FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Architect Tim Rosenbury has been hired by the City of Springfield as the Director of Quality of Place Initiatives. He plans to begin employment with the City by March 2. The primary purpose of the newly created position is to provide leadership and assume primary professional and management responsibility for integrating quality of place initiatives into the City’s infrastructure project development, policy formulation and related activities.
The goal of quality of place initiatives is to make Springfield a more desirable, competitive and economically vibrant place to live. City Council identified “Quality of Place” as one of five priorities. Rosenbury announced his retirement Tuesday from design firm Butler, Rosenbury & Partners (now renamed BRP). He is undergoing the process of withdrawing as a shareholder in the company.
In business since 1978 in Springfield, BRP is a nationally ranked design firm offering architecture and planning services for business to business, civic, community, hospitality, retail and entertainment clients locally, nationally and internationally. Rosenbury graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Mississippi State University in 1980 before joining colleague Geoffrey Butler in 1984. His leadership experience includes project management and serving as principal in charge of many of BRP’s civic and community projects. He is an active community advocate and has served as a number of civic task forces and committees, including Vision 20/20 Center City Focus Group. Rosenbury is completing his second term on Springfield School Board, which will expire in April. He served on the community advisory board of the Salvation Army, is a Leadership Springfield alum and is a former chairman of the board of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We are thrilled to have Tim join our team at the City,” said City Manager Jason Gage. “We think we may be among the first cities in the country to create a ‘director of quality of place initiatives’ position and we are confident that Tim will help us collectively transform our community into an even more highly desired place to live, work and visit. He will be an asset to our nationally accredited Public Works team and other City departments as we move forward.”
Public Works Director Dan Smith says Rosenbury will play a key role in assisting with the Grant Avenue Parkway, the daylighting of Jordan Creek and other projects launched out of the Forward SGF visioning process. Director of Planning & Development Director Mary Lilly Smith says he will be advising her department on the development of the comprehensive plan. Rosenbury will be paid $115,000 yearly and will be a member of the City’s Leadership Team, reporting to the City Managers’ Office. The position is funded by the City’s general fund. He will office in the Busch Municipal Building 4th Floor. “I’m excited to get started on this urgent and important work for our community. I welcome the responsibility, and I look forward to collaborating with our City leadership, our citizens and staff to make Springfield a community of choice, in my case by the way the public-built environment is experienced,” said Rosenbury.
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For more information, contact Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott at 417-380-3352 or [email protected] or Assistant Director Melissa Haase at 417-864-1003 or 417-536-7648 or [email protected].