Approaching her third year on the job, New Orleans City Park CEO Cara Lambright oversees more than 300 employees and a $30 million dollar annual budget to maintain a 1,350-acre green space that’s 50 percent bigger than Central Park in New York City. The 170-year-old park is home to the largest collection of old live oaks in the world.
On this week’s podcast, Lambright talks about the park’s ongoing master plan project and the importance of collecting community input about the future of the treasured green space. The next public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 6 at Warren Easton Charter High School.
about
Cara Lambright serves as CEO of City Park Conservancy, overseeing one of the largest urban parks in the nation, hosting millions of visitors a year and countless sporting events, weddings, festivals and concerts. Cara comes to the role with an extensive background in park operations, capital planning, programming, public engagement, and fundraising for public spaces. In her first two years at City Park, she transitioned the park to a nonprofit Conservancy model, streamlining operations and opening the door to fundraising. Prior to this, Cara was Executive Vice President for Memorial Park Conservancy, overhauling the organization, while managing all aspects of operations, and helping to execute a nationally recognized master plan. She is deeply involved in the field of urban parks, from consulting start-up conservancies to leading regional workshops. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics, certified in Urban Park Executive Leadership though CUNY and the Central Park Institute, certified in nonprofit accounting, is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and a citizen of the Chickasaw Indian Nation.
