Jenny Hoffner
Director, Water Supply

Department: Conservation

Area of Focus: Jenny works to engage communities to secure sustainable water supplies through water efficiency.

Background: Jenny joined American Rivers in 2007. Prior to that she worked as an independent consultant in Atlanta providing community, land and organizational development support to groups, government and citizens. Jenny served as Director of Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the City Parks Foundation. Under Jenny's stewardship the program worked with more than 4000 groups and 65,000 park supporters to start, strengthen and support community involvement in the 28,000 acres of New York City parks. Jenny joined Partnerships for Parks in 1997 to organize an effort to transform the Bronx River from a neglected dumping ground to a healthy urban waterway. Over a period of four years, she gradually built community support for the River through a strategy of intensive outreach, public events/education, and community transformation. Ultimately, she helped build the Bronx River Alliance, a coalition of more than 65 government agencies, community organizations, schools and businesses, and attracted nearly $115 million in public and private funding to the river.

Before Partnerships, Jenny worked with citizens, businesses and government agencies in Atlanta to transform vacant lots, abandoned industrial sites and areas along the Chattahoochee River into public green spaces, community gardens and greenways.

Education: B.A. in Anthropology and Human & Natural Ecology from Emory University, M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia

Favorite River: Bronx River and Chattahoochee River