Board of Directors
Katherine Conkling Thompson, President
Katherine has long been involved in local issues, working alongside neighbors to improve quality of life in the community. She moved to Greenpoint with her husband, Dewey, and their growing family in 1996. In 1999, after recognizing the lack of a local youth soccer program, she helped found the AYSO Greenpoint/Williamsburg Youth Soccer League and served as Assistant Commissioner for 12 years. The need for safe, accessible playing fields led her to become an advocate for public parks and open space.
In 2014, Katherine became co-leader of Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park, where she continues to champion the park through advocacy, stewardship, fundraising, and community programming. When she isn’t getting her hands dirty during Weeding Wednesdays or supporting FBIP initiatives, she can be found working in her ceramics studio.
Steve Chesler, Vice-President
Steve has been an active advocate for Greenpoint and Williamsburg's waterfront since moving to the neighborhood in 2001. His involvement began with community opposition to a proposed East River waterfront power plant and continued through the 2005 rezoning, with a focus on preserving neighborhood character, protecting public open space, and ensuring waterfront access for all.
His commitment to Bushwick Inlet Park is a natural extension of this work. Today, Steve supports the park through advocacy, garden stewardship, and community programming. He also serves on Brooklyn Community Board 1 as Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee and Co-Chair of the Land Use Committee and as a member of the Newtown Creek Superfund Community Advisory Group and the Meeker Avenue Plume Superfund Community Advisory Group. Professionally, Steve works as a web designer.
Julie Marlowe, Treasurer
A New York City resident since 1989, Julie moved to Williamsburg in 2011, drawn in part by the promise of a new waterfront park. She became involved with Bushwick Inlet Park through early gardening and greening efforts, helping establish the plots that have since flourished into pollinator gardens. Her interest in the park also grew from its arts programming and the potential for a community center and expanded public programming.
As the surrounding neighborhoods continued to develop, Julie became increasingly interested in zoning, urban planning, and coastal and ecological resilience. An enthusiast of both arts and nature, she enjoys bicycling, kayaking, and yoga. Professionally, she works as an advisor to small businesses and local designers.
Trina McKeever, Secretary
Trina moved to Greenpoint in 1989, raising three sons in a neighborhood where safe public play spaces were limited and the East River waterfront remained largely inaccessible. Her experiences in McCarren Park and American Playground inspired a lasting commitment to improving neighborhood parks and public spaces.
Around 2005, she joined the board of the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP), where the idea for Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park first took shape. At the time, the park was little more than a promise, and "Where's My Park?" became a rallying cry for the community.
In addition to her work with FBIP, Trina served on Brooklyn Community Board 1 as Chair of the Landmarks Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Parks Committee for over a decade. Professionally, she manages the studio of sculptor Richard Serra and continues to envision a future where world-class public art has a home in Bushwick Inlet Park.
Emily Bauer
Emily is a landscape designer, educator, and advocate whose work connects people with nature through design, ecology, and community engagement. Her involvement with Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park began around 2017, when a chance conversation with neighbors led to her helping reimagine and restore the planters at 86 Kent Avenue. She went on to lead a community-based redesign and planting effort, bringing neighbors together to help transform the space.
Emily is the founder of Bau Land, a landscape and urban design studio, and Jungle NYC, an indoor plant design company. Her work spans local and international projects, including a regenerative farm in Lebanon recognized by the Rockefeller Foundation. Previously, she worked at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), contributing to projects including the Lower Manhattan Climate Adaptation Plan, and at !melk Landscape Architecture.
Emily has taught at Columbia University and Cornell University, and her work has been featured in international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Caroline Caglione
Caroline has been an active Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park volunteer for over three years. She first discovered the park and Weeding Wednesdays during her early days in Brooklyn, while taking "surf check" walks to the waterfront. Since then, she has spent countless hours tending the gardens, connecting with neighbors, and watching the park evolve.
Today, Caroline supports FBIP through horticultural stewardship, strategic planning, fundraising, and communications. Professionally, she brings more than a decade of experience in environmental consulting, spanning New York City water and wastewater systems, business development, and global program management. Her collaborative approach, creative problem-solving skills, and lifelong love of nature continue to shape her commitment to the park and its community.
Natalia Correa
Natalia is a longtime Greenpoint resident with a deep appreciation for the neighborhood's waterfront, public spaces, and community. She first connected with Bushwick Inlet Park through walks with her dog and Weeding Wednesdays, where she discovered a community of neighbors dedicated to caring for the park.
As a board member of Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park, she supports community engagement, communications, fundraising, and initiatives that strengthen the park's connection to the neighborhood. Professionally, Natalia is a real estate advisor with Sotheby's International Realty, specializing in Brooklyn residential real estate. She also serves on the board of the 61 Franklin Street Community Garden, reflecting her commitment to neighborhood stewardship and bringing people together around shared green spaces.
Ward Dennis
Ward is a founding member of Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park and has advocated for public waterfront access in Greenpoint and Williamsburg since the early 2000s. A longtime Williamsburg resident, he played an active role in the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront Rezoning, which laid the groundwork for the creation of Bushwick Inlet Park.
From 2003 to 2012, Ward served on Brooklyn Community Board 1, including as Chair of its Land Use Committee from 2006 to 2011. During his tenure, he helped guide community responses to major neighborhood rezoning initiatives. He currently serves on the board of North Brooklyn Parks Alliance and previously served as Co-Chair of North Brooklyn Neighbors (formerly NAG).
Professionally, Ward is a principal at Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, a historic preservation consulting firm specializing in the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic properties. He is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt's Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment and has previously taught historic preservation at Columbia University.
Scott Fraser
Scott is a documentary filmmaker and longtime environmental advocate whose involvement in Greenpoint and Williamsburg dates back to the 1980s. He helped found Greenpoint Against Smell and Pollution and collaborated with Concerned Citizens of Greenpoint, El Puente, and Hasidic community activists to address toxic waste, industrial pollution, oil spills, and other environmental threats to the neighborhood.
In the early 1990s, Scott documented local environmental organizations in Earthkeeping: A Call to Action, a WGBH documentary inspired by the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. His work reflects a longstanding commitment to environmental justice, community advocacy, and the preservation of North Brooklyn's natural resources.
Scott also has a particular interest in Indigenous history, including the Keshaechqueren people and their historical connection to the land surrounding Bushwick Inlet Park.