Urban

Lifetime Achievement Award 
 

Tersh Boasberg is honored for his revolutionary advocacy of historic preservation, land use, and environmental law, and as founder of Preservation Action, a national grassroots lobby. His active leadership in Washington, D.C. zoning battles has provided regional growth through the protection of historical beauty for our future.

Bridge Builders Award (Memphis, TN)

Andrew F. Cates, President, Cates Company, Project Developer & Chairman, Soulsville and Deanie Parker, President and Executive Director, Soulsville for their commitment to reinvigorating the neighborhood of Soulsville, Memphis through the Soulsville non-profit organization that is in charge of building the Stax Museum of American Soul Music as well as the Stax Music Academy for inner city youth.

Partners’ board member Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, carried the banner for business leadership in helping to solve urban problems during remarks last month to the TEDxAtlanta conference. Calling for business leaders to fulfill roles as “urban statesmen,” Williams articulated a vision shared by Partners in which business leaders and elected officials can work together as members of a team to find creative and innovative solutions to urban problems. Service on Partners’ board is just one way in which Mr. Williams works daily to translate this vision into reality.

Bridge Builders Award (Jamaica-Queens, NY)

Jacqueline Arrington, Vice President, Citibank Community Relations and F. Carlisle Towery, President, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation for their decade long commitment to putting culture to work as a community building strategy, especially for the banks efforts in using culture as a primary resource for reinvigorating the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens and helping to transform it into a dynamic metropolitan area.

Bridge Builders Award (Charlotte, NC)

Kenneth D. Lewis, President and CEO, Bank of America, Robert Cannon, Executive Director, Public Library of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County and Bruce LaRowe, Executive Director, Children’s Theater of Charlotte for their visionary leadership and initiative in creating ImaginOn-The Joe and Joan Martin Center a joint venture between a library, children’s theatre, and progressive chairman. Through innovative programs using the written, spoken and electronic word, ImaginOn will be an interactive learning environment for young people and their families in the greater Charlotte area.

In May of 2009, up-and-coming urban affairs magazine Next American City awarded their first annual “Next American Vanguard” awards to young urban leaders. The 35 individuals chosen came from 18 different states and a variety of interests that ranged from community organizing to design to environmental justice.

Partners’ Director of Program Development, Lyz Crane, was one of the selected Vanguards and participated in a two-day forum in which the chosen leaders shared their innovative work and identified a joint manifesto with 15 goals in three critical areas: transportation, civic engagement and land use planning. The 2009 Vanguards are expected to participate in the passing of the torch to next year’s class and remain involved in the magazine’s efforts to identify cutting edge urban issues.