On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Cincinnati Parks Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Hafner Spieser received recognition from Mayor Aftab Pureval and Cincinnati City Council. Recommended through the office of Councilmember Mark Jeffreys, Jennifer received an official recognition resolution “for Women’s History Month 2022, when the City celebrates women who are making history while bringing national attention to Cincinnati and positively serving our community, for her leadership and dedication to making Cincinnati a better place for all citizens.”
The resolution recognized her many accomplishments including Jennifer’s:
- Eight years of service with the Cincinnati Fire Department where she raised over $35 million during her tenure. Part of that fundraising supported the hiring of 130 new firefighters and ending fire company “brownouts.”
- Achievement of being the first woman spokesperson for the Fire Department and her contribution to developing the Cincinnati Fire Foundation.
- Seven years of leadership at the Cincinnati Parks Foundation where she oversaw the fundraising of more than $23 million in support of various Parks programs and projects. One such program she helped spearhead was the be.well partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which received a Governor’s Award in 2022.
- Her leadership in creating the Cincinnati Parks Foundation’s Neighborhood Parks Campaign in 2018, which focuses on the improvement and programming of neighborhood parks.
- Her service to many community organizations as a:
- Current board member of Cincinnati Recreation Foundation
- Current board member of Cincinnati Children’s Theater
- Current board member of Cincinnati Ballet Academy
- Former board member of Cincinnati Fire Foundation
- Former advisory member of Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati
- Former advisory member of Give Back Cincinnati
- Member of Class 45 for Leadership Cincinnati
- Volunteer with Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services
- Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
During her speech to City Council, Jennifer said, “It’s been my honor to work on behalf of two great institutions in the City of Cincinnati. The first at Cincinnati Fire Department, and the second at Cincinnati Parks. Parks are the great equalizer, bringing everyone together in our community and that’s why I am so passionate to work on behalf of this mission.”
The presentation of her resolution can be viewed on The City of Cincinnati’s Facebook page. Jennifer’s portion begins at timestamp 41:50.
