Matty Mathison, of Shawano, recently accepted an award from the American Planning Association’s Wisconsin Chapter as its Citizen of the Year.
Mathison was honored at a luncheon in Madison on Oct. 13 for the work she’s been doing in her whole life, particularly for her leadership since retiring.
Mathison knew that she had been nominated for the award, but winning came as a surprise because, she noted, Wisconsin is a big state.
“I didn’t think much of the possibility of winning,” Mathison said.
Department of Natural Resources landscape architect Ann Freiwald nominated Mathison for the state award.
“When I saw this award, I thought of Matty right away,” Freiwald said. “She was perfect.”
The two met in 2012 when they worked together to write the Shawano County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Freiwald was project manager for Alta Planning and Design, and Mathison was on the Shawano Pathways steering committee.
“I was impressed with how helpful she was on that plan and continuing to put together local events to bike and walk,” Freiwald said. “She’s an inspiration; that’s for sure.”
Mathison is a member-at-large of Shawano Pathways. She has concentrated her efforts on getting people moving and healthy.
In her acceptance speech, Mathison created the word “yimby” (ya, in my back yard) to counteract “nimby” (not in my back yard), which planners hear all the time when it comes to change.
“Individuals don’t win awards by themselves,” Mathison said. “I was very honored and appreciative to the community for being open to new things.”
Shawano Pathways is a community nonprofit working to plan and facilitate the development, implementation and maintenance of a greenway and trails network within Shawano County. The group has been a leader on organizing events such as Bike the Barn Quilts.
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