The Belle Isle Conservancy has named a new president and CEO after a five-month-long search.
Dr. Meagan Elliott, deputy CFO of the city of Detroit, will assume the role on July 1. She has spent the last decade leading green space planning initiatives for the city, first as chief parks planner and, since 2021, as deputy CFO.
Elliott led the Joe Louis Greenway Framework Plan and is the city lead in the $350 million campaign for a Unified Greenway for the Joe Louis Greenway and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.
“Through academic study and on-the-ground experience, Meagan Elliott deeply understands the vital importance of Belle Isle as a park for Detroit families,” Nancy Vella, Belle Isle Conservancy board chair, said in a statement. “Meagan also appreciates the role of Belle Isle on a national and international stage, as one of the nation’s premier parks along our border with Canada. We could not be more pleased to bring her on board as the Belle Isle Conservancy’s next leader.”
Elliott has a doctorate in sociology from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
Founded in 2011, the mission of the nonprofit Belle Isle Conservancy is to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the natural environment, historic structures, and unique character of Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all. The Conservancy serves as an advocate for the park, brings volunteer resources to the park, operates the Belle Isle Aquarium, and raises funds for needed projects and improvements on the island.
The park gets an average of 5 million visitors annually, making it the second-most visited state park in the country behind Niagara Falls, New York, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.
The City of Detroit owns the park, which is leased to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources under a long-term lease agreement arranged during the city’s financial crisis. The MDNR is responsible for the day-to-day responsibilities, while the Belle Isle Conservancy focuses on awareness, historical preservation, and fundraising for capital projects.
Ron Olson, chief of the parks and recreation division for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said, “Meagan Elliott’s knowledge of how to work with many constituencies and her government experience make her an ideal leader for the Belle Isle Conservancy, our nonprofit partner for Belle Isle park.”
Maud Lyon has served as interim president and CEO since Michele Hodges, president and CEO of the conservancy for more than a decade, stepped down to take the helm of Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County on Nov. 1.