Mata Townsend
Heritage Trail Projects Coordinator
Mata Townsend, Communications & Planning Coordinator, originally hails from Flint, Michigan, but has lived in the Kansas City area for over 50 years. She served in the federal government for 36 years in the Departments of Treasury (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Commerce (DOC), and Labor (DOL), respectively. She was the recipient of the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) EEO Award and was selected as the Employee of the Year in 2012 by the Internal Revenue Service, DOT. After ten years of retirement, Mata decided to return to service working in the AmeriCorps VISTA program to join Groundwork NRG to help fulfill its mission of neighborhood revitalization in the northeast corridor of Kansas City, Kansas.
Mata’s love of travel has taken her to France, Mexico, Thailand, Japan, Cambodia, and many locations in the states. She enjoys volunteering and was a Charter Member Ambassador for the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts and also served as its Social Director from 2010-2014. She has served as secretary for the Turtle Hill Community Association for the past six years. Mata is also the Lead Steward for her community garden, Liberty Orchard & Freedom Garden, which was installed through a grant through the Kansas City Giving Grove (KCGG) in 2016 with over 20 fruit trees and cherry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes. Mata is the proud mother of two, grandmother of three, and great grandmother to one great-granddaughter.