The Turnpike Authority, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Boston and the Kennedy family have chosen the 10 members of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, which will oversee fund-raising, operation and planning efforts for the new ribbon of parkland through downtown Boston.

The 10 Conservancy Board members bring with them superb, far-ranging backgrounds in government, business, philanthropy and fund-raising. They include former Massachusetts Governor William Weld; Charlie Baker, CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Peter Meade, Executive Vice President of BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts; Dorothy Terrell, former CEO of Sun Express, a division of Sun Microsystems; Maryann Gilligan Suydam, Senior Vice President of Equity Office Properties; Gloria Larson, Chairman of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority; Martha Chayet, a Massachusetts-based finance consultant; William H. Swanson, CEO of Raytheon Company; Charles Wu, Managing Partner of Baynorth Capital; and Ed Schlossberg, President of ESI Design in New York City.

"This is an excellent group of professionals that is well-suited to ensuring that the Greenway lives up to its vast potential," said Amorello. "With their varying areas of expertise, I fully expect the board members to bring vitality and imagination to the Conservancy."

"It's gratifying that such an impressive group of leaders has agreed to serve on the Board of the Conservancy," said U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. "I'm sure that the Greenway will be an extraordinary treasure for our city and a beautiful memorial to my mother."

"By bringing together civic and community leaders from Boston and beyond with such a wide range of backgrounds and experience, the Conservancy will provide exceptional stewardship of the Greenway and will ensure its ongoing success," said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

"The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a treasure that the people of Massachusetts will enjoy for generations to come," said Gov. Mitt Romney. "The challenge of paying for its upkeep and maintenance falls to this impressive and capable group of individuals, and I am confident that they can get the job done."

A private, non-profit group, the Greenway Conservancy will focus its efforts on fund-raising initiatives to generate significant donations from the private sector. This money will create an endowment that will pay for future operations and maintenance activities along the 27-acre corridor and eight park parcels. The goal of the Conservancy is to raise $20 million over the next three years.

The Turnpike Authority has agreed to jumpstart the fund-raising efforts by putting up a $5 million matching fund that will match all private sector donations dollar-for-dollar during 2004 and 2005.

In addition, the Turnpike will pay for all O&M costs until 2013.

"Because the Turnpike Authority has stepped up to the plate to assume these financial obligations in the early years, the Conservancy will be able to focus on reaching out to the private sector to build its endowment," said Amorello. "We are, in essence, giving the Conservancy a vital head start as it begins the process of placing the Greenway at the top of the list of significant donors throughout the nation."

The Conservancy will also play a critical oversight role for the Greenway, with four committees organized to oversee:

* Endowment and Finance

* Operations and Maintenance

* Programs and Events

* Audit and Risk Management.

Through these committees, the Conservancy will establish a broad consensus about the details of operations, maintenance, programming and other matters.

Board members Weld, Baker, Meade, Terrell and Suydam were appointed by the Turnpike Authority; Larson and Chayet were appointed by Governor Romney; Swanson and Wu were appointed by Mayor Menino; and Schlossberg was appointed by Sen. Kennedy.

City of Boston Press Contact: Susan Elsbree, 617.918.4426.

Release Date: November 30, 2004