Leadership

Morgan Monaco is President of Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Administrator, a dual appointment by Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks, and is responsible for setting the vision and overall strategy for Prospect Park, Brooklyn's flagship park.

As President of the Alliance, the non-profit organization that manages the park in partnership with the City of New York, Monaco leads a workforce of more than 200 Alliance and NYC Parks staff, who work side-by-side in the day-to-day operations of the park, and oversees fundraising and revenue-generating activities that provide $14 million in general operating support each year. Monaco, whose public sector career spans both government and non-profit organizations, brings extensive knowledge of park equity and community development to the position, as well as strong leadership in driving sustainable impact for civic organizations. Monaco is the first Black leader of the Alliance, further diversifying executive leadership within the open space sector, and continues the legacy of female leadership at the Alliance over the course of its 35-year history.

Prior to the Alliance, Monaco served as Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a youth and community development nonprofit impacting the 6,500 residents of the Red Hook Houses, Brooklyn’s largest public housing development. Monaco was instrumental in leading RHI through the pandemic and helped to bring in funding relationships and new staff to help stabilize and grow RHI’s impact. Prior to that, Monaco led a team within the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations, where she helped to ensure that City government remained accountable to its residents by increasing operational efficiency, and by managing broad-reaching equity initiatives. She also helped to create OneNYC, which combines sustainability, equity and resiliency policy into one plan for NYC’s future.

Morgan is currently a member of the New York City Environmental Justice Advisory Board, serves on the board of Nonprofit NY, and is co-chair of the Parks and Open Space Partners leadership committee. She is serving on the 2024 Brooklyn Community Foundation Spark Prize committee, and is the recipient of the Robin Hood Power Fund grant in 2021.

A born and raised New Yorker, Monaco recognizes the value parks hold for city dwellers and has cherished urban parks since her childhood, which she spent growing up just outside of Central Park. Earlier in her career, Monaco served two tenures at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, first as Director of the MillionTreesNYC Initiative and later as Director of Stewardship for Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources. Morgan has a Master’s in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from NYU Wagner, as well as a B.A. in International Studies from Vassar College. She lives in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, with her husband, a fellow public servant, and their son and two cats, Raymour and Flannigan. Her family is an avid user of Prospect Park.