Rye Resident to Head Development @ Westchester Parks Foundation (WPF)
Westchester Parks Foundation (WPF), a nonprofit dedicated promoting and supporting Westchester County Parks, announced on Thursday that Rye resident Nancy Curtis Patota will be its new director of development. Nancy, whose family has strong connections to local park management, comes to WPF with 25+ years of experience in fundraising and communications across nonprofit higher education, human services, and healthcare sectors, as well as retail and marketing industries.
“We are delighted to have someone of Nancy’s caliber join our team at the WPF,” stated Seth Mandelbaum, Westchester Parks Foundation chair. “Her proven record in development and fundraising comes at a strategic time for our organization as we are looking to expand many of our signature programs and rely on philanthropic donations for support.”
Prior to joining the WPF, Nancy served as the chief development and marketing officer at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, a provider of medical and physical rehabilitation, and executive director at The Arc Westchester Foundation, an organization dedicated to the inclusion of people of all abilities. She also spent two decades at Iona University in New Rochelle, most recently as assistant vice president in the advancement & external affairs office and as an adjunct professor in the LaPenta Business School’s MBA program.
“I’m excited to be here and feel fortunate to have an opportunity to work with a great team in support of a mission that is so near and dear to me – the Westchester County Parks system,” stated Nancy Curtis Patota. “I was raised to appreciate the benefits of community parks, and the recreation programs offered there and will work hard to make sure they remain beautiful, open, and accessible to all who want to enjoy them.”
A lifelong Westchester resident, Nancy grew up frequenting the county parks. Her father, the late Joe Curtis, was commissioner of Parks and Recreation in the cities of New Rochelle and White Plains and Boston, and her sister Kathleen O’Connor currently serves as Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. She is a member of the Business Council of Westchester’s Non-Profit Council and United Way’s Non-Profit Summit Planning Committee. She resides in Rye, NY, where she served two terms on the Board of Architectural Review.
