Staff
Nancy Brennan, Executive Director
Nancy has been the driving force behind the Greenway Conservancy since is conception in April of 2005. Prior to joining the Conservancy, she led multiple organizations through start-up and growth phases. At the former Baltimore City Life Museums, she saw that organization develop from a single local history museum into a dynamic downtown system including historic sites, museums, and an urban park. She also served as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute where she oversaw the development of a multi-purpose cultural facility in Hamilton devoted to marine science and history. Nancy also led Plimoth Plantation for eight years as Executive Director where she led Massachusetts’ most popular history museum to increase its public services beyond visits to the living history sites and to offer national exhibits and online learning resources.
Nancy Brennan received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Master’s Degree in Museum Education from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has been honored with a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and with the Distinguished Alumna Award from George Washington University. Ms. Brennan is also a recipient of the John W. Gaston, Jr. Award for excellence in public service management from the American Society for Public Administrators.
She has been appointed to the National Council for Education and Human Development of George Washington University. She also serves on the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.
Steven Anderson, Director of Park Operations
Steven joined the Conservancy in July 2007; he oversees all park operations functions and maintenance of the Greenway including horticulture, facilities (including fountains) and public security. For 16 years prior to joining the Conservancy, Steven was a project manager, construction manager, and manager of park design for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. He has also been a project manager with a heavy civil site contractor and a municipal engineer. He is certified as a Project Manager and Energy Auditor, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has attended Roxbury Community College, the Boston Architectural College and Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Jesse Brackenbury, Director of Business Operations
Jesse joined the Conservancy in December 2009; he oversees park operations, public programs, finance, and introduction of amenities including the new food vending program. Jesse was previously with the Boston Consulting Group, where he worked on strategy, real estate, organizational development and other projects for Fortune 500 companies and government. Jesse has held management roles at the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation and the United Nation’s World Food Programme. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Economy from Williams College and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.
Linda Jonash, Director of Planning and Design
Linda joined the Conservancy in 2006. She is responsible for all planning and design functions of the Conservancy which range from capital improvement planning and project management of park amenities; design review of third party projects within the parks; and review of private development projects abutting the Greenway. Linda has over thirty years of experience in public project management, landscape design and construction, and city planning. She has managed major public improvement and transportation infrastructure projects in San Francisco and Boston as part of private construction management teams. Linda was an early project manager of surface restoration for the Central Artery Tunnel Project. Prior to joining the Conservancy she managed a private Landscape Design and Construction business for 10 years. Linda received a BA degree in Government/City Planning from Skidmore College and a Graduate Certificate in Landscape Design from Harvard University’s Radcliffe Seminars program.
Charlie McCabe, Director of Public Programs
Charlie joined the conservancy in February 2012; he oversees public programs creation, management and coordination, ranging from exercise classes, markets and concerts to movie nights and temporary public art. Charlie was previously the Executive Director at the Austin Parks Foundation, Austin TX, a public/private partnership working with community groups and the City Parks department to maintain and improve Austin area parks. Charlie also held management and technical roles at Apple, Inc. in Austin, Texas and Cupertino, CA. Charlie serves on the board of the City Parks Alliance and EarthShare. Charlie received a BA in Political Science and History from Colby College.
Lisa Schimmel, Director of Finance
Lisa joined the Conservancy in July 2011; she is responsible for the preparation of monthly financial statements, required reports, annual budget, annual audit, support of payroll and oversight of financial controls. Lisa is a CPA and previously taught financial and managerial accounting at Boston College. Prior to her teaching experience she was a manager at Arthur Andersen. Lisa received a BA degree in Public Policy from Tulane University and a MS in Accounting from Northeastern University.
Jodi Wolin, Director of Development
Jodi joined the Conservancy in August 2011; she oversees all private fundraising efforts for the Greenway Conservancy. Jodi has held fundraising positions at a variety of Boston non-profits for the past 19 years. She has held management roles at the Boston Children’s Chorus, the Children’s Trust Fund, and Casa Myrna Vazquez. In addition, she was at Children’s Hospital Boston for 5 years and was a fundraising consultant at Development Guild. Jodi serves on the Board of the UMass Center for Collaborative Leadership and is the immediate past Chair of the UMass Emerging Leaders Program Alumni Board. She holds a bachelors of English and a bachelor's degree in communications from Canisius College and is a graduate of the UMass Emerging Leaders Program.