Title: Executive Director
Company: American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA)
Location: Cody, Wyoming, United States
Heather Susanne Kinkade, Executive Director at American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nonprofit administration.
With nearly 40 years of experience to her credit, Ms. Kinkade has excelled as the president of Forgotten Rain LLC since 2002, the president of Kinkade Gourds since 2009 and the executive director of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) since 2012. During this time, she was additionally active as the owner of Pony Express Distributors LLC from 2017 to 2018, an associate professor of environmental science at the University of Phoenix from 2011 to 2013, an adjunct professor for Arizona State University from 2011 to 2013, the owner of Forgotten Rain LLC Consulting from 2008 to 2012, and a green building and energy auditor with Certified Environmental Services Inc. from 2010 to 2012. Moreover, she served as a water resource and environmental planner for Vernadero Group Incorporated from 2010 to 2011, a southwest sales agent for Rainwater Management Solutions from 2009 to 2011, a LEED reviewer for Bureau Veritas North America from 2009 to 2010, a southwest sales agent for Aqua Nueva from 2009 to 2010, and both a manager and specialty consultant with Ernst & Young LLP in 2008. Ms. Kinkade likewise worked for ARCADIS G&M as the director of planning for Arizona from 2005 to 2007, Carter & Burgess Inc. as a planning studio leader from 2003 to 2005 and CMX LLC as the director for planning and Landscape Architecture from 2002 to 2003.
Prior to these positions, Ms. Kinkade found success as the site development director and partner for PresnellWestar/Qk4 from 1998 to 2002. She was further appointed as a land planner and Landscape Architect for B&R Engineering Inc. from 1991 to 1995 and LVA Urban Design Studio LLC from 1995 to 1998, the latter of which also recruited her as a project manager. She had likewise contributed her wealth of knowledge to Drake & Associates as a land planner and project manager between 1986 and 1988, HNTB as a land planner, landscape designer and project manager between 1988 and 1989, and EDAW Inc. as a planner and project manager between 1989 and 1991. Ms. Kinkade began her career as a Landscape Architect and a land planner for HOH Associates Inc. from 1984 to 1986.
Before embarking on her professional path, Ms. Kinkade pursued an education at the University of Arizona, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture in 1984. She continued her academic efforts with a master’s degree in environmental planning in 1994. While she was writing her master’s thesis, she discovered the ARCSA in her research, which ultimately led to her subsequent connection and career with the organization. Ms. Kinkade concluded her studies at Arizona State University in 2009, with a Doctor of Philosophy, all-but-dissertation, in geography as well as a two-year Certificate in Sustainable Technology and Management.
In light of her exceptional undertakings, Ms. Kinkade has accrued several accolades throughout her career. A fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2020, she was additionally recognized by the aforementioned organization with a Book Award from the Arizona Chapter in 2005 and a National ASLA Communication Award in 2006. Likewise, she was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board in 1988, an Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service from the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association in 1991, an Award for Outstanding Contributions from the American Planning Association in 1992 and an Arizona Publishers Book Award in 2008. More recently, Ms. Kinkade received the Lifetime Achievement Award from ARCSA in 2013.
Ms. Kinkade attributes her success to her grandmother as well as her love of nature and the world, which she had fostered from a young age. At the onset of her career, she visited Japan to learn how to take the dry gardens that they had designed and apply them to the desert in Tucson, Arizona. Initially focusing on auto mall design, she eventually dedicated her time and attention to rainwater catchment and began placing water basins underground. Looking toward the future, Ms. Kinkade hopes to continue leading the ARCSA as they expand and collaborate with other organizations while focusing on continued education and her artwork in her spare time.
For more information, please visit:
American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
Kinkade Gourds
Press Release
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