Next City Event: The Policy Roadmap to Parks for All

MAYOR MATTIE PARKER
Mattie Parker was elected in June 2021 as the 45th Mayor of Fort Worth. Leading one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation, Parker has set her focus on key issues that move Fort Worth forward including economic development growth, innovative transportation and mobility solutions, quality education opportunities for every student, and building safer, more prosperous communities. Parker is a licensed attorney, with more than seventeen years of experience in national, state and local public affairs, including her service as the chief of staff for Mayor and the Fort Worth City Council where she helped shape major policy decisions on a variety of complex issues. She was the founding CEO of Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To & Through (T3) Partnership.

MAYOR-PRESIDENT SHARON WESTON BROOME
Sharon Weston Broome is a firm believer in achieving progress through inclusion, innovation and information. Since taking office, Mayor Broome has placed a heavy focus on improving the quality of life for citizens while building resiliency through infrastructure improvements. She has focused on addressing transportation, drainage, public safety, education, economic development and revitalizing neighborhoods. Mayor Broome is the first female Mayor-President of the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. She previously served as a Baton Rouge Metro City Council Member, a Louisiana State Representative and a Louisiana State Senator.

DR. MORGAN HUGHEY
Morgan is an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the College of Charleston; she is also a faculty fellow at the Riley Center for Livable Communities and the Honors College at College of Charleston. Morgan studies how built environment features, like parks, walkability, and bikeability, can influence and promote active living. She believes all people should have equitable access to safe places to be active and live a healthy life, regardless of their background or where they live. She works in partnership with numerous community organizations and local governments to improve active living environments, with a focus on how data can be leveraged to inform and guide decision making. Morgan has published in multidisciplinary academic journals, including Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Childhood Obesity, Health and Place, Health Promotion Practice, Preventive Medicine, and Preventing Chronic Disease. Dr. Hughey received her undergraduate degree from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and her Master of Public Health and Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Hughey has worked for a nonprofit organization and conducted program evaluation for multiple nonprofit and foundation agencies.

DR. KENDRA STEWART
Kendra B. Stewart is Professor of Political Science and Public Administration and Director of the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. Her research interests include government public relations, non-profit management, state and local government, food policy, and women and politics. She is co-editor of a book entitled The Practice of Government Public Relations. The articles she has authored have appeared in various journals including Urban Affairs Review, Public Finance and Management, Perspective in Politics, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition as well as in various scholarly books.