The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy today announced the selection of Abby Parker as their next Director of Horticulture.
“We are delighted to welcome Abby in leading our incredible Horticulture team at the Conservancy,” said Chris Cook, Executive Director of the Greenway Conservancy. “I look forward to her visionary leadership of the Greenway landscape and the ecological stewardship of the park’s living collection.”
Parker joins the Conservancy following her work as the Director of Cemetery Operations for the Newton Cemetery & Arboretum where she provided leadership to establish a Horticultural Master Plan and facilitate capital projects including pond restoration, bank stabilization, and pollinator gardens. Previously, Parker served as the Horticulture Manager at a 300 acre private estate in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her experience creating and maintaining landscapes that delight and inspire visitors will enhance the Conservancy’s mission of park care that sustains year-round beauty and models environmental stewardship.
“I am thrilled to join the Conservancy as Director of Horticulture,” said Parker. “Urban landscapes provide a unique opportunity to improve people’s lives through horticulture. They are places where ecological services are needed the most and connection with nature can be hard to come by. I look forward to nourishing visitors through their experience of The Greenway, providing for the needs of the community, and fostering the ecology that brings the gardens to life.”
Parker holds a BA in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic and began her work at the Conservancy in mid-October 2021. The Rose Kennedy Greenway was one of the first public parks in the country with lawns and gardens cared for organically, without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
About The Greenway and the Greenway Conservancy (www.rosekennedygreenway.org)
The Greenway is the contemporary public park in the heart of Boston. The Greenway welcomes millions of visitors annually to gather, play, unwind, and explore. The Greenway Conservancy is the non-profit responsible for the management and care of The Greenway. The majority of the public park’s annual budget is generously provided by private sources.