As many of you know, it’s award season! From the Golden Globes to the Screen Actor's Guild Awards and all the way to the Oscars… there are nominees and winners. Here at the Safe Routes Partnership we wanted in on the award season action. For the past year, the National Shared Use Task Force has been engaging in conversations about ways that we could recognize all of the great work that is happening across the country in the shared use field. We enthusiastically embraced the idea of starting a Shared Use Ambassadorship program -- a national recognition program that acknowledges the work of researchers, practitioners and policymakers who are advancing shared use in their respective communities. We saw this as an opportunity to not only recognize individuals, but collect and share success stories as a way to encourage others in the field to keep the shared use torch burning.

Well, the time has finally come! We are ready to announce our first set of Shared Use Ambassadors. These six Ambassadors were nominated by the Shared Use Task Force members and voted on by the Task Force as a whole. A new group of Ambassadors will be selected twice a year. Ambassadors are asked to be the face and voice of shared use during their six month reign. They will be asked to participate in conference calls, conference presentations, and webinars, and to contribute guest blogs. We want everyone in the field to know about the great work the Ambassadors are doing to advance shared use and be inspired by their work.  

So, without further ado, please join me in congratulating the Spring 2016 Shared Use Ambassadors!

	Jamal Jones Organization: Baltimore Algebra Project Title: Co-Executive Director of the Baltimore Algebra Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland
	Katie Stone  Organization: Columbus Public Health Title: Creating Healthy Communities Program Director Location: Columbus, Ohio
	George Block Organization: San Antonio Sports and Voices for Children San Antonio Title: President of the World Swimming Coaches Association Location: San Antonio, TX
	Hitomi Kubo Organization: Microclinic International (MCI)/Spread the Health Appalachia Title: Senior Vice President, Policy Development Location: Cumberland Valley, KY
	Teresa Wendell Organization: Kiser Elementary School Title: Site Coordinator Kiser PreK-8 School Location: Dayton, OH
	Fahina Tavake-Pasi Organization: National Tongan American Society (NTAS) Title: Executive Director Location: Salt Lake City, UT

We are truly inspired by the work of these Ambassadors. They are at the forefront of some of the most creative and effective shared use strategies, from engaging hospitals and exploring the role of shared use in hospital settings, to amplifying the youth voice to effectively advocate for shared use in their schools, to tackling the challenges of shared use implementation in rural Appalachia. The momentum that these Ambassadors have been able to gather is galvanizing the movement -- from increasing physical activity access in the Tongan American community in Salt Lake City, Utah to addressing the needs of the community through the community school model in Ohio, there is no shortage of inspiration from these Ambassadors. We hope you are able to learn from their stories and be encouraged in your own work.

You can learn more about our Ambassadors by clicking their names above, visiting our Shared Use Ambassador page, or visiting the Shared Use Clearinghouse. 

If you know someone doing amazing work in your community, email Mikaela with the details, or contact another of our National Shared Use Task Force members and let them know.  Who knows, you or a colleague could be the next Ambassador!