MAS Announces 2026 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal Honorees

Philip Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bess Myerson, and Ed Koch outside Grand Central Terminal. Photo by The Municipal Art Society of New York

Municipal Art Society of New York to Honor Betsy Smith, Rick Cotton, and Richard Olcott with the 2026 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal

Honorees recognized for transformative impact on the public realm and the lives of New Yorkers

Celebration to take place Monday, September 28, 2026, at The Seagram Building

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), the leading urban planning organization advancing a more livable, equitable, and resilient New York City, will present its highest honor, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal, to Betsy Smith, President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy; Rick Cotton, former Executive Director of the Port Authority; and Richard Olcott, Principal at Ennead, a CannonDesign Company. The 55th annual Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal Celebration will take place on Monday, September 28, 2026, at THE GRILL | THE POOL in the iconic Seagram Building in New York City. The medals will be presented by 2025 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal recipient Annabelle Selldorf and Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger, also an Onassis Medal recipient.

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal recognizes visionary individuals whose work has made an extraordinary contribution to the quality of life in New York City. This year, MAS honors three distinguished leaders who have transformed the city’s parks, transportation infrastructure, and built environment—strengthening New York’s civic fabric and enriching the daily lives of millions.

“This year’s honorees reflect the breadth of civic leadership that sustains New York City,” said Keri Butler, President of MAS. “Betsy Smith, Rick Cotton, and Richard Olcott have each significantly shaped and revitalized urban life—from the stalwart stewardship of Central Park—an essential civic resource, to the modernization of critical transportation infrastructure, to the sensitive design of sustainable architecture that defines our institutional and cultural identity. Together, their exceptional work advances vital dimensions of city life and exemplifies MAS’s enduring commitment to equitable public open space, ambitious investment in public infrastructure, and design excellence in service of all New Yorkers.”

Betsy Smith is a nationally recognized leader in urban park management and civic stewardship, currently serving as President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. Since taking the helm in 2018, she has overseen the comprehensive care and restoration of Central Park—one of the world’s most iconic public landscapes—while advancing its role as vital urban infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability, public health, and community life. She spearheaded the Conservancy’s first comprehensive strategic plan (A Plan for the Stewardship of Central Park 2020-2027) and has overseen one of the most significant periods of investment in the Park’s recent history, completing over 29 capital projects including its largest project to date, the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer Center, a $160 million state-of-the-art recreation facility in the Park’s north end. Under her leadership, the Conservancy has strengthened its reputation as a model for public-private partnership, maintaining the Park to the highest standards while expanding access, programming, and long-term resilience efforts. Smith has championed innovative approaches to landscape management, climate adaptation, and equitable access to green space, ensuring that Central Park continues to serve New Yorkers and visitors alike each year.

Before assuming the role of President and CEO, Smith served on the Conservancy’s Board of Trustees; was a former NYC Parks Assistant Commissioner in the Bloomberg Administration; and served as a Board Member of Friends of the High Line, the Open Space Institute, and as Vice Chair of New Yorkers for Parks. Prior to joining the Bloomberg Administration, Smith had a 25-year career in finance. Smith is currently Chair of the Board of Library of America, a not-for-profit publisher of significant American writing.

As Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 2017 to early 2026, Rick Cotton led one of the nation’s largest transportation and infrastructure agencies through a period of unprecedented modernization, transformation, and productivity. During Cotton’s tenure, the Port Authority became known for world-class standards, rapid execution, and community engagement.

Under Cotton the Port Authority put in motion revolutions at all three of the region’s major airports: LaGuardia was rebuilt from top to bottom, transforming it from the worst airport in the United States to the best according to Forbes travel guide. At Newark Liberty, a brand-new terminal A was designed and completed also to international acclaim with a new terminal B and brand new global standard AirTrain both on target to open in the early 2030s. The $19 billion world-class transformation of JFK International airport is more than two thirds complete with two major new terminals opening in the next few months. These landmark initiatives at the airports have improved the travel experience for millions of passengers and have positioned the NY/NJ metro region for strong continued economic growth. Beyond the airports, Cotton championed the agency’s push to grow the NY/NJ seaport into the second largest port in the nation, and drove the final push to complete the 16-acre WTC campus in lower Manhattan.

Before joining the Port Authority, Cotton had a distinguished career in the public and private sectors. He spent 25 years at NBC Universal, where he held multiple positions including General Counsel, and President and Managing Director of CNBC Europe, after which he served as Special Counselor to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, where he played a key role in large-scale infrastructure projects across New York State. Prior experience also included serving as Executive Secretary to the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Secretary Joseph A. Califano, Jr. and Special Assistant for Renewable Energy to Deputy Secretary of Energy John Sawhill at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Richard Olcott is Principal at Ennead, a CannonDesign Company, where over the last four decades he has helped shape New York’s architectural legacy through influential cultural, academic, and institutional projects that have enhanced the city’s architectural landscape while respecting its historic fabric. His work is grounded in the power of architecture as an interpretive medium that can communicate the complexities of contemporary society and create a lasting cultural impact. He creates buildings that are rooted in context, expressive of their missions, and recognized for design excellence.

In New York, his work includes Zankel Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall as well as the exterior renovation, the redesign of the Frederick P. Rose Hall Public Space at Jazz at Lincoln Center, restorations of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, projects for the Museum of the City of New York, and the Ed Sullivan Theater and the New York Times Printing Plant. His portfolio includes The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, major projects at Princeton, Yale, and Stanford, the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, City Harvest’s Cohen Community Food Rescue Center in Sunset Park, and the ongoing restoration of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

In addition to his architectural practice, Olcott served as a Commissioner on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1996 to 2007, reflecting his longstanding commitment to preservation and the civic life of New York City. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Art Society and serves as the Chair of the organization’s Preservation Committee. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, the recipient of the American Academy in Rome’s Founders Rome Prize Fellowship, and he was recently inducted into the National Academy of Design.

About the Municipal Art Society of New York

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) was founded in 1893 to work towards the creation of a livable city, to enhance the lives of all New Yorkers and to use the municipal arts of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, preservation, and public art to improve and protect the built environment of New York. MAS advocacy has led to the creation of the New York City Planning Commission, Public Design Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Tribute in Light; the preservation of Grand Central Terminal, the lights of Times Square, and the Garment District; the conservation of more than 50 works of public art; and the founding of such civic organizations as the Public Art Fund, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, P.S. 1, the Historic Districts Council, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, and the Waterfront Alliance. mas.org

About the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal

The highest honor of the Municipal Arts Society—the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal is awarded annually to individuals who, through vision, leadership, and philanthropy, have made an extraordinary contribution to New York City. The award was originally presented as the President’s Medal in 1950 and was renamed in honor of Mrs. Onassis in 1994 to commemorate her partnership with MAS to preserve great architecture in New York City. Recent awardees have included Elizabeth Diller, Annabelle Selldorf, Patti Smith, Yoko Ono, Patricia Cruz, Jon Batiste, Justin Garrett Moore, Audrey and Danny Meyer, Daniel Doctoroff, Diane von Furstenberg, and Agnes Gund.

Celebration Event Details

Date: Monday, September 28, 2026

Location: THE GRILL | THE POOL, The Seagram Building, New York City

• 6:30 PM Cocktails
• 7:30 PM Dinner and Medal Presentation
• 9:00 PM Dessert and Digestifs