James Moore, ASLA was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from University of Chicago in 2007 with an AB in Public Policy and a concentration in Urban Studies. His interest in design and the built environment grew as he pursued a Masters of Planning at Harvard in 2010 and a Masters of Landscape Architecture at University of Virginia in 2013. James first practiced as a landscape architect and urban planner at Waterstreet Studio in Charlottesville, incorporating sustainable design into projects ranging from private estates to public institutions. In 2014, James joined Hawkins Partners in Nashville where he worked on and led a full range of research, planning, design and construction projects. He grew to love working with historic institutions through his work at Cheekwood and Vanderbilt University. With Hawkins Partners, James was a project manager for the West End Neighborhood transformation at Vanderbilt, which removed a network of roads and alleys and replaced it with a dynamic campus landscape. In early 2020, James started his current work as the University Landscape Architect at Vanderbilt. There, he offers a full range of design and planning services to the university community; advocates for excellence in landscape and public space; and directs the maintenance and growth of the arboretum.

In addition to his work at Vanderbilt, James also serves on Nashville’s Downtown Code Design Review Committee and is an active member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, hiking, biking and working in the garden with his wife and two boys.