New Director for New England Parks Program

Boston, Massachusetts, 6/2004: The Trust for Public Land is very pleased to announce that David T. Queeley has joined the New England Regional Office as director of the Parks for People New England Program.

David has had a long-standing commitment to the environment in cities, having worked as a planner for the Metropolitan District Commission in Massachusetts; as the first director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Boston Nature Center in Mattapan, Mass.; as vice president for community and government affairs for the Prospect Park Alliance in Brooklyn, New York; and as vice president and senior planner at New Ecology, Inc., a Cambridge-based organization working on sustainable development and green infrastructure. David grew up in Dorchester and Sharon, Mass. before attending Wesleyan University and completing graduate work in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.

“I can’t stay away from New England because I love its parks and diverse landscapes,” Queeley says. “The small scale makes every park have a huge impact on neighborhoods and the lives of the people who live in them. I am very glad to be a part of TPL’s efforts to bring a park within reach of every home in every city in New England.”

At TPL, David will be responsible for the leadership of Parks for People New England in urban park making by cultivating broad-based relationships, engaging youth in the improvement of their communities, ensuring the sustainability of projects, and instituting an advisory committee to guide and support Parks for People New England.

TPL’s Parks for People Program works in cities across America to ensure that everyone-in particular, every child-enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. TPL is working with community leaders across New England and the nation to identify opportunities, secure funding, acquire parklands, and ensure that parks, playgrounds, gardens, and open spaces match the character and needs of each community.

Through research, advocacy, relationship-building, political involvement, and TPL’s traditional suite of real estate conservation services, Parks for People New England will elevate the importance of adequate, well-maintained parks to the life and health of citizens and communities. Parks offer recreation and renewal, promote exercise, reduce crime, revitalize neighborhoods, protect the environment, and bring communities together. Children without access to parks suffer higher levels of obesity, diabetes, asthma, anxiety, and depression.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit organization conserving land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 1.9 million acres of land in 46 states, including more than 1,100 acres and ten parks in New England since 1985. TPL depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our land for people mission. For more information, contact TPL at (617) 367-3600.