The Joe Louis Greenway Partnership (JLGP) has named Leona Medley as the nonprofit’s new executive director.
Medley will work closely with the city of Detroit to lead the ongoing development and management of the expansive regional greenway project in Detroit and surrounding communities.
“Growing up in Detroit, my entire life has been dedicated to serving my community,” says Medley. “I am honored to continue that work in this role. The motor that runs our city is the people, and I plan to follow through on the Joe Louis Greenway’s vision ensuring that people are at the center of everything we do.”
Medley brings years of leadership, strategic planning, and experience building community equity from her previous role as director of Strategic Community Partnerships and DEI efforts at Bedrock. Prior to that she ran retail operations with The Home Depot where she effectively leveraged resources to drive profitability.
Medley has more than two decades of experience leading community development projects, engaging resident, and corporate volunteers across southeast Michigan. The Joe Louis Greenway Partnership was established in 2022 to work with the city of Detroit to steward and activate the Joe Louis Greenway, currently under construction, in line with the community’s vision.
It was designated a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in August 2022 and has received foundation grants to cover start-up and initial operations. The Joe Louis Greenway is a 27.5-mile-long planned network of urban pathways and parks connecting Detroit’s Riverwalk to 23 neighborhoods in the heart of Detroit as well as neighborhoods in Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Dearborn. It is expected to be completed by 2030 and will serve hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to Detroit and Wayne County, who will walk, run, bike and roll to connecting destinations.
The Greenway will increase opportunities for outdoor activities, exercise and enjoyment of nature as well as act as a catalyst for neighborhood and economic development in adjacent areas. As executive director, Medley will lead her staff to ensure effective maintenance, operations, programs and capital improvements for the Joe Louis Greenway, in conjunction with the City of Detroit.
“As we conducted our search for an executive director, we knew the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership needed someone who was not only a strategic leader who could build an organization from the ground up, but someone who had a true heart for our city and surrounding communities,” says Alexis Wiley, JLGP board chair.
Medley is a 2021 Globe St. Woman of Influence Award winner for Diversity and Inclusion. Through her dedication to the advancing economic mobility for the residents of Detroit, Medley was also the 2021 Volunteer of the Year for Habitat for Humanity Detroit. She is also a 2022 Michigan Chronicle Woman of Excellence Award recipient. At JLGP, Medley will implement a long-term strategy to ensure an active Greenway for many years to come. Her team will work cooperatively with the city of Detroit to set priorities for the Greenway while advancing the strategies and workplan determined by the Partnership’s board of directors.