Ryan Schultz

Ryan enjoys taking on design challenges to arrive at the best solutions.

Ryan Schultz is an Associate Principal serving as one of the landscape architecture studio team leaders in MKSK’s Columbus office. His career has been shaped by a passion for creating places that bring people together and foster lasting connections between communities and the environments they inhabit. With more than 20 years of professional experience, Ryan has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including parks and trails, educational and healthcare campuses, mixed-use developments, residential communities, and public spaces across the United States and internationally.

Throughout his career, Ryan has been drawn to projects that strengthen the connection between people and place. Whether designing a riverfront park, a campus environment, a community gathering space, or a neighborhood trail, he is passionate about creating landscapes that are welcoming, purposeful, and enduring. His experience leading projects from visioning and planning through construction has given him a deep appreciation for balancing design excellence with practical implementation.

Prior to joining MKSK in 2018, Ryan practiced in Southern California, where he contributed to a broad portfolio of projects ranging from large-scale master planned communities and regional trail systems to healthcare facilities, transit-oriented development, hospitality destinations, and international entertainment projects. These experiences broadened his perspective on how thoughtful design can respond to different cultures, environments, and patterns of growth while creating meaningful experiences for the people who use them.

Today, Ryan helps lead multidisciplinary teams across MKSK’s landscape architecture practice, guiding complex projects and mentoring emerging professionals. While he values the creative and technical aspects of design, he finds the greatest reward in collaborating with clients, stakeholders, and community members to bring a shared vision to life. For Ryan, the most successful projects are those that become meaningful to the people they serve; places that communities embrace, take pride in, and return to for generations.

Ryan believes that great places emerge through collaboration, curiosity, and a deep understanding of context. His work is driven by the conviction that landscape architecture is ultimately about people, and creating environments that foster connection, strengthen communities, leaving a lasting positive impact.