The Jaxson presents Retrofitting the Core: Transformative Trails, Parks & Open Spaces (Virtual)

Ennis Davis

Kay Ehas, CEO, Groundwork Jacksonville
Kay Ehas joined Groundwork Jacksonville as CEO in September 2017. Since then, she has been relentless in her pursuit of achieving Jacksonville’s 100-year old vision of an “Emerald Necklace” of trails, linear parks and restored creeks that encircle the urban core. Under Kay’s leadership Groundwork Jacksonville became the City of Jacksonville’s nonprofit partner in designing the 30-mile Emerald Trail that will connect 14 of our city’s historic urban neighborhoods to downtown and will link 16 schools, two colleges and 21 parks with an additional 13 schools and 17 parks located within three blocks of the trail. Kay has 15 years of experience in local government working with the City Council and a constitutional office, most recently as chief administrative officer for the Duval County Property Appraiser.

Mari Kuraishi, President, Jessie Ball duPont Fund
Mari Kuraishi is the president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, leading the Fund’s efforts to create communities of belonging for the places and institutions that Jessie Ball duPont knew and loved by fostering inclusive growth and reducing structural and systemic barriers to resources and opportunity. Prior to joining the Fund, Mari co-founded the groundbreaking crowdfunding philanthropy site GlobalGiving with Dennis Whittle, and served as President until 2018. In 2011, Mari was named one of Foreign Policy’s top 100 Global Thinkers for “crowdsourcing worldsaving.” Prior to founding GlobalGiving, she worked at the World Bank where she created and managed some of the Bank’s most innovative loans and programs, including founding its innovation engine, the Development Marketplace. Mari currently serves on the boards of Candid, GlobalGiving, DataKind, HarvestPlus and the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville.

Healy Dwyer, Founder, Bike Duval
Healy Dwyer is a software engineer who holds degrees in information technology and urban planning from Florida State University. She is a transportation advocate – inspired in part by her six months spent living without a car in Jacksonville – and the founder of Bike Duval, a local organization dedicated to making Jacksonville a more equitable place for cyclists, and co-chair of the Jacksonville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Her passions lie at the intersection of technology and transportation, and she currently works in the transportation industry striving to build great user experiences for web and mobile applications.