2026 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal Celebration

Betsy Smith is a nationally recognized leader in urban park management and civic stewardship, currently serving as President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. Since taking the helm in 2018, she has overseen the comprehensive care and restoration of Central Park—one of the world’s most iconic public landscapes—while advancing its role as vital urban infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability, public health, and community life. She spearheaded the Conservancy’s first comprehensive strategic plan (A Plan for the Stewardship of Central Park 2020-2027) and has overseen one of the most significant periods of investment in the Park’s recent history, completing over 29 capital projects including its largest project to date, the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer Center, a $160 million state-of-the-art recreation facility in the Park’s north end. Under her leadership, the Conservancy has strengthened its reputation as a model for public-private partnership, maintaining the Park to the highest standards while expanding access, programming, and long-term resilience efforts. Smith has championed innovative approaches to landscape management, climate adaptation, and equitable access to green space, ensuring that Central Park continues to serve New Yorkers and visitors alike each year.

Before assuming the role of President and CEO, Smith served on the Conservancy’s Board of Trustees; was a former NYC Parks Assistant Commissioner in the Bloomberg Administration; and served as a Board Member of Friends of the High Line, the Open Space Institute, and as Vice Chair of New Yorkers for Parks. Prior to joining the Bloomberg Administration, Smith had a 25-year career in finance. Smith is currently Chair of the Board of Library of America, a not-for-profit publisher of significant American writing.

As Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 2017 to early 2026, Rick Cotton led one of the nation’s largest transportation and infrastructure agencies through a period of unprecedented modernization, transformation, and productivity. During Cotton’s tenure, the Port Authority became known for world class standards, rapid execution, and community engagement.

Under Cotton the Port Authority put in motion revolutions at all three of the region’s major airports: Laguardia was rebuilt from top to bottom, transforming it from the worst airport in the United States to the best according to Forbes travel guide. At Newark Liberty, a brand-new terminal A was designed and completed also to international acclaim with a new terminal B and brand new global standard AirTrain both on target to open in the early 2030s. The $19 billion world class transformation of JFK International airport is more than two thirds complete with two major new terminals opening in the next few months. These landmark initiatives at the airports have improved the travel experience for millions of passengers and have positioned the NY/NJ metro region for strong continued economic growth.

Beyond the airports, Cotton championed the agency’s push to grow the NY/NJ seaport into the second largest port in the nation, and drove the final push to complete the 16-acre WTC campus in lower Manhattan.

Before joining the Port Authority, Cotton had a distinguished career in the public and private sectors. He spent 25 years at NBC Universal, where he held multiple positions including General Counsel, and President and Managing Director of CNBC Europe, after which he served as Special Counselor to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, where he played a key role in large-scale infrastructure projects across New York State. Prior experience also included serving as Executive Secretary to the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Secretary Joseph A. Califano, Jr. and Special Assistant for Renewable Energy to Deputy Secretary of Energy John Sawhill at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Richard Olcott is Principal at Ennead, a CannonDesign Company, where over the last four decades he has helped shape New York’s architectural legacy through influential cultural, academic, and institutional projects that have enhanced the city’s architectural landscape while respecting its historic fabric. His work is grounded in the power of architecture as an interpretive medium that can communicate the complexities of contemporary society and create a lasting cultural impact. He creates buildings that are rooted in context, expressive of their missions, and recognized for design excellence.

In New York, his work includes Zankel Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall as well as the exterior renovation, the redesign of the Frederick P. Rose Hall Public Space at Jazz at Lincoln Center, restorations of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, projects for the Museum of the City of New York, as well as the Ed Sullivan Theater and the New York Times Printing Plant. His portfolio includes The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, major projects at Princeton, Yale, and Stanford, the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, City Harvest’s Cohen Community Food Rescue Center in Sunset Park, and the ongoing restoration of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

In addition to his architectural practice, Olcott served as a Commissioner on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1996 to 2007, reflecting his longstanding commitment to preservation and the civic life of New York City. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Art Society and serves as the Chair of the organization’s Preservation Committee. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, the recipient of the American Academy in Rome’s Founders Rome Prize Fellowship, and he was recently inducted into the National Academy of Design.

• Prominent logo or listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• Two (2) tables with front-of-stage placement for 20 guests
• Full-page ad in digital and print Celebration programs
• Company logo on Celebration step-and-repeat
• Acknowledgement from podium as a Landmark Sponsor
• Opportunity to make remarks from podium (approx. 2 min)

• Preferred logo or listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) table with prime placement for 12 guests
• Half-page ad in digital and print Celebration programs
• Company logo on Celebration step-and-repeat
• Acknowledgement from podium as a Premier Sponsor

• Prime logo or listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) table with prime placement for 10 guests
• Half-page ad in digital and print Celebration programs
• Company logo on Celebration step-and-repeat

• Prime logo or listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) table with prime placement for 10 guests
• Quarter-page ad in digital and print Celebration programs

• Listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) table for 10 guests

• Prominent listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) seat with optimum placement

• Preferred listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) seat with premium placement

• Prime listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) seat with key placement

• One (1) seat
• Listing in digital and print Celebration materials

• One (1) still full-screen image looped throughout the evening.