2015 Champions

Jason fell in love with bicycling when, for his 16th birthday, he received a vintage Italian racing bike from his uncle – which had supposedly been won in a poker game. Jason first became involved in bicycle organizing and advocacy after riding in Chicago’s Critical Mass bike ride, which helped him discover the personal and…

Philip Green is dedicated to broadening economic opportunities and fostering community connectedness in under-resourced communities. As Program Director of the North 5th Street Revitalization Project (N5SRP), he uses a grassroots and creative placemaking approach to engaging the residents and merchants of Olney, Philadelphia’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood. His professional journey began in the farm fields…

Alex Peay is the Founder and President of Rising Sons. An organization that provides workforce development opportunities for young adults ages through community engagement. Since its establishment in Philadelphia, Alex has became the recipient of the John S. & James L Knight Foundation’s Black Male Engagement Award, A United Way Philly Root’s Fellow, a member…

Victoria Gilbert works as a Project Manager for Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, a 501c3 nonprofit facilitating economic development in the City of Camden, New Jersey, and lives in the Passyunk Square neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Her past experience living and volunteering in Eastern Kentucky inspires her to work with communities striving to improve their economic welfare…

I break down silos for a living with a proven track record of building highly effective partnerships to develop and advance a shared mission from conception to implementation. I specialize in branding, economic and community development, as well as sustainability. All of which come in handy when working to rebuild undeserved urban communities. As Commercial…

Binsen J Gonzalez is a strategic counselor and storyteller at CMCP Group. He’s lead initiatives for Global Economic Forum thought leaders and rising tech companies. He is passionate about human quality of life. In 2014, PRISA one of the largest media conglomerates, selected Binsen as one of 20 Latino millennials poised to change the world.…

Blair Butterfield is the founder and director of Art of Cultural Evolution a Miami based environmental and arts non-profit. Her organization’s mission is to foster sustainability for all utilizing the transformational power of the arts. Art of Cultural Evolution has recently been awarded a land grant by Miami-Dade County Commissioners to build Miami’s first art…

A native South Floridian and resident of Miami-Dade County for the past ten years, Naomi is dedicated to working as a change agent in communities. During her final year of undergraduate studies at University of Miami’s School of Architecture, she discovered her true passion for being an engaged citizen. Since then, Naomi has grown her…

David Moore is a native of Akron, Ohio. He graduated from Miami University (OH) with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies with a focus in Civic and Public Engagement, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning. After graduation, David relocated to Macon, Georgia to begin a career in urban…

Rachel is a Mercer University graduate, with a B.A. in Social Entrepreneurship, Psychology, and Spanish. After graduation, she served one year as an English instructor in Thailand through Teach Thailand Corps. Rachel now serves as the Affiliate Coordinator for Susan G. Komen Central Georgia, overseeing all aspects of the organization’s local breast health outreach, education,…

Marlo Custodio is a director, producer, cinematographer, editor, and educator. His seasoned background as a social justice documentary filmmaker has allowed him to have a signature vision on innovative and entertaining work through different markets and target audiences. He is currently the Digital Arts Coordinator for the Underserved & Gifted and is currently teaching film,…

Justin Triano is the founder of RideESSJ, a group which has been leading the bicycle effort for the Eastside, a notorious and underdeveloped part of San Jose. His work in the Eastside community has brought him to serve on San Jose’s BPAC and serves as an ally and advisor to the DOT. He served on…

Originally from rural West Virginia, Zia obtained a B.A in Political Science and a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University with a concentration in International Law & Human Rights from Linnaeus University, Sweden. In 2011, she obtained a M.A. in International Policy Studies & Development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, where she…

Artist, Muralist, and Seamstress; Erin Salazar was raised throughout the Mojave Desert of southern California. She studied Fine Art at San Jose State University, graduating with a BFA in 2010. Since leaving School Erin has been putting up murals, making her own custom stitched creations for private sale, and working on beautification projects around the…

Varian Shrum was born and raised in the DC area but migrated south to attend Wake Forest University. Seeds of urbanism were planted when a class for her Communication major unexpectedly covered the relationship between the built environment and Public Health, and she was hooked! That moment of inspiration set off a 5 year chain…

Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri for 20 years, I never imagined I’d land in Charlotte, North Carolina only 10 years later by way of Chicago, Beijing, Cairo, Johannesburg, Lusaka, Maputo, Seattle, Columbus, and Detroit. In all of those places, ironically, I came to value planting roots and creating super-local neighborhood connections, the kind you…

Orlando Bailey is the Community Engagement Manager for Eastside Community Network (ECN) formally the Warren/Conner Development Coalition on Detroit’s Eastside. Orlando is a Detroit native who grew up just down the road from where he works. While obtaining his Bachelor of Science Degree Electronic Media/Film Studies and Journalism at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), Orlando had…

Chad Rochkind is the founder of Human Scale Studio, a consultancy that helps the shapers of the urban world build a more human-centered future. Metropolis Magazine named Chad one of its “10 New Talents of 2014”, having been nominated by Vishaan Chakrabarti of SHoP Architects. Prior to Human Scale Studio, Chad was Executive Director of…

Ciarra Ross believes no work is more powerful than that which deepens our sense of creativity and critical consciousness. As a writer, educator, doula, and holistic health practitioner, Ciarra works to contribute to the bodies of knowledge that deliver this healing to humanity’s age-old wounds and internal scars. Based in Detroit, Ciarra’s work draws on…

Kyle W. Bartell is the co-founder of Sit On It Detroit. A project geared toward building reclaim wooden benches at bus stops with free libraries attached to them at Detroit area bus stops. Bartell is a native Detroiter, born on the Northwest side of the city. Educated in Detroit public schools growing up, later Kyle…

Cornetta Lane was born, raised and educated in the city of Detroit. A social entrepreneur with a quirky manner of self-expression. A storyteller in training. Led by curiosity. Energized by spiritual evolution and intellectual pursuits. Project Summary: Strengthening Detroit communities through honest conversations and civic engagement activities as part of Detroit Dialogues, a monthly discussion…

Margarita Barry is a social entrepreneur, designer and aspiring changemaker. The Detroit native is a seasoned media-maker, first making waves with her multicultural women’s magazine Tint as a teen. With a passion for inspiring young entrepreneurs, activating creative places and using art and digital media to empower communities, Margarita launched I Am Young Detroit in…

Amber Genet is passionate about Greater Akron and creating new ways for people to be involved and engaged in the Akron community. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Public Relations & Business Communication and recently completed her Masters in Communication all from the University of Akron. Making Akron her chosen community, her first job was…

David has lived in Akron his entire life and is madly in love with all of the people and places within it. Most people in Akron know him because of his involvement with community festivals such as Big Love, Square Fest, and PorckRockr as well as being on the planning committee for GAINS (Greater Akron…