Six Months In: Parks, People and What’s Possible

President & CEO Chris Chandler reflects on his first six months with the Parks Alliance, what he’s learned from Louisville’s parks and communities, and the opportunities ahead.

Six months into my time as President & CEO of the Parks Alliance of Louisville, I’ve had the opportunity to listen, learn, spend time in our parks, meet with community members and partners, and better understand both the impact of this organization and the opportunities ahead.

One thing has become especially clear: there is no typical park user in Louisville. I’ve met neighbors who visit the same park nearly every day, families gathering for programs and events, and even visitors passing through who simply needed a place to catch their breath. Our parks are playgrounds and gathering spaces, but they’re also essential third spaces that connect people to nature, resources, opportunity, and one another.

That’s what makes the work of the Parks Alliance so exciting. We have the ability to think about Louisville’s entire park system while also creating meaningful, place-based change in individual neighborhoods. Through initiatives like Parks For All, we use data, community input, and an equity-focused approach to help identify where investment is needed most. Then, alongside our partners and communities, we work to turn those priorities into action.

That foundation of trust is reflected in the parks and projects we’re helping move forward across Louisville.Alberta O. Jones Park continues to energize me. It’s a shining example of visionary leadership, community input, and partnership coming together to reclaim and reimagine a space with deep history. The Parks Alliance has an obligation to the community and our partners to realize the full potential of that vision, and I am fully committed to seeing that work through.

And that commitment extends beyond any one park. From the transformation of Smoketown-Ballard Park to the work taking shape at G.G. Moore Park, each project gives us an opportunity to learn, strengthen our approach, and apply those lessons to communities throughout Louisville.

These first six months with the Parks Alliance have reinforced that I’m in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, doing the right work. I’ve spent much of my career connecting people and communities with nature, and having the opportunity to do that work in my hometown alongside such a talented team is both a privilege and an honor.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the foundation former President & CEO, and now VP of Strategic Initiatives, Brooke Pardue has built. The Parks Alliance has earned the trust of community members, neighborhood leaders, partners, and supporters across Louisville by showing up, listening, making commitments, and following through on them. Working closely with Brooke during this transition has given me an even greater appreciation for how those relationships have shaped our work and the responsibility we have to carry that trust forward.

As I look toward the next six months, I’m excited about what’s ahead: advancing the next phase of Alberta O. Jones Park, continuing progress at G.G. Moore Park, building coalitions around transformational projects, and finding new ways to create lasting, system-wide change. I’m also excited to bring a fresh approach to Jack’s Lantern Trail and strengthen the connection between this signature event and the park work it helps make possible.

We’re building parks for people. My first six months have only reinforced how powerful that work can be, and how much opportunity lies ahead.

Thank you for being part of it.

Chris Chandler