Konstancja Maleszyńska (she/her) joined North Brooklyn Parks Alliance in 2003 as the BQE North Outreach Consultant. Konstancja is a sustainability cultivator with an MBA from Bard College and MA in English from Fordham University. Originally from Poland, Konstancja has been a part of the Greenpoint & Williamsburg open space community since 2014. She began as a community organizer at McGolrick Park, later became a programs manager at NBK Parks (2016-2018), and then served as a consultant for social impact and climate resiliency—including on Two Trees Management’s River Ring project and DOT’s Open Streets program.

Konstancja is also an urban ecosystems gardener, designing and installing native plant gardens in the city with her startup, Bramble NYC. She holds a Waterfront Design Edge Guidelines Certificate from the Waterfront Alliance and an Urban Parks Leadership Certificate from Central Park Conservancy’s Institute for Urban Parks.

Lisa Bloodgood (she/her) joined North Brooklyn Parks Alliance in 2022 as the Director of Horticulture & Stewardship. She brings to the role a deep knowledge of the area, from plants to pollutants, as well as a wealth of experience engaging with North Brooklyn communities on matters relating to the local environment and sustainability.

Lisa currently resides in Williamsburg and can trace her ancestry all the way back to Dutch settlers in Queens and Brooklyn in the 1660’s! However, she first fell in love with plants in California: her family moved there from West Nyack, New York when she was a teenager, and the drastic differences between the natural environment on the east vs. west coast helped spark her curiosity in the natural world.

As an adult, Lisa moved to Brooklyn to pursue a career in the arts—but found herself repeatedly drawn to horticultural endeavors: tending to her own backyard garden and helping to establish gardens at local schools. She pursued her passion in academic and applied ways, obtaining a degree in Earth & Environmental Science from Brooklyn College while working as the Environmental Policy Advisor and Community Liaison for the office of Stephen Levin, former NYC Council Member for District 33.

Lisa went on to work at Newtown Creek Alliance as Director of Advocacy & Education, aiding the organization in their community-based approach to revitalizing this fraught waterway. She has also served, and continues to serve, on several boards, advisory councils, and steering committees for organizations like New York City Brownfield Partnerships and Mt. Sinai Transdisciplinary Center on Early Childhood Environmental Exposures.

At NBK Parks, Lisa looks forward to helping ensure that Under the K Bridge Park is stewarded responsibly and can thrive as a public green space in an unlikely setting: under the Kosciuszko Bridge, in the Greenpoint Industrial Business Zone, and abutting the Newtown Creek.

Nayshawn Cummings began working with NBK Parks as a member of the grounds crew in 2022. He likes helping to keep North Brooklyn safe and clean for all to enjoy, and thinks Under the K Bridge Park looks particularly nice when the colorful lights on the Kosciuszko Bridge turn on at night. A native New Yorker, Nayshawn grew up in Bed Stuy and then moved to Cooper Houses in Williamsburg about five years ago. When he’s not working, he pursues hobbies including streaming his video game play on Twitch and jam skating (dancing on roller skates) with his friends. If you want to know more, Nayshawn says you’ll have to get to know him!

Edwin Hernandez joined North Brooklyn Parks Alliance in spring 2022 as the Operations Manager. Born and raised in Cooper Houses, Edwin has seen firsthand how under-utilized industrial sites in Greenpoint and Williamsburg—like Under the K Bridge Park—can be transformed into vibrant community spaces. Outside of his role at NBK Parks, Edwin is an accomplished creative fiction writer and has self-published more than a dozen short stories!

Born and raised on the Southside of Williamsburg, Tony has always loved the outdoors. Spending most of his young life hanging out on the Waterfront or walking endless miles around New York City.

Before joining NBK Parks as part of the Green Team, Tony spent several years in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park. When not fly fishing or hiking, he learned a great deal about natural habitats and conservation.

You can find Tony most days in the garden beds at Under the K.

Katie Denny Horowitz became Executive Director of NBK Parks in May 2019. She brings nearly two decades of public and nonprofit experience to the role. Having steered the fundraising, communications, and government relations at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for six years. Prior to which she served as the Director of Development for New Yorkers for Parks and the Director of Special Projects at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. 

A longtime Greenpoint resident, Katie has held past volunteer positions with NBK Parks, when it was Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA), and chaired its Community Committee. Katie was also a board member of Greenpoint Waterfront Alliance for Parks and Planning (GWAPP), co-founder of the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition, and a Community Advisory Member of the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF).

Native New Yorker, and twenty-plus year resident of Greenpoint, Lynn del Sol is a park lover. Which is great, since she joined one of the oldest nonprofits in the neighborhood fighting for equity and innovation in our public spaces. As the Deputy Director, her job is to obsess over social media engagement, unearth an archive, and fire up a neighborhood’s philanthropic soul.

Lynn was an art dealer and curator for almost fifteen years -responsible for over two hundred exhibitions, including Lebanon’s first attempt at a National Pavillon during the 2005 Venice Biennale. She also served as a Visiting Scholar to the New School’s Humanities Action Lab where she partnered with OutHistory.org, ACT Up! Oral History Project, and the New York Public Library Archive Division. 

When she’s not spending an inordinate amount of time in a park with her best friend and pup, Lola, you can find her leading groups of folks around the neighborhood on walking tours discussing everything from rezoning and affordable housing to art, architecture, and history.