Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Riverdale, MD

 
Brenda Iraola is an empathetic leader who inspires people to improve equity of outdoor public spaces and create innovative county policies that influence regional and national standards. She is a dynamic public advocate as evidenced in her work of three decades with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), where she manages the Capital Improvement Program work for landscape architecture projects within the regional district park system, overseeing a $200 million annual budget and $68 million in State Program Open Space funding. Rooted in her outdoor passion, Brenda leads through innovation, changing project status quo, and delivering unique award-winning parks that exceed expectations and contribute to smart growth. Throughout her career, she received 40 awards at regional and national levels from peers and public officials for her leadership initiatives implementing regional transit policy planning, national historic park educational site design, and improving social equity for underserved communities. Brenda is responsible for many "first of its kind" projects: Forest Conservation Taskforce, ADA Taskforce, Transit Oriented Development Planning, Imagination Playgrounds (156 playgrounds transformed to encourage physical activity as well as active imagination), Oz Literacy-based Playground (bringing storytelling to life through education, literacy, art, and musical play), Transforming Neighborhood Initiative, Dowden's Ordinary Historic Park, and Maryland Dinosaur Park.