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.

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 millions of New Yorkers and visitors each year.

Before joining the Conservancy, Smith built a distinguished career in public service and nonprofit leadership, with a focus on the management of parks and other civic spaces. Prior to her life as a public servant, Smith had a 25-year career in finance. She is currently the Chair of the Library of America, a non-profit publisher of significant American writing.

Rick Cotton is a prominent public servant and business leader who served as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 2017 to 2026 (the longest serving Executive Director in 50 years). In this role, he oversaw one of the nation’s largest transportation and infrastructure agencies in the United States, including the three major airports serving the New York/New Jersey region, the bridges and tunnels connecting New York City and New Jersey, the second largest seaport in the country, the PATH commuter railroad, and the 16-acre World Trade Center site. He also dramatically increased the agency’s focus on minority- and women-owned business programs, as well as prioritizing industry-leading programs on sustainability, innovation, technology, cybersecurity, and uncompromising integrity.

Known for his focus on world-class quality standards and getting projects done quickly, Cotton revolutionized all three of the Port Authority’s major airports during his tenure. LaGuardia Airport was rebuilt to global acclaim, turning it from the worst airport in the United States to the best. A brand-new Newark Liberty Terminal A opened to acclaim with awards comparable to those received by LaGuardia. The Port Authority is on target to open both a new Terminal B and a new Newark AirTrain by the early 2030s. The $19 billion world-class transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport is now more than 60% complete, with two major new terminals opening, and finishing in phases beginning later this year.

Before joining the Port Authority, Cotton had a distinguished career in the public and private sectors. 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. He also has held senior roles in federal government and the private sector, including serving as General Counsel of NBCUniversal for more than 20 years.

Richard Olcott is a Design Partner at Ennead Architects where over the last four decades he has developed an award-winning body of work for leading cultural, civic, and educational institutions. 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 bespoke buildings that are rooted in context, expressive of their missions, and recognized for design excellence.

Over the course of his career, Richard has led and contributed to several monumental projects in New York City including the transformation of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, the adaptive reuse of the City Harvest Cohen Community Food Rescue Center in Sunset Park, and restoration work at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. His portfolio also includes renovations and expansions for Carnegie Hall, public-space redesigns for Jazz at Lincoln Center, projects for the Museum of the City of New York, New York University, Columbia University Law School, and Barnard College, as well as work on the Ed Sullivan Theater and the New York Times Printing Plant.

In addition to his architectural practice, Richard 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-screen ad in Virtual Journal looped at event
• Company logo on step-and-repeat and program back cover
• 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-screen ad in Virtual Journal looped at event
• Company logo on step-and-repeat and program back cover
• 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-screen ad in Virtual Journal looped at event
• Company logo on step-and-repeat and program back cover

• Prime logo or listing in digital and print Celebration materials
• One (1) table with prime placement for 10 guests
• Quarter-screen ad in Virtual Journal looped at event

• 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.