Are you a park volunteer or supporter in Brooklyn? Come to this workshop to meet other community members caring for local parks and hear about the amazing work park groups are doing across Brooklyn!

You will learn about ways to spruce up your neighborhood park, get funding, work with NYC Parks staff in your borough, and more. You may not know all the people that play a role in maintaining and supporting your park, so join us to meet some new faces, enjoy a free dinner, and get plugged into the larger network of park volunteers & staff in your borough.

Featured Speakers:

• Jason P Conheeney, Deputy Director of Forestry-Brooklyn, NYC Parks
  Jason has pursued a career in arboriculture in the UK and US, gaining an in-depth knowledge of tree species and tree condition assessments. He got his start with NYC Parks as a Forester in 2015 and was then promoted to deputy director of forestry for Brooklyn in 2017. Jason is passionate about applying his knowledge to best serve the people of NYC in the care, maintenance, and preservation of urban forests.
• Leslie McIntyre, Field Staff, NYC Parks Stewardship
  As part of the NYC Parks Stewardship team, Leslie McIntyre spends her days guiding volunteers in natural resource preservation and restoration projects. Prior to joining the Stewardship team she managed a team of high school students performing Hurricane Sandy recovery work in Jamaica Bay for the Student Conservation Association. Leslie is currently completing her master’s degree in environmental science at the College of Staten Island.
• Chris Yandoli, Director of Capital Projects for Brooklyn, NYC Parks
  Chris Yandoli is the director of Capital Projects for Brooklyn, overseeing the long-term infrastructure renovations and redesigns throughout the borough. Prior to joining the Capital team, Chris worked as an outreach coordinator in Brooklyn for Partnerships for Parks.
• Marlene Pantin, Executive Director, Red Hook Conservancy
  Marlene Pantin is the executive director and founder of Red Hook Conservancy, a community park group dedicated to stewarding and advocating for Red Hook Park spaces since 2011. Marlene is driven to build bridges among park groups and support volunteers in growing their capacity by sharing her wealth of knowledge and park-related expertise.
• Duane Kinnon, Co-Chair, Friends of Brownsville Parks
  Duane Kinnon is a founding member and co-chair of Friends of Brownsville Parks (FOBP), which played an instrumental role in advocating for the improvement of Brownsville’s Betsy Head Park. As a result, the park was designated as one of only five parks in NYC to receive 30 million dollars as an Anchor Park by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2016. In addition to this milestone, Partnerships for Parks presented FOBP with the coveted Golden Trowel Award for Brooklyn in 2017 under Mr. Kinnon’s leadership.
• Hannah Bossio, Delancey Nelson, Claudette Ramos, Brooklyn Outreach Coordinators, Partnerships for Parks
  Hannah, Delancey, and Claudette are the Partnerships for Parks Outreach Coordinators for Brooklyn, acting as the first point of contact for park groups and volunteers in their respective districts. They work to support and sustain existing community park groups, and to guide new groups by helping them find the appropriate people and resources to transform their green spaces.

For more information or questions, please email relzinga@cityparksfoundation.org.