Kriseman receives lifetime achievement award
May 2, 2022 - Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has received the 2022 Men and Women of Distinction's Gwen Reese Lifetime Achievement Award. Kriseman, who received the award on Sunday, was selected by the Gathering of Women’s selection committee, Gwendolyn Reese, and peers in the Tampa Bay community to receive the award, given to those who exemplify a long-standing commitment to the community. “Never before has a mayor been so intentional in advancing racial equity in the city,” Gwendolyn Reese said in a news release. “The work of Mayor Kriseman’s Administration has set us on a different trajectory and we finally have hope that we can achieve racial equity.” During his time as mayor, Kriseman's top priority was to provide more opportunities for residents through training, employment, higher wages, grants, and second chances, which helped to reduce St. Petersburg’s African-American poverty rate to an all-time low, according to the release. Kriseman currently is a managing principal at Shumaker Advisors Florida.