President and Chief Executive Officer

After an extensive national search, the Board of Trustees of Brooklyn Botanic Garden has appointed Sue Donoghue as the Garden’s next President and CEO. Donoghue will assume her role on September 1, 2026.

Donoghue brings nearly 20 years of parks experience and expertise across urban green infrastructure, capital projects, and community engagement to her new role. A Brooklyn resident of nearly 30 years, she first joined the New York City Parks Department in 2007 to lead “PlaNYC2030,” the Bloomberg administration’s blueprint for sustainability, and later managed initiatives including MillionTreesNYC and the Federal/City partnership for Jamaica Bay Parkland. She was then appointed as NYC Parks Commissioner from 2022 to June 2025 — overseeing 240 capital projects, representing over $750 million in investments in NYC’s communities. Most recently, she led the New York City Parks Department, where she managed, maintained, and set the vision for 30,000 acres of parkland across the city and led a team of 7,000 employees.

As President and CEO, Donoghue will build on the history and mission of the Garden and its groundbreaking educational and community programs, expanding audiences and widening perceptions of how a botanic garden can serve environmental and community needs now and in the future.

Donoghue earned a master’s in Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

You can read the full press release here.

Jackie Mildner and Sarah James led this search with Jonathan Sanchez, Karen McPhedran, and Pamela Carty.