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Suzanne Morse
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New Boston Harbor Organization Names Kathy Abbott as President and Chief
Executive Officer
New Civic Organization to be Called Boston Harbor Now
Boston, Mass. (March 23, 2016) A new civic nonprofit focused on Boston Harbor and the
Harbor Islands is announcing today that Katherine F. Abbott will become the founding President
and Chief Executive Officer of the organization, which will be called Boston Harbor Now.
Abbott, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston,
will assume her role as President in May. Boston Harbor Now will focus on developing and
implementing a new vision connecting Boston, the Harbor and the Islands, which integrates
them into the fabric of the city and enhances the publics ability to use and enjoy these public
assets.
Im so pleased to be taking on this exciting role for Boston Harbor Now, which is developing a
new vision for one of the regions most important assets Boston Harbor, said Abbott. After
decades of hard work cleaning up the Harbor and bringing the Harbor Islands back to life, I am
excited to be a part of an organization that will help plan a new future ensuring that Boston
Harbor and its environs benefit all the residents of, and visitors to, the city and the region.
I also wish to thank the leadership and staff at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, who have done a
tremendous job developing Tower Hill into one of the 65 large public botanic gardens in the
country, Abbott said. It has been an honor to work with everyone there, and I look forward
to continuing to watch the garden grow its influence in New England and beyond.
Boston Harbor Now is the result of a merger between two well-respected organizations focused
on providing access to the Harbor and developing the Harbor Islands - The Boston Harbor
Association and the Boston Harbor Island Alliance. The two organizations recognized that after
years of advocating to restore and promote Boston Harbor, the opportunity now exists to knit
the mainland and the Islands together to better shape the future of the Harbor for generations

to come. But in order to take advantage of that opportunity and increase their capacity to
achieve these civic goals, the nonprofits determined, after more than a year of deliberations,
they needed to join forces to become a new civic organization. That nonprofit, Boston Harbor
Now, will begin operating on April 1st.
Boston Harbor and the Harbor Islands are an asset to our city and we are fortunate to have
two experienced organizations join forces to shape the future of the Harbor, said Mayor
Martin J. Walsh. I look forward to working with Kathy Abbott and Boston Harbor Now to build
on the endless opportunities the Harbor offers us.
The new organization will advocate for a strategic vision and comprehensive plan for Boston
Harbor. It will focus on issues vital to developing the Harbor and the Islands as an economic,
environmental and social asset, opportunities for public access such as expanding the
Harborwalk and the system of water front parks, climate change mitigation plans as part of
enhanced waterfront development, and creating a comprehensive and integrated water
transportation system.
The new group seeks to play a key role in activating the Harbor and the Islands, working with
both the public and private sectors to fully realize the potential of one of the Citys greatest
assets. Today, 125,000 people enjoy visiting the Harbor Islands each year by public ferry and
many more by private boat. Boston Harbor Now will work with their partners to continue to
grow visitor attendance and function as the nonprofit partner of the Boston Harbor Islands
National and State Park.
We strongly believe that merging these two organizations into one new entity, Boston Harbor
Now, will provide the region with the opportunity to develop with other stakeholders a
strategic plan around the opportunities and challenges facing Boston Harbor and the Harbor
Islands, said Brian Dacey, interim Chairman of the Board of Boston Harbor Now. We have
come very far in restoring Boston Harbor. With Kathy Abbott at the helm, we know that this
new, 21st century nonprofit organization will be able to work with interested stakeholders to
realize the potential of this most precious and unique resource.
Abbotts career has been defined by almost 30 years of experience in environmental leadership
and nonprofit management. Prior to her role at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Abbott was Interim
President and Executive Vice President of the Trustees of Reservations. She was also President
of the Island Alliance and Director of the Conservation and Recreation Campaign for the Trust
for Public Land. She has also served as the Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation, and as Assistant Secretary for Land Conservation in the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
Forging together these two organizations is a bold move that we believe will advance the
ideals of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. With Kathy Abbott's leadership we

will see an exciting new course set for Boston's waterfront and the Islands, said Michael
Creasey, General Superintendent of the National Parks of Boston.
To help launch Boston Harbor Now through its initial phase, the organization has received
$350,000 from the Barr Foundation and $80,000 in grant funding from the Catalyst Fund for
Nonprofits. The grants will help the two nonprofits implement and finalize the merger and
begin the planning, programming and development required to realize a bigger vision for
Boston Harbor. The trustees for Boston Harbor Now include Barbara Capuano, Raphael &
Raphael LLP; Carol Churchill, Suez Energy North America; Brian Dacey, Cambridge Innovation
Center; Richard Dimino, A Better City; Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, Northeastern University; Jamie
M. Fay, Ft. Point Associates, Inc.; Robert Golledge, Golledge Strategies; Elizabeth Grob, VHB;
Meaghan Hooper-Berdik, Turner Construction; Douglas McGarrah, Foley Hoag; Thomas
McShane, Dewey Square Group; Liz Morningstar; J. Keith Motley, University of Massachusetts
Boston; Shelly ONeill, ONeill & Associates; Bud Ris; Cathy Douglas Stone, Stone Family
Foundation; Richard Walker, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; and Gov. William Weld, ML
Strategies. The tagline for the organization is Navigating Our Future.
We want to thank the staff of both organizations, who have worked very hard to ensure that
this transition is smooth, said Bud Ris, former President and CEO of the New England
Aquarium. They are excited to work with Kathy Abbott, who understands the issues facing
Boston Harbor and the Islands and the goal of Boston Harbor Now to shape the future of the
Harbor.
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