BDA Annual Celebration
February 6, 2025
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Meydenbauer Center
The BDA Annual Celebration returns on February 6 for a memorable evening of drinks, dinner, conversations and presentation of the Placemaking Award. Join us as we honor Downtown Bellevue’s people, places and ideas that have transformed bold ambitions into remarkable realities. With hundreds of city builders and community leaders, we’ll raise a glass to the future of Downtown Bellevue.
KEYNOTE PROGRAM
FEATURING:
JOY SHIGAKI
President & CEO
Friends of the Waterfront Park
What does it take to truly transform our cities? Joy Shigaki will illuminate the power of bold, audacious visions realized through collective action and cross-sector collaboration. Drawing on lessons from Seattle's new Waterfront Park, she will highlight how public-private partnerships and transformative investments can ignite change and create lasting impacts, offering inspiration for Downtown Bellevue’s future growth and evolution.
ABOUT JOY SHIGAKI
Joy Shigaki is a fourth-generation Seattleite and national leader in helping fund and deliver civic projects and initiatives like major parks. With over 25 years of experience in the non-profit, government, and community-based arenas, Joy began her tenure as President & CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park Seattle in 2022.
Joy currently serves on the boards of the Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Center Advisory Commission, Central Waterfront Oversight Committee, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Community Development Roundtable, and World Trade Center – Seattle. Joy has deep roots in Seattle’s communities and her early experiences in Seattle shaped her lifelong commitment and belief in parks, public spaces, and public lands, which make for dynamic cities. Throughout her life and career, Joy has been deeply grounded in and committed to racial and social justice and has worked to build and strengthen more equitable and inclusive organizations and systems.