The Geneva Chamber announced today that 2022 Wood Award Recipient Jay Womack has been selected as Parade Marshal for the 2023 Swedish Days parade.
Womack was born in Geneva. During grade school he moved to Yorkville and grew up on a wooded property that backed up to a forest preserve. This began his love of nature. He and his wife, Sherre have raised their daughter in Geneva and are now proud grandparents of two grandchildren. Womack is a Landscape Architect, highly trained and skilled in his field. He is currently a Senior Architect, Ecological Design, Huff & Huff, a subsidiary of GZA.
Over time he has contributed to many organizations such as Geneva Park District Foundation, Western Avenue School, Kane County Forest Preserve District, City of Geneva Natural Resource Committee (NRC), Kane/DuPage Water Conservation District, Conservation Foundation of Kane County, the Rain Barrels on Parade Campaign, Tree Hab USA, Friends of the Chicago River, Chicago Wilderness and the Morton Arboretum. Womack’s passion for the environment is unrelenting, as is his energy.
Nominated by both Geneva Park District, where he serves on the foundation board, and Kane County Forest Preserve, he is a Site Steward for Fabyan Forest Preserve, he was honored in 2019 with Outstanding Citizen Volunteer of the Year given by the Illinois Association of Park Districts.
He has been the chair of the Natural Resource Committee since 2007 and during this time has donated thousands of hours to various causes including Earth Day, Fox River Clean Up and the Wine Cheese & Trees fundraiser, which he created and continues to chair to raise money to assist in replacing trees in Geneva that were lost to disease such as the Emerald Ash Borer.
Along the way, he has encouraged hundreds of young people to share in his passion and contagious enthusiasm for the environment by hosting engaging and interactive events throughout the Fox Valley area, such as his Native Species Removal and Battle of the Brush Competition.
Beginning this year, the Chamber has determined that the previous year’s Wood Award Recipient would become the Parade Marshal for the Swedish Days parade.
