Jessie Ball duPont Fund Hires Downtown Jacksonville Urbanist as Director of Placemaking
December 1, 2022 – Jacksonville, Florida – The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Jacksonville-based private foundation focused on equitable placemaking in the communities that Jessie Ball duPont knew and loved, has hired Sondra Fetner as their Director of Placemaking.
Sondra, an experienced land use lawyer and urbanist, joins the duPont Fund after running an urban development consulting firm for the past three years. Sondra’s work with the City of Jacksonville includes time at the Office of General Counsel, as well as partnering with the Downtown Investment Authority on numerous Downtown redevelopment projects and initiatives including redeveloping the Jacksonville Shipyards, activating the Downtown Riverfront, and updating the DIA’s Community Redevelopment and Business Investment & Development Plans in 2022. Sondra also serves on the Taskforce for the Activating Jacksonville’s Riverfront initiative.
“Sondra brings unique expertise in placemaking, law, government relations, urban planning and real estate development, land use and zoning and has demonstrated her passion for helping our community build inclusive spaces that are welcoming, sustainable, and resilient,” said Katie Ensign, Vice President of Placemaking and Administration at the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. “With Sondra’s help, the duPont Fund is excited to continue supporting our community’s momentum on projects such as the City of Jacksonville’s Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park, activating our downtown riverfront, and expanding spaces that raise up the voices and stories of our increasingly diverse population.”
Prior to founding her consulting business, Sondra served as an Assistant General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville with a focus on land use, real estate development and legislative affairs. She served as the staff attorney for numerous City boards and commissions including the Historic Preservation Commission, Tree Commission, Comprehensive Plan Major Issues Committee, Environmental Protection Board, and the Joint Planning Committee. She began her legal career at Folds & Walker, a private firm in Gainesville, Florida, where she represented several municipalities as an assistant city attorney and discovered her passion for local government affairs, land use law, and urban planning.
Sondra earned her bachelor of science in business administration and marketing cum laude from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Administration, her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, and her Master of Urban Planning from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy. She serves on the Board of Directors of Riverside Avondale Preservation, is a member of the Urban Land Institute of North Florida and is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida. Sondra and her husband, Michael, live in Avondale with their three young children.
“The duPont Fund has been a key player in the revitalization of our downtown through its ongoing support of equitable placemaking so that everyone can feel they belong and have an opportunity to thrive in our community,” Sondra said. “There is no question that Jacksonville is my husband’s and my forever home. However, it is yet to be decided where our three young children will choose to plant their roots when they are adults. My hope is that the work of the duPont Fund and our partners will contribute to making our city even more vibrant and exciting, and full of reasons for Gideon, Quinn, and Abigail – and children in every Jacksonville neighborhood – to make it their forever home as well.”
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