Jeff Mader, President
Active and on the go both in and out of the office, Jeff leads Mader Design in the firm’s efforts of “Integrating People and Nature®”. Taking a leap of faith and opening the office in 2009, Jeff’s focus was to take a personal approach to service … serve his clients and serve the Indianapolis community where he grew up and throughout the state… and to connect …by connecting site design, architecture, and people by providing a collaborative approach to every endeavor. Jeff has grown Mader Design steadily and intentionally by growing personal relationships with each of our clients into long term friendships.
He takes the same approach to his numerous leadership activities in the community. He has been a long-time volunteer, board member, and committee chair at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Friends of Garfield Park, Roncalli High School, Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce, Next Stop Beech Grove, Rotary Club of Indianapolis, and INASLA. As a Registered Landscape Architect, Jeff also stays active and involved in ASLA, IPRA, INPS, USGBC, and many other community and business organizations.
When not busy at work or in a board meeting, Jeff has spent many, many…many hours coaching his 3 daughters in basketball (until they all retired) and continues to coach travel softball. In the few remaining hours, he enjoys a nice bourbon and a long quiet weekend at the family cabin in the woods.
JOHN TIERNEY, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
John is our Operations Director, who also handles Project Management duties. With 38 years of Site/Civil Engineering experience under his belt, he brings a “left brain” element to what we do, endeavoring to promote efficient design with functional aesthetics. His background is steeped in the educational and commercial realms, but includes rarities like the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Pikes Peak International Raceway, and clients such as Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana University, Purdue University, Manchester College, and LA Fitness Clubs.
John’s passions outside the office are his family and his faith, and he invests the majority of his time pursuing both. The one possible exception would be his relentless – some might say maniacal - efforts to capture the elusive Micropterus salmoides, more commonly referred to as largemouth bass. Everyone has their favorite getaway place(s), and John’s is the middle of a quiet lake very early in the morning, or especially very late at night under starry skies or a bright moon.
KATHY UNLAND , DESIGNER
After completing a career in the aerospace and defense world, Kathy embarked on a new path by earning a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Ball State University. Her past experience as a materials engineer and quality engineering manager have given her an appreciation for quality designs in the built environment. Kathy is also an Assistant Teaching Professor of Landscape Architecture at Ball State University.
As a transplant from Southern California, she loves watching the seasonal changes we experience in the Midwest, and still fondly recalls the first time (as an adult) she shuffled through a large pile of crisp fall leaves. Away from work, she enjoys traveling with her husband and adult children within the US and abroad. In 2018 she fulfilled a dream of visiting all 50 states when she set foot in Alaska.
KELSEY BEHL . DESIGNER
Kelsey is a graduate of the Landscape Architecture program at Ball State University, who joined the Mader Design team in 2019. She was drawn to the profession by a strong creative drive coupled with a passion for environmental conservation. Her career experience includes residential design and construction, urban design and redevelopment planning, parks, trails, green infrastructure, native ecosystem restoration, bicycle and pedestrian planning, and of course, planting design (her favorite).
Kelsey enjoys abstract painting, sculpture and graphic design. Much of her art is inspired by the natural world and our planet’s most impressive landscapes. - “I put a capital ‘N’ on Nature and call it my church.” -Frank Lloyd Wright - Kelsey spends nearly every vacation camping and hiking in National Parks, and visiting art museums around the country.
Kelsey uses her professional experience to serve her local community as president of the Beech Grove Greenscape Commission and as Secretary for the Main Street non-profit group ‘Next Stop Beech Grove’. She is also a member of the Indiana Native Plant Society.
Anna Hildebrand . Designer
Anna is a 2025 graduate of Purdue University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. While studying at Purdue, she was able to participate in extracurricular and leadership experiences, including serving as co-president of Purdue American Society of Landscape Architects, studying historic garden design in a study abroad trip to England, and working for landscape architecture faculty as teaching and research assistants. Her senior capstone project was researching and creating a planting palette for the scenic overlooks of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Anna is excited to begin her first full-time position in the Indianapolis area. When Anna is not in the office, her hobbies include walking and running outdoors, sewing, and trying new recipes.
Tyler Muse . Designer
A 2025 graduate of Ball State University’s Landscape Architecture Program, Tyler is passionate about shaping outdoor spaces that connect people to place and nature. He is driven by a desire to create meaningful landscapes that are both environmentally responsive and emotionally resonant. Tyler thrives on the diversity of the landscape architecture profession, embracing the creative challenges and problem-solving opportunities that each project brings.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." - Chinese Proverb
Outside of work, Tyler finds balance through weightlifting and seeks inspiration through travel, always looking for a new life experience. He is on a mission to visit every national park in the United States, collecting a sticker from each one as a personal reminder of the landscapes. A proud Indiana native and a die-hard Colts and Pacers fan, always rooting for Indiana.