Park Access Learning Series: Great Parks for All: Improving Park Quality Standards

Jared Mummert is a Community and Environmental Resilience Program Manager at NRPA and a recent graduate from George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government with a Masters of Public Administration and Environmental Science and Public Policy. With nearly 5 years at NRPA, Jared has led work on community engagement, the history of equity in parks and recreation and creating equitable access to inclusive, resilient park spaces. Prior to his time at NRPA, Jared worked as a political and community outreach organizer on multiple campaigns, including organizing farmers in Maryland to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act, engaging Colorado voters in the 2014 midterm election and working to connect low-income families to national parks. Jared has also served in the Student Conservation Association, AmeriCorps, and the National Park Service as park ranger for multiple sites, including Grand Teton National Park. As an avid outdoorsman and public lands advocate, Jared integrates environmental justice into all of his work to ensure everyone has access to high-quality parks and greenspaces.

Laura is a landscape architect and associate principal at Sasaki. She has a particular interest in the design of urban public spaces through an engaged public process and the issues of social and environmental justice in the landscape. Her work at Sasaki includes landscape design and planning for cities and campuses, with an emphasis on resiliency. Laura maintains a close connection to the academic community and has taught in recent years at Northeastern University, the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Rhode Island School of Design.

Cristina Sassaki, AICP, LEED BD+C, joined M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks in 2016, bringing over 20 years of national and international experience in planning and urban design. The lead planner for urban parks initiatives in Montgomery Parks, Cristina recently completed the Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan - an innovative plan which focuses on promoting equitable walking access to park experiences for all: residents, workers, and visitors. Cristina’s diverse background and comprehensive planning expertise contributed to the plan’s ability to identify needs, anticipate trends, and promote important health and social equity benefits for the community.

Since 2008, I have served as the Fiscal Analyst for the City of Raleigh Parks Maintenance Division. I handle financial analysis & reporting for an 18M budget, strategic planning, performance measures, business process improvement, and I lead 4 Administrative staff on various projects and tasks.  My most exciting project is the development of Dorothea Dix Park, a 300+ acre park located in Raleigh’s Downtown, ultimately to be transformed into ‘Central Park of the South’. When not at work, my husband and I are raising twin 14-year-old girls (both who are seriously boy crazy) and one senior rescue fur-baby.