For the past 11 years, the Dallas Arboretum’s Shawn Jackson has worn many hats. They ranged from “facilitating” volunteer and community engagement for the Rory Meyer’s Children’s Adventure Garden and serving as COO to most recently taking on the role of interim CEO as the search commenced following Arboretum President/CEO Mary Brinegar‘s retirement last year.
This morning, it was announced that starting Tuesday, May 28, Shawn will officially take over the role of executive director of Frisco’s much-anticipated Kaleidoscope Park, applying her previous experience “to impact” the completion and opening of the much-anticipated park near the intersection of Dallas North Tollway and Warren Parkway.
As Arboretum COO, she “served as a key liaison between the Arboretum’s stakeholders, including the City of Dallas, the Dallas Parks and Recreation Board and the Dallas Arboretum Board of Directors.”
In addition to her past accomplishments, Shawn’s reputation for collaboration was important in her selection to head up the six-acre Park that is slated to open this fall.
According to Kaleidoscope Park Foundation Board Chair Florence Shapiro, “It was important for us to find a leader for Kaleidoscope Park who understood both the City of Frisco and Collin County and could deftly navigate the nuances of a public-private partnership such as this one. Shawn has spent the last two decades as a Frisco resident and raised her family here. She has a clear vision of how the city and its residents, as well as the region overall, can enjoy and utilize Kaleidoscope Park as a destination in their daily lives.”
The public-private partnership of Kaleidoscope Park Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas and the City of Frisco has “provided the synergies required to develop such a unique asset and destination.”
Communities Foundation of Texas CEO Wayne White, who was part of the executive-director search committee, “saw in Jackson a unique set of skills and competencies perfect to bring this important project to fruition.”
He explained, “Shawn is a seasoned executive with an incredible track record that will directly benefit the work of the Park. The depth of her knowledge in building, executing and scaling operations and programs will take the work of Kaleidoscope Park to the next level as we chart towards the opening of the Park and beyond.”
Added Shawn, “As a Frisco resident, I’ve watched the development of Kaleidoscope Park with great excitement. We’ve never had a public green space like this in Frisco. The collaboration among all of our stakeholders, including the City of Frisco, Kaleidoscope Park Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, and Hall Park is very important and a key to our recipe for success.”
* Graphic/photo provided by Kaleidoscope Park