Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the appointment of Adrian Benepe as the Commissioner of the Parks and Recreation Department. Benepe currently serves as the agency's Manhattan Borough Commissioner.

"I couldn't be more pleased to name Adrian Benepe as Parks Commissioner," Mayor Bloomberg said. "Adrian is completely devoted to parks and has worked his way up the ranks, excelling at each opportunity by finding creative solutions and being a team player. Now he takes the reins of this vital agency in a difficult moment in our City's history. Our parks and recreation facilities have improved remarkably over the last years, and Adrian will have the task of building upon what's been accomplished so that New Yorkers can enjoy our magnificent parks system."

"It is a great honor and responsibility for me to head the Park's Department," said Commissioner Benepe. "For someone who has spent his professional life working to improve and enhance our parks and open space, the opportunity to lead the great men and women of this agency is a dream come true. I look forward to serving a Mayor who has already shown he is a friend of parks and am thrilled to be part of his team."

Adrian Benepe has been the Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the Parks Department since 1996. He is the former Vice President for Issues and Public Affairs at the Municipal Art Society, and the Director of the Annual Fund and Major Gifts for the New York Botanical Garden. Benepe's career with the Parks Department stretches back thirty years. His positions include Director of Art and Antiquities, Director of Natural Resources and Horticulture, Operations Coordinator and Director of Public Information; his first job in government was as a member of the inaugural class of the Urban Park Rangers. Benepe earned an MS at Columbia School of Journalism and a BA from Middlebury College in English Literature. He is married to Charlotte Glasser, a teacher, and has two sons, Alex and Erik. Benepe's father, Barry Benepe, is a retired city planner who founded the Greenmarket system for New York City in 1977.

The Parks Department manages 28,312 acres of parkland throughout the five boroughs including all parks, stadia, beaches, pools, playgrounds and recreation facilities. It oversees all park flora and fauna, and maintains historic houses, statues and monuments. The Department conducts activities in athletics, physical fitness, environmental education, visual and performing arts and crafts. Special programs are provided for senior citizens, teenagers, pre-schoolers and the disabled. The Commissioner is as ex-officio member of many cultural institutions including the Bronx Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Hall of Science and the Greenbelt Conservancy.

www.nyc.gov

Contact:

Edward Skyler / Jordan Barowitz (212) 788-2958