The Columbus 2012 Commission and the Young Professionals

Last week the Mayor and City Council Announced the list of people who would chairing the commission for the 2012 Columbus bicentennial. The list included most of the major players in town such as Gordon Gee, Abigail Wexner, Alex Shumate, Kevin Wood, Janet Jackson, Ty Marsh, Chester Jourdan, and many others. All good people to have on board for this type of project, but none of them very… uh… “young” to put it bluntly.

A friend of mine decided to raise this issue and find out how more young people could get involved with the project. She got a quick follow-up stating that since this announcement was just detailing the “steering committee” there would be multiple sub committees built around the issues that they plan on tackling.

This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to get involved in helping to shape the future of Columbus. Below is the full list of committee chairs (straight from the press release last week) so that you’ll know who to contact if you’re interesting in voicing your opinions and helping out with these projects.

Serving on the 2012 Commission:

2012 Commission Co-Chairs:
Bishop Timothy J. Clarke, First Church of God
Gordon Gee, The Ohio State University
Abigail S. Wexner, The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence

Arts & Culture Focus Group:
Councilmember Kevin L. Boyce
Stephanie Hightower, CCAD

Celebrating our History & Bicentennial Focus Group:
Hugh J. Dorrian, Columbus City Auditor
Bob Milbourne, Columbus Partnership

Diverse People Focus Group:
Eddie Harrell, Jr., Columbus Urban League
Luis M. Alcalde, Crabbe, Brown and James LLP
Karla Rothan, Stonewall Columbus

Downtown Revitalization Focus Group:
Alex Shumate, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP
Kevin Wood, Downtown Residents’ Association of Columbus

Green Community Focus Group:
Meera Parthasarthy, Columbus Green Building Forum
David Caldwell, United Steel Workers

Growth through Learning Focus Group:
Teckie Shackelford, I Know I Can
Dr. Brad Mitchell, Educational Council

Health & Human Services Focus Group:
Janet Jackson, United Way
Karen Morrison, Ohio Health

Jobs & Technology Focus Group:
Ty Marsh, Columbus Chamber
City Council President Mike Mentel

Columbus Image & Marketing Focus Group:
Nancy Kramer, Resource Interactive
Doug Kridler, Columbus Foundation

Neighborhoods & Quality of Life Focus Group:
Dave Paul, Northland Community Council
State Representative Tracy Maxwell Heard
Carol Stewart, Franklinton Area Commission
Bob Patterson, Council of South Side Organizations

Safety Focus Group:
Robert Caldwell, Weinland Park
Ellen Moore, Community Crime Patrol

Sports & Recreation Focus Group:
Linda Logan, Greater Columbus Sports Commission
Gene Smith, The Ohio State University Athletics Director
Kathy Espy, Columbus Recreation and Park Commission

Moving People:
Chester Jourdan, MORPC
Jerry Rampelt, The Ohio to Erie Trail