Chris Cousino has spent his entire adult life living and working in New York City. He began his career literally in the field, as a gardener, and later manager of landscapes, operations staff, and volunteers in the most visited sections of Central Park, for more than a decade. This rich experience not only sharpened his nonprofit skills, but through his daily interactions with the Park-going public, instilled a deep understanding and appreciation for the complex stories that comprise urban life.

Over eighteen years of professional practice, Chris has held a variety of roles, from operations management to programmatic to administrative and development. As a program director, designer, and facilitator, he has incubated a wide cross-section of initiatives from idea to implementation and evaluation. As Director of Program Administration for the Central Park Conservancy Institute for Urban Parks, he is working to develop programs that scale — building professional networks and sharing visioning, strategic planning, and storytelling strategies to academic institutions, nonprofits, philanthropists, and government agencies supporting public spaces and their communities locally, nationally, and internationally — and providing operational support across the Institute’s programs and education initiatives.

Chris thrives on helping individuals connect, understand, recognize, and value themselves for who they are, in their community, and in their world, to creatively achieve their visions and experience success. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and is pursuing a Master of Science in Education at Bank Street College. He lives in Manhattan with his son and their cat.