Groundwork Jacksonville (GWJax) recently welcomed two familiar faces to its growing Board of Directors, urban planner/historian Ennis Davis and former Mayor John Delaney.

Ennis Davis has been a valued volunteer for GWJax, sharing the stories of Jacksonville’s historic Emerald Trail neighborhoods. Davis is senior planner with Alfred Benesch & Company, serving as in-house consultant project manager with the Florida Department of Transportation, District Five Planning & Environmental Management Office. Davis has served with numerous organizations committed to improving the community and creating a better quality-of-life for its residents, including as the chair of American Planning Association Florida Chapter’s First Coast Section and a Trustee of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. An advocate of equitable placemaking, tactical urbanism, community engagement and economic development, Davis is co-founder of and regular contributor to ModernCities.com and TheJaxsonMag.com.

John Delaney is a shareholder in the Rogers Towers Governmental and Regulatory Law Department. He specializes in the areas of government relations, land use, higher education and general civil litigation. His recent awards include Best Lawyers in America® (Commercial Litigation), 2020 and Florida Trend Magazine’s “Florida 500” 2018-2019. Delaney has contributed his time and expertise to dozens of local organizations and currently also serves on the boards of Jacksonville Civic Council, Episcopal School of Jacksonville Foundation and Volunteers in Medicine. Prior to Rogers Towers, Delaney served as president of the University of North Florida for 15 years. In 2008, he concurrently served as interim chancellor of the State University System of Florida. Delaney served two terms as Mayor of Jacksonville from 1995 – 2003 after serving as his predecessor Mayor Ed Austin’s chief of staff.

Groundwork Jacksonville is the city’s primary nonprofit organization specifically created to restore McCoys and Hogans creeks, and clean, redevelop and convert contaminated land into parks, playgrounds, trails, and other public greenspace.