Susan Carey Dempsey Assumes Full-Time Role at Park Advocacy Group

NEW YORK – The Governors Island Alliance announced the appointment of Susan Carey Dempsey as its first full-time executive director.

Ms. Carey Dempsey has extensive experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. She has successfully led numerous civic and philanthropic campaigns, including the Annie Moore monument at Ellis Island, University College Dublin: Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, and the Group for the East End. Prior to establishing a practice consulting to nonprofit organizations, Ms. Carey Dempsey was an executive vice president at Changing Our World Inc., an international firm advising nonprofit organizations, corporate social engagement programs and philanthropists.

Ms. Carey Dempsey also has worked as a journalist and received recognition for reporting in environmental and civic affairs. She was a founder and editor-in-chief of onPhilanthropy, an online resource covering trends in philanthropy.

“We are delighted that Susan Carey Dempsey has joined the Governors Island Alliance in such a pivotal time in our development,” said Donna Milrod, chair of the Alliance. ​“Her extensive background in philanthropy, civic engagement and advocacy aligns perfectly with the Alliance’s efforts to engage the support of key constituencies and donors.”

At the Alliance, Ms. Carey Dempsey will succeed Robert Pirani, the vice president for energy and environment at Regional Plan Association who served as executive director of the Alliance on a part-time basis. Now an independent organization, the Alliance was founded by RPA in 1995. The Alliance works closely with the Trust for Governors Island, a New York City-sponsored corporation responsible for the operations, planning and redevelopment of the island, and the National Park Service, which oversees the 22-acre National Monument on the island.

“Thanks to the mayor’s leadership, the island has blossomed over the past few years,” said Mr. Pirani, who will continue to serve on the Alliance’s board of directors. ​“Susan’s extraordinary talents will build the Alliance’s own capacities and help ensure that this progress continues.”

“I have had a deep appreciation for Governors Island as a wonderful resource for New Yorkers since my first visit to the island,” Ms. Carey Dempsey said. ​“The thoughtful development of New York’s waterfront parks and public spaces is a critically important initiative, and I am delighted to join my efforts to the work begun by RPA and the Alliance’s deeply committed board of directors in support of the comprehensive and creative development of the island.”

With a continuing need to secure government funding for completion of the planned redevelopment of the island, as well as anticipated proposals for private investment and tenancies, the Alliance will strive to be a key voice in the effort to ensure the thoughtful preservation of this incomparable resource for current and future generations of New Yorkers. The Alliance also sponsors a number of public programs on the island, including volunteer programs that have directly engaged thousands of New Yorkers in the island’s stewardship.

Accessible by ferry, Governors Island opens for the summer season on Saturday, May 25, with the Alliance’s 9th Annual Family Festival. A full roster of cultural, recreational and volunteer activities and events will be held throughout the summer.