Jackie Knight became the board president of the Lake Street Council just weeks before the murder of George Floyd, which was followed by riots and civil unrest that shuttered many businesses along the six-mile corridor. Knight jumped in, basically working full time on the board’s behalf—on top of her own full-time job as president of Minneapolis real estate investment firm Ackerberg Group. Under her leadership, the Lake Street Council nearly tripled its staff. She helped establish the We Love Lake Street Fund, which quickly raised $12 million, half of which was invested in reopening more than 500 businesses. With the other half of the funding, she led efforts for staff to develop criteria for intentional investment to rebuild Lake Street and strategically grow the organization for the long term. Knight currently serves on the council’s executive committee as an at-large member.