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Adrian Benepe was the 14th Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, serving in that role from February 4, 2002, to August 29, 2012, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. During his tenure, he oversaw 7,000 parks' staff, the expenditure of over $3 billion in funding park maintenance, the expansion of new parks across New York City, and the inclusion of schoolyards for public access after school.
After retiring from the Parks Department, Benepe joined The Trust for Public Land as Senior Vice President and Director of City Park Development, where he worked in parks advocacy and promotion of the 10-Minute Walk across the United States.
Most recently, Adrian Benepe served as President & CEO of Brooklyn Botanic Garden from October 2020 until October 2025.
During his tenure as Parks Commissioner, he oversaw The Gates, the public arts project from artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and the public-private partnerships that led to the High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was also during his tenure that then Mayor Michael Bloomberg's PlaNYC started the ambitious project of building and renovating countless urban parks and green spaces for the increase in population across New York City.
On September 9, 2020, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden announced that it selected Benepe as its new president and CEO. In an email newsletter announcing the move, Brooklyn Botanic Garden board chair Diane Steinberg wrote that Benepe “is a visionary horticultural leader whose work embodies a belief that access to plants, green spaces, and nature should be available to all, especially neighborhoods and communities that have historically been neglected in urban planning.”
As of October 7, 2025, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden announced in an email to supporters that Adrian Benepe has concluded his tenure as President & CEO of BBG to pursue new opportunities.
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