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Paul Bauknight, Project Implementation Director, is responsible for stewarding processes and partnerships needed to deliver projects throughout the Minneapolis Park System that are supported by the
Minneapolis Parks Foundation, bridging community engagement through design to completion.
In 1991, Bauknight founded The Urban Design Lab, the largest African-American owned design firm in Minnesota. Through his work as the President/CEO of The Urban Design Lab, Bauknight designed the Minneapolis Urban League building, as well as Lucey Laney School, Seed Academy, and Summit Academy OIC, among many other projects.
Bauknight is also founder of Community Renewal Through Innovative Building (the CRIB), a non-profit educating and engaging young people to renew, transform, and create healthy sustainable communities of color by working at the intersection of the built environment and social change. He has also twice served as Interim Project Director of the African American Men Project.
Prior to joining the Parks Foundation, Bauknight was the Director of Urban Placemaking for North Minneapolis-based Urban Homeworks, where he managed several core operating programs. He is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic University.