Earl Jones Receives 2026 Olmsted Stewardship Award 

After more than 50 years with GE and GE Appliances, Deputy General Counsel Earl Jones is preparing to retire with another part of his legacy receiving national recognition.

On Sept. 25, the Olmsted Network honored Earl with its 2026 Olmsted Stewardship Award, recognizing nearly three decades of leadership and service to the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Earl has served as a Conservancy trustee since 1997, including as board chair from 2016 to 2018, and currently serves as board secretary.

(Photo courtesy of Olmsted Network)

The award recognizes sustained stewardship of landscapes associated with Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted firm. Earl was honored during the Olmsted Network’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon, alongside park advocates and leaders from across the country.

Nearly three decades protecting Louisville’s parks

Earl joined the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy board in 1997 and has remained deeply involved ever since. Over nearly three decades, he has helped guide the organization through major capital investments, leadership transitions and continuing efforts to preserve and improve Louisville’s historic Olmsted park system.

That system includes 17 parks and six parkways designed as an interconnected network linking parks and neighborhoods across Louisville.

For Earl, that work has always been about more than preserving beautiful spaces. It is also about who gets to enjoy them.

When the Conservancy honored him with its Frederick Law Olmsted Award in 2019, Earl pointed to Olmsted’s belief that access to beautiful public parks should not depend on income and described helping advance that vision as one of the great pleasures of his life.

More than 50 years with GE and GE Appliances

For more than half a century, Earl has worked across GE and what is now GE Appliances, a Haier company, building a career spanning law, public policy and government relations.

As deputy general counsel and longtime head of government relations, Earl has helped the company navigate regulatory and legislative issues and build relationships with policymakers at the local, state and federal levels.

He has also helped secure significant public incentives in partnership with state and local governments across GE Appliances plant communities, supporting investments in U.S. manufacturing and the communities where the company operates.

A lasting commitment to Louisville

Earl’s civic involvement extends beyond the Conservancy. He also served as a director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority and has long been active in Louisville’s cycling community, including many years as president of the Louisville Bicycle Club.

His connection to Louisville’s parks, however, has been particularly enduring.

When the Conservancy presented Earl with its first Frederick Law Olmsted Award in 2019, then-President and CEO Layla George credited his leadership with helping guide the organization through major investments and important transitions.

From GE Appliances to Louisville’s Olmsted parks, Earl’s career has been defined by something increasingly rare: a commitment measured not in years, but in decades.