Conservancy Executive Director Leaving

Nancy Brennan, Executive Director of the Conservancy for the Rose Kennedy Greenway has accepted a position as Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Brennan will depart the Conservancy, effective January 15, 2013 to begin working at her new position on the West Coast.

Brennan was hired on April 12, 2005 as the first Executive Director of the Conservancy just before the overhead highway (Central Artery) was dismantled to make way for the 1.3 miles of parkland.

The Central Artery Project created the Greenway in association with the City of Boston and many civic groups. The non-profit Conservancy was founded as the official steward of the Greenway and undertook daily operations in early 2009. At that time, the Conservancy was charged with raising broad based support to ensure standards of excellence for the Greenway’s design, sustainability and use Greenway.

“The Greenway Conservancy is delivering on the promise of a vibrant, beautiful, innovative city park. I have been proud to be part of its story,” said Brennan. “I like to say, ‘It takes a village to run the Greenway.’ None of this would have been possible without the remarkably talented and committed individuals who were the board, committees and staff of the Greenway Conservancy over the past seven years.”

Under Brennan’s leadership the park has taken shape and is well used by the community and thousands of visitors.

The popular park has many events, activities and programs throughout the year and more is expected.

This year, legislation was sponsored by State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, that provides for seven residents to be named to the Conservancy Board of Directors which raised the Board’s number to twenty-two.

The Greenway Conservancy Board will undertake the process to recruit a new Executive Director. “The Board recognizes that in today’s world, the Executive Director of a non-profit organization must have a diversity of strengths which include fund raising, stakeholder engagement, and community involvement. The Conservancy will seek a new Executive Director who has expertise to continue the vision of the Greenway to serve as great public realm space for the Commonwealth,” according to Board Chair Georgia Murray.

Jesse Brackenbury, the Chief Operating Officer, will continue to run the day-to-day operations until the Board hires a new Executive Director. Brackenbury also will oversee this year’s addition of an iconic and permanent carousel in a newly landscaped setting (projected September 2013), and future installations of temporary and contemporary public art.