UTICA — The Central New York Conservancy has named Peter Falzarine as interim executive director, the first one in the nonprofit conservation organization’s 12-year history
Falzarine is retired from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, where he served as director of marketing and communications for the company’s Utica, Syracuse, and Rochester regional divisions.
In addition to his duties for the Central New York Conservancy, Falzarine is also president of the board of Catholic Charities of Oneida and Madison counties. He is also a member of the corporate board of the Diocese of Syracuse, representing Catholic Charities, and a two-term past president of Leadership Mohawk Valley.
“Appointing an executive director is a big step for the Conservancy,” William F. Locke founder and president of the board, said in a news release. “We are delighted that after 12 years of existence, the Conservancy now has someone to guide the day-to-day operations of the organization.”
In addition to Falzarine’s appointment, the Conservancy also elected officers for its board of directors for 2014. They include Locke as president, Jef Saunders as secretary, and Gordon M. Hayes, Jr. as treasurer.
Individuals re-elected as members of the Conservancy’s board include Rebecca Ferris, Ronald P. Gouse, Terry Hawkridge, Virginia Kelly, Michael Mahanna, and Marietta von Bernuth.
The Central New York Conservancy says its mission includes the preservation and restoration of Utica’s Olmsted-designed parks. The organization also pursues stewardship of natural community assets throughout Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, and Lewis counties.
The Central New York Conservancy and its partners — the City of Utica, the Utica Parks Department, the Utica City School District, the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, Oneida County Historical Society, Utica Zoological Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension, numerous local garden clubs, and the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State — work to preserve and restore major components of the Utica Parks and Parkway System, including F.T. Proctor Park, T.R. Proctor Park, Roscoe Conkling Park/Valley View, and the Memorial Parkway, according to the Conservancy’s website.
In 2009, the Utica Parks and Parkway System was named to the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places.
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