On June 19, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation named Parks & Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell one of seven Knight Public Spaces Fellows.

About the Knight Public Spaces Fellowship:

• Launched this year (2019)
• Recognizes leaders, experts, and practitioners who have created or influenced great public spaces that strengthen community engagement and connection
• Awards $150,000 to each fellow in recognition of their contributions and to advance their work in public spaces
• Supports public spaces as a means to:
  • connect communities
  • draw people out of their homes
  • encourage people to meet, play, and discuss important issues, while finding common ground
• Encourages the sharing of lessons across cities
• Provides fellows with access to opportunities to work with and learn from each other, and to elevate their work to a wider audience.

Participants are expected to build on their ongoing work, while developing new efforts for the field.

The Knight Foundation identified fellows through a national call for nominations that launched in February. The national call generated more than 2,000 candidates. Knight staff, in collaboration with experts and leaders in the field, selected the final seven fellows.