Rachel Edds was nominated by Matthew Kimball, Baltimore Chapter President.
Dr. James Fawcett, Awards Committee Chair, LAI Past President and LAI Fellow presented Rachel Edds of the Baltimore Chapter, International Member of the Year Award at the Sacramento LEW banquet.
Rachel Edds, Lambda Alpha International Member of the Year for 2021, is a Baltimore-based city planner and consultant and a dedicated member of LAI Baltimore Chapter and of the Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Foundation.
She is an active supporter of local organizations aiming to improve her city’s future.
Ms. Edds is a past president of Lambda Alpha Baltimore, a member of its Board, and an active member of the committee which organized Baltimore’s April 2018 LEW.
At the International level she has been on the Land Economics Foundation Board since 2010 where she has served both as Treasurer and President.
She has attended LEWs since 2009 including Vancouver, Boston, Scotland, Madrid, Toronto, and Austin.
During a 27-year career at the Baltimore City Department of Planning, she rose to leadership as Deputy Director after working as a socioeconomic analyst, economic development planner, and community planner.
Her consulting work has included important contributions to Baltimore’s Comprehensive Redevelopment Strategy, the City’s landmark 2016 Comprehensive Rezoning, Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone management, Transit Centered Community Development, the 2015 Lexington Market Master Plan, and assessments and planning to meet the service needs of the city’s seniors.
In Baltimore she served as President and an active Board member for 20 years with Creative Alliance, a dynamic community arts organization that has been a catalyst for revitalization of the row house communities of east Baltimore.
Her efforts were instrumental in enabling the organization to convert a vacant Art Deco movie house into a venue for arts education, exhibits, and live performances that draw regional audiences.
Nominations for Richard T. Ely Distinguished Educator, International Journalist/Author and 2022 International Member of the Year are now open until 01 July. Chapters making nominations for 2022 should submit them to Sheila Hamilton by that date. More information is available at https://www.lai.org/committees/awards.
Photos Courtesy of Julia Parks Tracey
