Reorganization: After the Dust Settles
Kathy Abbott of the Island Alliance Named First Commissioner of
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Kathy
Abbott, the former CEO and President of the Island Alliance, was sworn in
as the new Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation
and Recreation (DCR). Ms.
Abbott is charged with the difficult task of remaking the Division of
Conservation and Recreation into a more transparent, effectively managed
agency than its predecessors, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC)
and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
Ms.
Abbott spent six years with the Island Alliance, which works to develop
new management principles, structures, and financing for the Boston Harbor
Islands National Park Area. Prior
to that, Ms. Abbott worked as Vice President at the School for Field
Studies, and also spent twelve years working in various agencies in the
Massachusetts Park System. There she led the first statewide management-planning program
for forests and parks, and streamlined land acquisition procedures that
resulted in a more efficient use of state capital dollars.
At
her swearing-in ceremony, Ms. Abbott was optimistic about the role of DCR
in the new reorganized state government.
“Together, we can implement a new, more effective model of
conservation and recreation management that educates, energizes and
engages every citizen, and makes them stewards of their conservation and
recreation legacy,” she remarked.
Recognizing
the importance of promoting a change of culture at her agency, she
emphasized, “The DCR is about what will be, not what has been.”
Starting nearly 18 months ago, CRWA worked long
and hard to effect this change. Spending
nearly six months researching governance of parks across the country, CRWA
then put together a coalition of environmental and park groups to lobby
Governor Romney's administration and the legislature after the November election.
CRWA's focus in drafting language for legislation for the new agency
was on structuring it to favor openness and accountability.
“We’re looking forward to working with Commissioner Abbott,”
said Kate Bowditch of CRWA. “We
have a shot at helping her make DCR into the kind of steward our parks
deserve.”
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