Cherisse Otis joined Mahan Rykiel in November 2007 shortly after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  There she was inducted into the Sigma Lambda Alpha Landscape Architecture Honor Society and received the ASLA Honor Award from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Cherisse believes landscape architects have a unique role in bridging design, engineering, ecology, art, and environmental justice.  She concentrates on socially and environmentally impactful projects, striving to enhance civic spaces for the greater good, specifically through park design, community engagement, campus design, green infrastructure, and transportation planning.  Currently, Cherisse is engaged in the site and planting designs for multiple Baltimore City Public Schools and various phases Blandair
Regional Park.