Amy L. Freitag
Executive Director, The J.M. Kaplan Fund

Amy L. Freitag is the Executive Director of The J.M. Kaplan Fund, a private family foundation based in New York City that supports social justice and the conservation of the natural and built environment. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), an organization working to improve green space in New York City’s highest need communities and led the private effort to plant one million new trees (MillionTreesNYC). Prior to her work at NYRP, Freitag served as the U.S. Program Director for the World Monuments Fund. Her professional background also includes serving as Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as well as several titles in Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Freitag recently served on the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, Markers for New York City and currently sits on the boards of Philanthropy New York, the New York Preservation Archive Project, and the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation. She lectures nationally on the history of women in conservation and is researching a book on the founding of the Garden Club of America. She holds an A.B. from Smith College and M.L.A. and a M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Pelham Bay Park, Bronx, NY. Image courtesy of Natural Areas Conservancy.