CEO of Fairmount Park Conservancy, which ushered in controversial FDR Park plan, steps down

Maura McCarthy, executive director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, a fundraising nonprofit for the sprawling city park, has told the board of directors that she will step down Oct. 31.

The conservancy announced the resignation late last week on its website but gave no reason for McCarthy’s departure.

“We are deeply grateful for Maura’s commitment, vision, and passion, which have strengthened the organization and elevated our mission to steward and enhance Philadelphia’s parks and public spaces,” read the unsigned statement, dated Oct. 10.

Tim Clair, chief operating officer, will serve as interim CEO.

As CEO, McCarthy’s salary was listed as $210,458, with $11,971 in other compensation, as of the organization’s most recent filing with the IRS in 2022. Fairmount Park Conservancy had $7.4 million in revenue that year from contributions, grants, program services, and investments.

The statement credits McCarthy with making “significant strides in capital planning and investment in parks, historic preservation, and community engagement” that resulted in “deeper connections between the city’s parks and its residents.”

The Fairmount Park Conservancy works with the city’s Parks and Recreation department on the 10,200-acre Fairmount Park system and 130 neighborhood parks and gardens. It helped with the master plan that called for $250 million in overhauls for the 100-year-old FDR Park in South Philly. City officials said the FDR plan, which will take decades to complete, is needed to bring flooding and stormwater runoff under control. Some of the planned overhauls are underway.

Plans call for the creation of a Great Lawn, or large green space, easily accessible from Broad Street. Current sports fields and tennis courts would have to be moved. The plan calls for installing artificial-turf fields and new wetlands, complete with Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible trails.

The plans also called for placing the turf fields, playground, and picnic areas on the shuttered golf course, which was prone to flooding. Residents had grown to enjoy the meadow that sprouted from the course, and opposition arose from those who craved the open space. Opponents formed Save the Meadows, a group that has been critical of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, and posted about McCarthy’s departure on social media.

McCarthy sent The Inquirer a statement Tuesday, saying that she helmed the Fairmount Park Conservancy for five years in a period that marked “significant growth and transformation.”

“As I reflect on the organization’s continued evolution, I believe now is the right time for Fairmount Park Conservancy to welcome new leadership, which will bring fresh perspectives and ideas to our mission of nurturing Philadelphia’s parks and neighborhoods and moving them forward in new ways,” McCarthy said.

She continued: “It has been an incredible journey working alongside our dedicated staff, board, city partners, funders, community members, and many stakeholders to help steward and grow Philadelphia’s cherished parks and public spaces.”

McCarthy noted implementation of the FDR Park plan, as well as transformation of the Sample Rec Center in Cobbs Creek Park, ongoing investment in East and West Fairmount Parks, the trolley trail, and other improvements, including establishing the organization’s headquarters on parkland in the Centennial-era Ohio House in West Fairmount Park.