For the last ten years, Scott has been working with the East of the River based non-profit Building Bridges Across the River and the Washington DC city government to transform an old freeway bridge into a park above the Anacostia River. The old 11th Street Bridges that connect Capitol Hill with communities east of the river reached the end of their lifespan, Scott is working with the community to use the base of one of the bridges to create a one of a kind civic space supporting active recreation, environmental education and the arts. Scott leads the team that is designing, building and one day operating the park. Beyond the park’s physical construction, he has led the effort to ensure long term residents can stay and thrive in place through a nationally recognized equitable development plan that includes affordable housing, workforce training, preservation of Black owned small businesses and arts / culture strategies.

Scott lives a few blocks away from the Bridge Park site in Capitol Hill and has called Washington DC his home for the last 17+ years. He graduated with a history degree from Pomona College in Southern California and has worked in the education field for twenty+ years. He began his career teaching at Kidspace, a children’s museum in Pasadena, California and later as the Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of the American West at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. While at the Autry, he supervised a staff that planned and implemented programs including film, music, festivals, family programs, lecture series, academic symposia and Native theater. He moved to Washington DC to become the Vice President for Education at the National Building Museum. Scott is honored to serve on the board of the Anacostia Coordinating Council and the Anacostia Business Improvement District.

Jessica G. Smith Lennan is the Deputy Director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a project of Building Bridges Across the River. She leads the external relations and
community engagement strategies for multi-sector initiatives to advance equitable and community driven development in Washington.  As a native Washingtonian, she is passionate about creating greater economic opportunity through inclusive development and having resources that allow current
Washington residents east of the Anacostia river to live in healthy and vibrant communities. As a Ward 7 resident, she served on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board Citizen Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments raising awareness of transportation needs unique to residents living east of the Anacostia River. Jessica also serves on the
Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative Steering Committee working with other community organizations to remove barriers that prevents residents from connecting to the park and river.
Prior to joining the Bridge Park, Jessica worked with the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District. As the Placemaking and Events Manager, she promoted economic growth and sustainability initiatives through programming and advocated
for the needs of the community and local businesses. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s Degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University.

Laticia Taylor serves as the Communications Manager for the 11th Street Bridge Park. Laticia Taylor received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from North Carolina Central University and her Master’s degree in Interactive Media from Elon University.

Laticia loves to serve her communities and beyond. She volunteers for USA Pendeza Uganda, a non-profit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of Ugandans through advocacy, donations, and social impact. In addition to her passion for digital marketing, Laticia enjoys reading and volunteering.

She is an avid traveler who loves exploring new places and cultures. In her spare time, Laticia enjoys spending time with her family. She is also a big foodie and loves trying different cuisines. Additionally, she appreciates the outdoors and can often be found hiking and camping.

Anna–Jane serves as the Director of Foundation & Corporate Giving at the 11th Street Bridge Park. In her role, she spearheads funding opportunities for the Bridge Park’s general operating, equitable development, and $92MM capital campaign efforts. In addition, Anna–Jane heads the Bridge Park’s individual fundraising appeals and stewardship, the annual Give11 campaign.

Anna–Jane’s passion for people and learning, has guided her through her university and across the globe. After graduating from Appalachian State’s Honors College with a degree in Public Relations, Anna–Jane earned a Development role with the Cancer Support Community (CSC). In her role as a Development Manager, Anna–Jane focused on fostering trusted relationships with donors in order to expand and elevate CSC’s mission across the globe. She was also appointed to the organization’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion task force where she conducted a rigorous introductory audit on the employee experience at CSC.

Outside of her workday, Anna–Jane spends her time advocating for better public transportation and bike lanes. She’s currently walking every street in Washington, DC and has worn through two pairs of shoes in the process!

A North Carolina native, Anna–Jane now proudly calls Washington, DC home, with her numerous jade plants.

Before becoming the Events and Program Manager, Mrs. Powell was a long time friend and partner of Building Bridges. For 9 years, she worked for AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School, which is one of the several nonprofits housed at THEARC. During her time as the Family Engagement Department at AppleTree Mrs. Powell worked to cultivate positive and supportive school and family relationships. In collaboration with teachers, families and community partners Mrs. Powell provided resources, support and community based learning experience for countless families at AppleTree’s 11 campuses located throughout the district. Her drive for this work stems from her firm belief that the key to strong communities is  equitable access to opportunity and strong Collaborative Community practices where parents, students, school, churches, business owners and community partners build a culture of professional learning, collective trust, and shared responsibility.

Mrs. Powell holds an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Trinity Washington University and is pursuing her second undergraduate degree in Community Education.

Anna is a licensed architect in DC who believes strongly in the power of design to shape our lives for the better. She currently serves as the Senior Equitable Development Manager for the 11th Street Bridge Park project. Since moving into the Anacostia neighborhood in 2015, she has witnessed rapid change in the community; changes that have resulted in the displacement of some of her neighbors due to rising housing costs. Through her work with the Bridge Park, she hopes to continue the Park’s mission of creating an equitable and inclusive development that allows residents to thrive in place.

Prior to joining the Bridge Park team, Anna served as a project architect on building projects in DC, Maryland and Virginia, most of which were affordable housing developments, schools or recreation centers. In 2021, she was selected as an inaugural fellow of the Public Interest Design Lab. The fellowship is sponsored by the DC Public Library and the Goethe-Institut with a goal of supporting the development of existing projects that confront inequities and foster connectivity through community-based design. Anna also participates in a number of programs designed to expose youth to the architecture and planning professions.

Destiny Bugg comes from an arts management background with extensive experience in nonprofit administration. At Building Bridges, Destiny is focused on increasing corporate and foundation giving to further support the various programs driven by the East of the River community. Destiny is especially excited about the ongoing efforts to implement 11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan as the park comes to fruition and beyond.