Justice 101: Philly Saves: Adaptive Reuse of Sites of Memory and Trauma

Michael Coard, a criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of state and federal trial experience, specializes in murder cases and worked at the Charles W. Bowser Law Center after serving as Legal Counsel for State Senator Hardy Williams. He received his degree in law from Ohio State University and his undergraduate degrees in English Education and Political Science from Cheyney University.

He is an adjunct professor in the Africology Department at Temple University and a volunteer instructor of the Criminal Justice course and the Hip Hop 101 course in the university’s Pan African Studies Program. As an attorney, he successfully litigated at trial a historic Private Criminal Complaint that sought a murder prosecution of a white police officer who killed an unarmed Black teen. As a community activist, he is a founding member of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC).

Kathryn Ott Lovell is President and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation. She joined the Visitor Center in July 2023, bringing significant leadership experience and service to the City of Philadelphia, most recently serving as the Commissioner of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) since 2016.

As PPR commissioner, Lovell instituted the department’s first strategic plan, which established a renewed vision and set in motion a powerful trajectory toward an equitable and exceptional parks and recreation system that connects people to each other, enriching experiences, and the natural world. She has led innovative initiatives to activate Philly’s parks and engage residents and visitors city-wide including Enhanced PlayStreets, Swim Philly, The Oval+, Parks on Tap and the Philadelphia International Unity Cup soccer tournament. Ott Lovell has also spearheaded ambitious park projects including the transformation of FDR Park and the reimagining of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Prior to joining Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Lovell served as executive director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, where she elevated the organization’s profile and ushered in a dramatic shift in its strategic vision, building a host of new programs, executing high-profile projects, and securing funding from an array of local and national funders. She also served as chief advancement officer for Mural Arts Philadelphia for six years, during a time of significant growth and programmatic shifts for the organization.

Paul Steinke became Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia in 2016.

Paul ran for Philadelphia City Council in the May 2015 Democratic primary. Although he was not elected, Paul received endorsements from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, Philadelphia Tribune, and former Pennsylvania governor Edward G. Rendell, and was recommended by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to his run for public office, Paul served as general manager of the Reading Terminal Market for 13 years, where he oversaw numerous improvements in the facility and tenant mix. In 2014, the market was recognized by the American Planning Association as one of the Great Places in America.

Earlier in his career, Paul served as the founding Executive Director of University City District, a neighborhood improvement organization that has been central to the revitalization of West Philadelphia. Before that, Paul was a founding staff member of the Center City District, Philadelphia’s downtown improvement agency, where he served as its Finance Director.

A lifelong Philadelphian, Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from Drexel University. Paul serves as board treasurer of The Fund for the Water Works and serves on the board of directors of the National Preservation Partners Network, Temple University Libraries, and the City & State Pennsylvania Advisory Board. He is immediate past co-chair of the William Way LGBT Community Center and served for nearly a decade on the steering committee of the Human Rights Campaign, Philadelphia Chapter. He lives in University City with his husband and partner of 27 years, David Ade, an architect with a practice based in Philadelphia.