Remembering Nancy Brennan, the Greenway Conservancy’s Founding Executive Director

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our founding Executive Director, Nancy Brennan, passed away earlier this month. 

Nancy was a warm and unrelentingly positive leader who built the foundation on which the Rose Kennedy Greenway has thrived. She raised funds for the Greenway Conservancy’s endowment and operations, and recruited and mentored a small, talented staff to transform the sparse green space that capped the Big Dig into a world-class park that reconnected neighborhoods and people. 

Nancy’s commitment to environmental stewardship fostered our innovative approach to organic horticulture. Her vision for a unique, whimsical carousel that would capture the hearts of visitors of all ages led to creation of the Greenway Carousel at the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Grove, now a beloved Boston landmark. Nancy spearheaded a community-driven public art planning process that produced the program that has presented dozens of acclaimed artworks on The Greenway and led a movement to reinvigorate contemporary art in public spaces throughout Greater Boston.

Nancy’s legacy is felt not only on The Greenway, but well beyond as those she so generously mentored have gone on to lead programs and organizations throughout the region and across the country.

In Nancy’s “both/and” language – we grieve at the loss and retain joy in having had this extraordinary person touch our lives.