June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 24

People for Parks
Meet the Mayor: Knoxville,
Tennessee's Madeline Rogero

hen Madeline Rogero was elected the 68th mayor of Knoxville,
Tennessee, and took office in December 2011, she became the first
woman to hold the position. Her career includes stints serving as
the city's community development director, Knox County commissioner, nonprofit executive, urban and regional planner, community volunteer and neighborhood champion. She is a former consultant to Capital One and America's
Promise, and the former executive director of Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation and of Knoxville's Promise - The Alliance for Youth. In addition to
serving as the mayor of Knoville, she also serves on President Obama's Task
Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and Tennessee Governor Bill
Haslam's Task Force on Aging. She holds a B.A. in political science from Furman University and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the
University of Tennessee.
Mayor Rogero has taken many
steps that have led to Knoxville being recognized as a premier outdoor
recreation community, including
supporting the launch of Outdoor
Knoxville, a three-pronged initiative to capitalize on the exceptional
outdoor recreational assets found
in and around Knoxville. Outdoor
Knoxville, managed by the nonprofit Legacy Parks Foundation,
includes a new Adventure Center, a
website and a three-day spring festival. The mayor is also committed
to connecting parks and neighborhoods by expanding the city's greenway system throughout Knoxville,
and she's established Knoxville as a
Let's Move! city.
Mayor Rogero is dedicated to
promoting a vibrant local economy,
strong neighborhoods, a high quality of life, a thriving downtown and
a greener Knoxville. She believes
Knoxville's strength comes from the
diversity of its people and the beauty
of its natural resources.

Parks & Recreation

Parks & Recreation Magazine: Why
do you think outdoor recreation
is important to the health of both
your city and its individual citizens,
and what is your administration
doing to promote outdoor recreation opportunities?
Mayor Madeline Rogero: Outdoor
recreation is something that Knoxvillians place a high value on, no
question about it. There's a positive vibe here, a sense of energy,

| J U N E 2 0 1 4 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

about new and expanding options
for getting out and getting active.
We spend a lot of time and effort in
city government planning and partnering with nonprofit groups and
outdoor enthusiasts on new ways to
improve and promote outdoor recreation in Knoxville.
Its importance is obvious, as is the
progress we're making in promoting
healthy lifestyles. Knoxvillians, especially youngsters, are taking steps
to eat better and exercise more. Tennessee typically makes the Bottom 10
list on national obesity rankings, but
Knoxville has been recognized as a
top-achieving city by the Let's Move!
Cities, Towns and Counties initiative.
What are we doing that's working
well? We're working with partners
like the Legacy Parks Foundation to
brand and connect our 1,000-acre Urban Wilderness in South Knoxville,
and the Appalachian Mountain Bike
Club, which has invested thousands
of hours cutting trails for hiking, trail
running and mountain biking.
Such partnerships are crucial, and
the good results reap dividends over
and over again. For example, Ijams
Nature Center in the Urban Wilderness is a nature preserve that is working with the Boys and Girls Club to
offer a youth outdoor camp for the
first time this summer.
Not far from Ijams, the Legacy
Parks Foundation and the City of
Knoxville in 2012 opened the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center.
This facility is close to the Tennessee
River and is on a 17-mile connection

June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2014 - Parks & Recreation