Steadying Winds of Change in Urban Parks: Leadership Lessons from Volatile Times - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Catherine Nagel leads City Parks Alliance, a national urban parks advocacy network whose mission is to educate and elevate a diverse constituency to leverage the power of parks in shaping equitable, resilient, and thriving cities. The Alliance brings together a cross-sector membership to advance research that demonstrates the relevance of parks to pressing urban issues; provides critical information, knowledge, and tools to park and recreation professionals; and serves as a national voice to elevate the role of parks as essential urban infrastructure.

Mitchell is a public speaker, planner, and placemaker. He is an award-winning planner with over 40 years of experience and is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues. He served as NYC's Parks Commissioner, president of the American Planning Association, and president of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He was selected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential urbanists in the world; he was honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators by UBM Future Cities, and the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment.

Gina Ford is a landscape architect, co-founder and principal of Agency Landscape + Planning. Underpinning her nearly thirty years of practice are a commitment to the design and planning of public places and the perpetuation of the value of landscape architecture via thought leadership, teaching, writing, and lecturing. Her work has received awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association, and the American Institute of Architects, among others.