Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Congratulations to Dodge Trustee Rose Harvey, whom New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo nominated as Commissioner of Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. We wholly agree that she is the ideal candidate for the position.

From the Governor’s office:

“Rose Harvey’s experience and knowledge as well as her expertise creating countless cost-effective parks, playgrounds and open spaces in underserved communities with efficiency makes her the person we need to lead this agency,” Governor Cuomo said. “I thank her for her public service and look forward to working with her.”

Currently, Ms. Harvey is a senior fellow at the Jonathan Rose Companies, where she acts as an advisor and researcher on parks and open space issues, and launched a non-profit organization to fund, design and develop safe, well-managed parks in urban neighborhoods. She was also recently a McCluskey Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

For 27 years, Ms. Harvey held multiple leadership positions with The Trust for Public Land, most recently as Senior Vice President and National Director of Urban Programs. There, she oversaw all real estate acquisitions, urban park design and developments, managed the finances of a $20 million annual operating budget, and closed between $50 and $75 million worth of land and parks transactions each year across 8 states – a total of nearly $1 billion and more than a thousand new and enhanced parks, gardens and playgrounds in underserved neighborhoods in New York City, Newark, N.J. and Baltimore. She has also established large landscape woodlands and natural areas throughout New York State and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Read Governor Cuomo’s full press release here.

Image courtesy Rose Harvey

Michelle Knapik, Environment Program Director

Choosing a starting place for the story of the opening of Nat Turner Park, the largest City-owned park in Newark, is challenging. This is a rich, multi-layered story, filled with numerous champions, diverse entry points and, finally (after nearly 30 years), the realization of many hopes and dreams. (more…)

We’re pleased to share that the Dodge Foundation Board of Trustees recently approved more than $4 million in grants to environmental organizations across New Jersey. Sixty-three organizations received $4,171,000 (55 organizations at the Foundation’s November Board meeting, and eight others that were previously awarded grants in 2008).

You can find details about Dodge’s environmental grantmaking here, and details about the grantees and the grants they received here.

Pictured above: Dodge’s grant to The Trust for Public Land’s “Parks for People” program helped revive the Mount Vernon Playground in Newark, where four teenagers were tragically shot and killed, and reclaim it as a safe haven for the community and school children. Photo by Seth Sherman, courtesy TPL.