CEP Alumna Julia Jannon-Shields Awarded OMA&D Spark Award

We are pleased to announce that Julia Jannon-Shields, ‘21 — a graduate of the College of Built Environments (CBE), has been awarded the 2026 OMA&D Spark Award from the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity for her accomplishments in advancing equity on campus and beyond.

Jannon-Shields leads with equity as a culturally responsive community planner, strategist and equity-focused practitioner in Seattle.

“We’re living in a time where our region is growing fast,” says Jannon-Shields. “My work is about making sure equity and belonging are built into regional growth.”

Championing Equity at CBE and the UW

An alumna of the Community, Environment & Planning (CEP) program in the Department of Urban Design & Planning, Jannon-Shields played a pivotal role in shaping the culture, curriculum and community at the UW and CBE as a student. Before coming to the UW, Jannon-Shields already had a strong sense and passion for equity and inclusion.

“Equity was something I understood before I had words for it,” says Jannon-Shields. “As a multiracial child growing up in the Bay Area, I saw first-hand how important representation, access and community really are.”

When she arrived at the university, Jannon-Shields intended to pursue journalism and environmental justice. However, her growing awareness of how policy, planning and development influence the lived experience of marginalized communities led her to the CEP program.

Jannon-Shields not only studied equitable public policy, community development and inclusive engagement — she began practicing it within the College. Jannon-Shields and her CEP cohort challenged departments to engage with historically underrepresented students in the built environment field to help re-evaluate their understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2020. Her initiative facilitated welcoming generative conversation in the CBE community that demonstrated the influence students and community members can have when working together to advance inclusion.

Another defining part of Jannon-Shields’ Husky experience was her work within OMA&D. She received support from the office as an Educational Opportunity Program Student and served as a Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment (MOR) Student Ambassador. In this role, Jannon-Shields helped rewrite recruitment practices informed by identity and lived experience, which built trust and connection to broaden access for students traditionally excluded from higher education.

Julia’s Impact Post-Graduation

Since graduating, Jannon-Shields has held several community-focused positions within King County that work to advance racial and social equity regionally. Additionally, she is an influential advocate for transportation justice in the city and serves as co-chair of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) Equity Advisory Committee, helping to embed racial equity into long-range planning and policy decisions. She remains connected to the UW and OMA&D as an ongoing program speaker and presenter. She also has served on the UW Alumni Association’s Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Board of Directors, providing scholarships to underserved students.

“Julia consistently leads with justice as her north star,” says Megan Brown, CBE Director of Student Services, who nominated Jannon-Shields for the award. “She has made a lasting impact at the University of Washington, and since graduating, she has applied her skills to make an even broader impact in our region. Her voice is compelling and important.”

OMA&D Spark Social Reception

OMA&D will be honoring Julia Jannon-Shields at the Spark Social Reception on Thursday, April 9, 2026. She will also present at OMA&D’s 55th Annual Celebration on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Read more about Jannon-Shields’ work and impact on the community.