The Tregaron Conservancy is pleased to announce that after a nationwide search, it has hired a new Executive Director, Lynn Parseghian, to succeed founding Executive Director Bonnie LePard, who is moving to California.
The Tregaron Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that is the owner and steward of 13 acres of protected, historic landscape dating back to 1912. Designed by renowned architect Charles Adams Platt and famed landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, Tregaron is a D.C. Landmark (since 1979), a contributing feature of the Cleveland Park Historic District, and is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
LePard played a central role in the preservation of Tregaron as a protected green space and its establishment as a nonprofit organization in 2006. She was the founding Board Chair and then the first Executive Director of the Conservancy. She will remain active in the organization as a member of the Board of Directors.
“Saving and preserving Tregaron with the dedicated help of so many has been the work and satisfaction of a lifetime. Restoring Tregaron has been a labor of love,” said Ms. LePard. “Tens of thousands have visited the Estate’s grounds, which are open to the public every day, all day, free of charge. Our community is committed to making sure this public treasure endures and thrives. Lynn Parseghian is the perfect person to take Tregaron forward into a new, exciting era.”
Parseghian joins Tregaron Conservancy with 20 years of experience practicing law in Washington with a practice ranging widely from class action litigation to environmental law. She has had an active pro bono practice, and served for many years as outside counsel to a large D.C.-based nonprofit organization.
Parseghian also has deep and extensive leadership experience in Washington’s nonprofit and philanthropic community. She served for nine years on the Board of the Young Women’s Project, a D.C.-based youth leadership and advocacy organization. For seven years, she served on the Board of Directors of Cultural Tourism D.C. in various leadership roles, including Treasurer. In 2012, she was appointed interim Executive Director of Cultural Tourism D.C., and led the organization through its annual gala and major events season.
Parseghian currently co-chairs the Rainmakers Giving Circle of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, co-managing all of its grant-making, grantee assessment and educational activities. She is on the Board of Directors of Adventure Theatre MTC. She also works with the faculty of Maret School on environmental curriculum development.
“The Tregaron Conservancy is very fortunate to have found in Lynn such a wonderful successor to Bonnie LePard. Lynn’s experience and enthusiasm will be tremendous assets to Tregaron,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, Chair of the Tregaron Conservancy’s Board of Directors. “I am delighted and honored to join Tregaron’s dedicated Board of Directors in working to rehabilitate the landscape and make it a place of even greater learning and community-building. Tregaron is a real gem,” Parseghian said. “The organization has made enormous strides in restoring the Tregaron woodlands and trails, but there is so much important work still to be done.”
“Tregaron will continue to host community events, including a Tree Talk and Community Cleanup on March 15, and our fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 4. As always, we will be inviting school groups to visit for outdoor education – and we want to expand those opportunities so more kids can get outside during the school day to explore and learn at Tregaron. We will also be announcing some new events in the coming months. We want to share the beauty and history of Tregaron with more residents across D.C.”
Parseghian and her husband and two children have lived in Cleveland Park since 2006. “The Tregaron woodlands are right in my backyard,” she sad. “My husband and I enjoy walking our kids to school on the trails of Tregaron.”