Adrian Benepe is one of the nation’s foremost experts in parks and open green spaces. Over the past four decades, he has led a wide variety of nonprofit and government organizations. In these positions, he has focused on providing high-quality parks and open space for underserved communities. In October 2020, Benepe assumed the position of President and CEO of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, one of the world’s premier botanical gardens. From 2012 to 2020, he served as Senior VP and director of national programs for the Trust for Public Land, leading national efforts to ensure that every city resident in America has a high-quality park within a 10-minute walk of home. For 27 years he worked for NYC Parks & Recreation, culminating his public sector career as NYC Commissioner of Parks under Mayor Bloomberg for 11 years. He also served as VP at the Municipal Art Society and director of the annual fund & major gifts for the New York Botanical Garden. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Middlebury College, Adrian holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, where he was awarded a Pulitzer Fellowship.