Jonathan grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and Jacksonville, Florida, before heading to New York City to study jazz piano. His background in the arts has influenced his interests in designing and shaping public space and offering unique experiences for park users.

Jonathan received a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Music Performance from Long Island University, graduating Valedictorian. Prior to joining MVVA in 2022, he worked as a musician in New York, and an editor for the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, and as a designer. He has also volunteered as a community facilitator for the city’s participatory budgeting project and as a street tree counter for the Parks Department. In 2021, he was the Charles E. Beveridge Fellow at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, where he researched the construction of historic urban wilds and their potential impact on contemporary open space equity.