A Note From Our Board Chair, Robert Decherd: An important leadership transition is underway at the Conservancy.
Amy Meadows, who has led Downtown Dallas Parks Conservancy and its predecessors, Parks for Downtown Dallas and The Belo Foundation, is retiring after 22 years at the helm. On October 1, Amy will assume the role of Senior Advisor and continue to be involved in our work advocating for the Downtown parks network. Amy is respected and admired throughout the parks and philanthropic communities, and we owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude for her exceptional efforts over the years. These efforts culminated with the building of the four Priority Parks identified in the 2013 Update of the Downtown Parks Master Plan – a signal success involving an overall investment of more than $100 million.
Our talented colleague and Executive Director, Sarah Hughes, will succeed Amy as the Conservancy’s senior executive. The Trustees and I have great confidence in Sarah and know that she will carry on dynamically as our new leader. Sarah joined Parks for Downtown Dallas in 2018 and was involved in every aspect of the Priority Parks program, progressing into roles with increased responsibility. More recently, Sarah oversaw the Conservancy’s conversion to a public charity.
The Conservancy’s primary mission of advocating for the Downtown parks system and ensuring the long-term quality of these parks has never been more important. Sarah will do a great job devising and implementing strategies to accomplish this. Please join the Trustees in congratulating Sarah and thanking Amy!