Sunday, May 11, 2008
News
Piedmont Park’s new boss faces hurdles
The Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park.
Ga. Department of Economic Development
By Mark Woolsey
New York native Yvette Bowden’s parents considered it essential to expose their youngster to the city’s crown jewel, Central Park.
“My parents took us there to play frequently,” she recalls, waxing nostalgic about the zoo, the well-kept paths, the manicured landscaping, the art, the sculpture and the musical offerings. Even the memory of a “bad scrape” she picked up during one of her tomboyish outings brings a smile.
Now Bowden, who moved to Atlanta in 2001, has a mandate to, as she enthusiastically puts it, “shine up the green jewel that is Piedmont Park.”
A lawyer and human resources professional by training with a background in community relations and fundraising, the 43-year-old executive was named president and CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy at its 12th annual Landmark Luncheon on Wednesday. She takes over from 10-year veteran Debbie McCown, under whose watch the Conservancy’s size and reach exploded.
Attorney Mark Rusche, president of the board of directors for the Conservancy, says Bowden was the ideal candidate for the job, praising her as a “tireless, energetic and committed leader,” and lauding her ability in both the public and corporate sectors.
That said, Bowden, whose prior job was executive director of the nonprofit agency The Giving Tree, readily admits that her career has included nonprofit agency experience, fundraising, grant writing, foundation work and a hitch as director of Diversity and People Services at United Airlines—but not a lick of work in parks administration and/or urban planning.
But that may turn out to be an advantage, she says.
“It allows me, not having a tremendous amount of experience in this area, to look at safety, community access, programming and other aspects of the park with an open mind,” Bowden says. And she plans an intensive educational push with the Conservancy’s staff, leaning on her background in forging partnerships and coalitions.
Bowden’s fundraising/grant-writing background moves to the forefront as she focuses on what she calls priority No. 1: “Getting a full understanding of where we are in the expansion plan. We already know where we are in the push to reach our fundraising goal. By the end of the year, we need to come up with another $5 million.”
That $5 million sum represents the final piece of the puzzle in the capital campaign to raise $43 million for Phase One of a 53-acre expansion of the park. Bowden promises to listen in the discussion of whether several major Atlanta festivals moved from the Park on short notice, mainly due to drought concerns, can return. The city passed a measure in January that in effect mandated removing the Dogwood Festival, Pride Festival, Peachtree Road Race and Atlanta Jazz Festival.
Some have wondered quietly whether the drought is being used as an excuse to move festivals with 50-thousand-plus attendance from the park permanently.
“I wouldn’t say this,” is how Bowden responds. “The drought has presented us with many challenges. The city has many things on its agenda, and this is just one item. It is not a closed issue, and the city will give careful consideration to it.” SP