Following Stephanie Crockett’s recent departure from Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy after an impressive 9-year tenure as Executive Director, the organization has begun its search for new leadership.
This is an exciting opportunity to live and work in an Olmsted-rich city. Perhaps more than any other city in the nation, Buffalo, New York, has been shaped by its parks. Designed in 1868, world-renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s design theory was that no one would have to leave green space, as the connectivity of the park system was inclusive of all areas in the city making Buffalo “a city within a park.”
Founded in 1978 to support the park system, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s mission is to steward Buffalo’s historic Olmsted park and parkway system to benefit and welcome all. The Conservancy works towards this through collaboration with community and strategic partners, advocating for quality parks for all and enhancing the park system through beautification, maintenance and capital projects.
Today, BOPC cares for 47% (or 850+ acres) of the city’s parks network.
Building on the Conservancy’s many accomplishments to date, BOPC’s “City Within a Park” Initiative is a potentially game-changing public-private partnership with the City of Buffalo and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. This partnership focuses on the big picture, substantially increasing the amount spent on operating and maintaining all park space in Buffalo, ensuring all parks regardless of neighborhood, are maintained at the same level as the beloved historic Olmsted Parks. This partnership is a national model that highlights collaboration, partnership, and a funding model where all parties can come together to solve a fundamental challenge in the community, presenting an extraordinary opportunity as BOPC looks to its next chapter.
BOPC is partnering with Koya Partners, the executive search firm focused on mission-driven recruitment, on the search. Details about the Executive Director position and hiring process are available here. The organization is also hiring for other positions, such as a Capitol Projects & Grants Manager and an Executive Administrative Assistant. Find information on current openings here.
