Mary Eysenbach
Mary is the Director of Conservatories for the Chicago Park District where she leads both the Lincoln Park Conservatory and Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the nation’s largest public glasshouses. Her work focuses upon connecting people with nature, especially with the development of the Child Wild Exploration Garden. Previously, she directed The City Parks Forum, a program to assist mayors in maximizing community vitality through parks. Before launching The City Parks Forum, Mary was the assistant director of the McHenry County Conservation District, directing the organization’s planning activities and aiding in the protection of more than 4000 acres of natural areas and five countywide trail corridors. She serves as a parks and open space consultant, writing and speaking about green space planning. She holds both a B.S. and M.S. in park administration from Western Illinois University and was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University.