Driving Change Through Leadership and Collaboration

Registration for this workshop is now closed. Check our list of upcoming events for more learning opportunities.

It is often said that change is the only constant in life. The last few years have taught all of us, perhaps park leaders more than others, that we must constantly adapt to meet the evolving needs of our communities, partners, and those we serve. Climate crises, public protests in the face of racial injustice, and the pandemic have all deeply touched our parks and the role they play in our lives. Even without such crises, the ever-evolving need for public space to serve so many vital functions in our modern lives has made it critical for park leaders to drive change with vision, innovation, flexibility, and a collaborative spirit.

Change can take the form of new organizational processes, policies, structures, partnerships, priorities, and programs, among other things. Join us for this workshop to learn about different organizational change models, hear from park leaders who have successfully driven transformative change using these models, and talk with your peers about your challenges and successes in driving change in your own organization and community.

Speakers

Jesse Brackenbury, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation // former Executive Director, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

As the CEO of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Jesse leads one of the country’s most successful public-private partnerships. Jesse previously led the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, where he helped transform the organization into a national leader in the innovative use of public space. Jesse is a City Parks Alliance Board member.

Maura Lout, Executive Director, Institute for Urban Parks, Central Park Conservancy
New York, NY

Maura Lout oversees the Institute’s work to provide thought leadership and professional development programming to urban park professionals. Prior to joining the Conservancy, she developed and managed strategy and programming for a variety of organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, The Museum of the City of New York, and New Yorkers for Parks.

Renée Myers, Executive Director, Forest Park Conservancy
Portland, OR

Renée has been leading FPC since 2012. She has worked in natural resource conservation for more than 22 years, focusing on forest and river conservation initiatives and nonprofit management and leadership. At FPC, she has developed collaborative partnerships and built a larger and more diverse community that supports and benefits from Forest Park.

Facilitator

Diana Colangelo, Senior Program Manager, City Parks Alliance

Diana Colangelo joined City Parks Alliance in 2019 and currently serves as Senior Program Manager. Diana manages several of CPA’s programs, including workshops, webinars, peer-to-peer conversations, technical assistance work in cities across the country, and other capacity-building initiatives designed to strengthen cross-sector park partnerships.

We encourage teams of 2-4 people per city to register and offer discounts for city teams! Participants are encouraged to attend the workshop with others in their organization and/or community so they can explore ways to work together to drive innovation and change.

Please contact Diana Colangelo with any questions at [email protected].

Support for this workshop series is provided by: