Originally published on SaportaReport.
By Omari Henderson, Chair of Park Pride’s Board of Directors
Park Pride envisions an Atlanta where everyone has access to a great park. That’s the core of our new 2030 Strategic Framework, which will inform our work over the next five years.
As Board Chair, this is the type of work that I’m passionate about, and my work in innovation and business development in the private sector has given me the knowledge and strategies needed to help lead Park Pride into its next chapter.
Following a period of growth with Parks for All, a successful multimillion-dollar capital campaign, Park Pride’s team and Board of Directors collaborated on a new framework that defines what we do and the efforts that strengthen how we do it. This new framework comes at a crucial time as the importance of outdoor spaces has been increasingly emphasized post-pandemic, and our city is lucky to have an administration that prioritizes greenspace, led by Mayor Andre Dickens with strong leadership at the Department of Parks and Recreation from Commissioner Justin Cutler.
My background in innovation has helped me think about how Park Pride can grow without putting any boundaries on it. A lot of times, we think about things based on what we know to be true today, and it takes a different mindset to think about what things could be. Leaning into the uncomfortable place and the ambiguity of developing something like the Strategic Framework, you have to be okay with not knowing what’s next and be ready to pivot if it doesn’t work.
Our strategies — rooted in purpose, partnership and the power of parks — focus on strengthening community leadership and stewardship, catalyzing park improvements, and influencing public policy and investment.
Each component is crucial to the ecosystem of our work, but ultimately, we have to always make sure to remember that we are in the people business as much as we are in the parks business. Everything we do should be focused on the community — and we’re doing that.
Our values include trust, community, nature and joy. We also believe that everyone needs a great park, and that parks are open to all and everyone is equal.
There’s so much happening in the world, and people are stressed out. The one place you can go, where you can forget about everything, is a park. That’s why Park Pride is so important.
Over the next few years, the organization will deepen our impact in advancing our mission. We will continue to make strides in advancing our vision where everyone in the communities we serve has access to a great park.
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About the author: In addition to serving on Park Pride’s Board for 4.5 years, Omari leads Research and Business Model Development for the Chick-fil-A Corporation. He also co-founded the ZuCot Gallery (the largest African American owned fine art gallery in the Southeast), founded the Youth Challenge Inc. (a community mentoring organization for young men) and co-founded the Art Brothers Foundation (a Foundation focused on using art as a way to help students develop a variety of skills).
With such a strong connection to the arts world, you may wonder why Omari was drawn to a parks nonprofit like Park Pride? Simple — the mission to engage communities to activate the power of parks, paired with a commitment to advancing park equity.