Thomas named Kansas Recreation & Park Association’s 2021 Distinguished Volunteer

As a landscape architect for Garver’s Federal Team, Brent Thomas combines art and sciences to design the facilities that support our communities. From education spaces to streetscapes, he helps make our communities feel more like home. But his passion for community enhancement extends beyond the projects he works on during office hours. A devoted member of the Wichita Parks Foundation, Thomas was recently named the Kansas Recreation & Park Association’s 2021 Distinguished Volunteer.

The award annually recognizes an individual who volunteers time to recreation, park, or conservation initiatives and who has provided distinguished service to the organization and the recreation and park profession. The award was presented as part of KRPA’s 2021 Annual Awards of Excellence.

“Parks and recreation are a huge part of what makes a city feel like a community, and I’m honored to get to serve Kansas communities in this way in both my professional and personal life,” Thomas said.

Based in his hometown of Wichita, Thomas currently serves as the Executive Chair of the Wichita Parks Foundation and has been a member of the board since 2012. Through the years, Thomas has demonstrated a deep commitment to the Foundation’s mission of enhancing the quality and maintaining the heritage of Wichita’s park system and to using his professional skills to do so.

Since joining the board, Thomas has made significant impacts on the Foundation and the Wichita community. Over the course of a year, Thomas has volunteered 300 hours of his spare time to the organization, many of which were dedicated to the project management of Wichita’s annual Red, White, & Boom event, an Independence Day celebration that attracts thousands of Kansans.

His professional role as a landscape architect has not only led to his involvement on notable projects across Kansas, including Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita, the Cargill Protein Group Headquarters, and the Rental Car and Parking Facility at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, but his connections with the City have served the Wichita Parks Foundation in facilitating approximately $740,000 in program expenditures, from park improvements to scholarship funding.

To learn more about what Garver’s Federal Team can do for you, visit our Federal services page.