired through his experiences in California compelled him to eventually return to Utah. From 1999 to 2004, he taught the Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture class. During that time, he also served on the LAEP Advisory board. In 2004 David joined GSBS Architects as Director of Landscape Operations, then in 2007 David accepted a position as Principle and an owner, where he now works. Projects with GSBS have taken David to Peru, Brazil, Philippines, Mexico and Canada.

David is an advocate for Native Americans in the Landscape Architecture profession. He joined the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers in 1992, was elected Secretary, followed by vice-president, then in 2004 became president of the Council. He now serves on the Board of Directors. He was also part of a Native American design team that was selected to design the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC.

He has worked with many other tribes in the U.S. including his own Catawba Indian Nation and with USU faculty Professor (retired) Jerry Fuhriman. They mentored 4 Native Americans in the LAEP program and entered the team in a national competition for a monument to the Native Americans who died at the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

David is currently working with USU Extension Landscape Architect Jake Powell and with the director of Design Build Bluff to provide integrated summer design and construction collaboration with the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning on the Navajo Nation. David is an accomplished professional with a deep commitment to the welfare of LAEP. Congratulations, David!