2026 KCCI Community Catalyst Team Kicks Off
This week, the KCCI 2026 Community Catalyst team met for two days of training to learn from community leaders, establish their goals, and share ideas for the coming year. Over 20 inspiring speakers educated the team on everything from community trends, placemaking, economic impact strategies, and lessons learned from past Catlayst teams.
Thank you to all of the speakers that made the KCCI 2026 training a success.
- Ed Murray, NAI TALCOR, Amp Up Tallahassee KCCI Community Catalyst.
- Miron L. Richardson, Vice President, Universal Retail Banking – Tallahassee for VyStar Credit Union, and Bike Park KCCI Community Catalyst.
- Tiffany Bowers, Lobbyist and TLH/iHeartTally KCCI Community Catalyst
- Jordan Jacobs, Fully Booked KCCI Community Catalyst and Senior Vice President at Moore
- Dan Taylor, Owner of Dan Taylor Consulting and Artist, Art of the Box KCCI Community Catalyst
- Calla MacNamara, WFSU Account Executive, Red Hills Rhythm KCCI Community Catalyst
- Tristan Williams, Project Manager at Fitzgerald Collaborative Group, and Crosswalks to Classrooms KCCI Community Catalyst
- Hadley Peterson, AICP, Community Planner for Kimley-Horn
- Tyler Maldonado, AICP, Urban & Regional Planner for Tallahassee Leon County Planning Department.
- Grace Shepherd, NCIDQ, Interior Designer for DAG Architects
- Dr. Josh Newman, Associate Dean for Research in the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and a Professor of Media and Cultural Studies in the Department of Sport Management at Florida State University
- Dr. Michelle Gayle, Deputy Superintendent Leon County Schools
- Margaret Farris, Executive Director for the Foundation for Leon County Schools
- Sam Joslin, Public Art & Exhibitions Manager for the Council on Culture & Arts in Tallahassee
- Stacey Getz, APR, Strategic Communications Consultant for The Taproot Agency, member of founding KCCI Community Catalyst initatives, Get Gaines Going, Sustainable Tallahassee & Tallahassee Film Festival.
- Mark Bertolami, Planning Consultant, Florida State University
- Alison Denny, Managing Partner, Amicus
- Gloria Pugh, co-founder of AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage, and Get Gaines Going and Tallahassee Film Festival KCCI Community Catalyst
- Matt Thompson, Managing Partner, For The Table Hospitality
- Celeste E. Davis, Director of Arts, Culture & Tourism for City of St. Petersburg
- Verlonda Johnson, , owner of Preeminence Contracting and Construction and Bicentennial Square & Downtown Enhancements KCCI Community Catalyst team
- Rebekah Dorn, Ph. D., Senior Director of Strategy & Outreach, ITS, Florida State University, Past-President of the Junior League of Tallahassee, and SeeTallahassee KCCI Community Catalyst
- Betsy Couch, APR, KCCI Executive Director and Cultivate Cascades KCCI Community Catalyst
The team took a walking tour through Downtown Tallahassee & Cascades Park, touring KCCI enhancement projects and successful areas throughout the city.
Since December, the team has been researching neighborhoods and meeting with schools to bring impactful placemaking projects forward. The groups presented what they learned and their ideas for colorful community projects.
Through collaborative discussions, these Catalysts brought their ideas for the future of Tallahassee to life. Amazing progress was made through this talented team of diverse skillsets.
Thank you to the community partners that make KCCI’s Community Catalyst teams possible. For more information about this 2026 project team, visit the project page.
