Discovery Green could not let Women’s History Month slip by without taking time to celebrate some of the women who helped make Discovery Green the Houston treasure it is today.
From the very beginning it was women working together who formed the visionary idea for Discovery Green. Maconda Brown O’Connor, social worker, activist and philanthropist, wanted a place for Houstonians to gather, where their children could play, nature would thrive, and the best of Houston would be on display. And she wanted that space to surround the live oak trees in front of the convention center named for her father, George R. Brown.
At the time, this idea seemed absurd. Downtown was not a place Houstonians wanted to visit on the weekends with their children. It was parking lots, and concrete with none of the people, joy, and arts that can be found at Discovery Green now.
Nancy Kinder joined forces with Brown to create an unstoppable team which raised the funds, assembled the founding members of the Discovery Green Conservancy and created the public-private partnership that launched this green space in the middle of downtown Houston.
The two approached Jackie Martin, formerly CEO of United Way in Houston and the Girl Scouts, who used her connections to Houston and the community to solicit input on Discovery Green’s design and usage. With Martin as an original board member of Discovery Green, the project had the leadership and insight it needed to succeed.
We only regret we were not able to contact everyone who lent their time, hard work and ideas to the park. We hope you enjoy, however, meeting these women and learning a bit more about what they hope for the green space as its 15th birthday approaches.
Nancy Kinder
After serving as the founding chair of Discovery Green Conservancy, Kinder went on to serve as president and CEO of Kinder Foundation, overseeing the vision and strategy of the organization’s major gifts. These projects include the recent $2 million gift to initiate an endowment for Discovery Green, plus major improvement projects for Buffalo Bayou Park, Bayou Greenways, Memorial Park Conservancy and others.
Indeed, her contributions to Houston cannot be understated. Her work has made the city home to beautiful green spaces that all may enjoy. Her commitment to Discovery Green has never ceased and she continues to serve as Chair of The Downtown Park Corp.
Question: After 15 years, what surprises you the most about Discovery Green?
What surprises me the most is just how successful Discovery Green has become! Never in a million years did the original board of directors have any idea the park would be loved by so many and visited by millions each year. Discovery Green is the heart of the city and not just downtown.
Question: What do you hope for Discovery Green’s future 15 years?
I would be perfectly happy if Discovery Green never changed at all! But it is the steady flow of art, events, music that has made the park so great. It is wonderful that the staff of DG knew that to be really successful, you need to have something for everyone. I have great appreciation for the entire staff of DG!
Julie Sudduth
As the mother of four children ages 11 to 17, Sudduth knows the importance of green space where children can play (and run themselves ragged). A longtime supporter of Discovery Green, she now serves as chair of the Discovery Green Conservancy.
Sudduth is executive vice president and regional president of PNC Bank, Greater Houston. Sudduth, who joined PNC in 2018, is responsible for the bank’s expansion in the Greater Houston region. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts (French), with distinction from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University. She’s also a member of Good Samaritan Foundation endowment committee, she’s on the board of the Ronald McDonald Houston and is a member of the Rice Kinder Institute advisory board, the Greater Houston Partnership board, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston board. She has previously served on the alumni board of St. John’s School and the Houston Methodist Hospital Young Leaders for Medicine. She and her husband Drew have been married for over 22 years.
Question: After 15 years, what surprises you the most about Discovery Green now?
It surprises me that the park’s programming and public art committees continue to find new and innovative ways to draw Houstonians to Discovery Green. They continue to produce such unique experiences and I’m in awe of the way that the park attracts such a diverse set of talented artists across every medium.
Question: What do you hope for Discovery Green’s future in 15 years?
I hope the park continues to delight and inspire Houstonians in new ways as our city continues to grow. This park will continue its relevance to Houstonians and celebrate all that I love about this city including our diversity.
Mary Margaret Jones
Mary Margaret Jones is President and CEO of Hargreaves Jones, leading the firm’s offices in New York City, San Francisco, and Cambridge, Mass. With over 30 years of experience, Jones’ career demonstrates the power of investing in the public realm to transform cities, institutions, communities and individuals. Her work on Discovery Green, which helped spur more than $1.8 billion in development within a two-block radius, is a showcase for the power of well-designed public spaces to create community and spur commerce.
Jones is a recognized leader in landscape architecture and planning, lecturing widely and shaping professional design practice and education. She holds board positions with the American Academy in Rome; The Architectural League NY; the Regional Plan Association; and ODC Dance in San Francisco. She is a Fellow and Artist in Resident of the American Academy in Rome; a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects; Fellow of the Urban Design Forum in New York; and Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. Mary Margaret’s work with Hargreaves Jones has been recognized nationally and internationally and has received over 100 national and international awards including the prestigious Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and the Rosa Barba International Landscape Prize.
Question: After 15 years, what surprises you the most about Discovery Green now?
What surprises me most is every time I come to town and someone tells me their story of what the park means to them. From the check-in person at the hotel, to the taxi driver, to the neighbor, to the park user reading in the garden, to the children in the fountain or sliding down the hill, Discovery Green gives them pleasure and they feel it is theirs. People love Discovery Green – and the data continues to show that it isn’t only due to the things to do in the park, it is the fact that it is nature in the city, it is a green oasis that nurtures everyone.
Question: What do you hope for Discovery Green’s future in 15 years?
I hope that Discovery Green will continue to serve as the amazing place it is to gather, have fun, stroll, contemplate and enjoy nature. There are still plans to be realized for improvements to the Avenida de Las Americas streetscape and the other three corners of the park – following on the transformation of the McKinney and La Branch corner – and these improvements would help further stitch the park into the evolving neighborhood life. I hope those plans come to fruition as well as the continued high level of care the landscape needs as it hosts so many people having so much fun – but it needs everyone’s support!
Lauren Griffith
As principal of Lauren Griffith Associates, this award-winning landscape architect has amassed a body of meaningful, enduring work over the last four decades. Her transformational projects at Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green, Market Square Park, the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza, and Trebly Park have been instrumental in re-creating downtown Houston as a vibrant destination with livable neighborhoods. Her signature work in Hermann and Memorial Parks, along with 38 SPARK Parks in underserved neighborhoods, enriches the lives of Houstonians throughout our diverse city.
Lauren graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with friend and classmate Mary Margaret Jones, Discovery Green’s lead designer. Lauren serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the TAMU Department of Landscape Architecture and is a recipient of the TAMU College of Architecture Outstanding Alumni Award. She has been elected to the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows.
Question: After 15 years, what surprises you the most about Discovery Green now?
I am continually amazed at the number of families who are drawn downtown to enjoy all that Discovery Green has to offer. The success of the park as an intergenerational place of play and respite has exceeded my aspirations.
Question: What do you hope for Discovery Green’s future in 15 years?
I hope that the Discovery Green Conservancy will always have the resources to balance exciting, innovative programming with maintaining the park as a resilient green space of sun and shade where people can feel real grass under their feet and enjoy the sounds of birds singing and leaves rustling in breezes scented by blooming gardens as butterflies fill the air.
Do you have a Discovery Green story to share? We’d like to hear it! Visit discoverygreen.com/story.
Discovery Green is turning 15! Give the gift of joy and make a donation today!
