Jennifer Greenfeld

Retired after close to 30 years at New York City Parks & Recreation, Jennifer Greenfeld is a leader in the field of urban natural resource management. She began her Parks career as the Director of the New York Tree Trust (now known as TreeTime) a public-private urban forestry partnership. Appointed Acting Director of MillionTreesNYC (MTNYC), Jennifer launched this signature initiative of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, completed two years ahead of schedule. Subsequently, she has served as Director of Street Tree Planting and Deputy Chief of Forestry, Horticulture, and Natural Resources (FHNR).

In 2016, Jennifer moved into the role of Assistant Commissioner and later promoted to Deputy Commissioner. In these roles she advanced New York City's forestry operations by shifting away from a Service Request-based system to a risk management-based system, helped usher in a new generation of tree data by finishing the third street trees census, and shaped the agency’s forestry response to major storms. Jennifer led the Agency's Planning division influencing neighborhood development, resiliency planning, and park acquisitions. She oversaw the completion of hundreds of millions of dollars in capitally funded natural areas restoration, green infrastructure, and forestry work, and shaped many private public partnerships. Her leadership built a positive culture among forestry, planning, and natural resource professionals - prioritizing staff recognition, professional development, and communication; and fostered a data-driven culture of technological innovation.

Before joining Parks, Jennifer worked for non profit planning organizations and urban forestry groups in San Francisco and Washington DC. Jennifer earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She loves biking, running, yoga, and relaxing under the shade of the massive white oak tree in her backyard.