Celebrating the 50th Birthday of Columbia Maryland

Columbia Maryland is uniquely tied to the history of urban development in the United States as it is one of he most successful and celebrated examples of the New Town Movement and a model for sustainable and managed growth. It was founded in June of 1967 by visionary developer James Rouse who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In bestowing the award in 1995, President Clinton said, “James Rouse has changed this country. And if more will follow his lead, we can do the entire job we need to do in our cities.”

Columbia 50th Birthday Celebration, Inc.

In 2013, the Columbia 50th Birthday Celebration, Inc. was formed as a 501C3 in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Columbia, Maryland. This organization has a Board of Directors that is comprised of community leaders, senior-level individuals from Columbia’s major institutions.

The purpose of the organization is to:

Plan, promote, encourage and ultimately execute educational, cultural, environmental and celebratory activities and projects throughout Columbia in 2017 to celebrate the 50th birthday.
Educate the public regarding the founding, planning and development of Columbia in order to instill public pride and recognition of the successful, iconic and internationally acclaimed master planned community.

The Board of Directors is as follows:

Victor Broccolino, Chairperson
Missy Mattey, Vice-Chair, Howard Community College
Michelle Miller, President, Columbia Association
Rebecca Amani-Dove, Howard County Public School System
Rachelina Bonacci, Howard County Tourism
Marlys East, Howard County Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Feldmark, Howard County Council
Rob Goldman, Columbia Association
Barbara Kellner, Columbia Association
Barbara Lawson, Community Member
Jean Moon, Jean Moon and Associates
Barbara Nicklas, Downtown Columbia Partnership
Harry Oken, Community Member
Todd Olson, The Columbia Festival of the Arts
Jean Parker, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Kelli Shimabukuro, Howard County Library System
Nancy Smith, Community Member
Ashley Venable, General Growth Properties/The Mall in Columbia
Beverly White-Seals, Community Foundation of Howard County
Diane Wilson, Howard County Government