David Queeley, community leader, project manager and urban planner, will join the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) staff as the Deputy Director of Projects starting March 1, 2022. In his role at MyRWA, Dave will lead the team charged with creating Greenways, improving water quality, reducing urban heat, and building climate and social resilience, while also fostering deeper and more meaningful relationships with communities that have traditionally been under-represented.
“The success of MyRWA’s on-the-ground projects depends on meaningful participation of community members who care deeply about their local communities,” said Patrick Herron, Executive Director of MyRWA. “I am excited to welcome Dave, as he brings a wealth of experience in creating shared visions and involving community members that result in both quality of life and environmental improvements for our communities.”
Dave was most recently the Director of Eco-Innovation for the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC). In that role, he helped create Boston’s first ecological and sustainable neighborhood-scale district that includes Boston’s first Slow Streets project, improved green infrastructure, tree plantings, and a LEED-ND designation framework for a portion of the district. As part of these efforts, he also helped residents and small businesses save money by insulating their homes and by adding solar.
“I’m very excited to join MyRWA, and I look forward to bringing new ideas and approaches to projects on a watershed scale,” said Dave. “I am committed to expanding MyRWA’s focus on Lower Mystic and other communities and neighborhoods in the Mystic Watershed by bringing greenways, green infrastructure and engaging communities on related projects by prioritizing their concerns.”
David’s past positions include: Consultant to the The Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities; Vice President and Senior Planner at New Ecology, Inc.; Vice President for Community and Government Affairs at the Prospect Park Alliance; the first Director of the Mass Audubon Society’s Boston Nature Center; and Senior Planner for the Metropolitan District Commission (now DCR) in Massachusetts.
“We are thrilled to be adding Dave to our leadership team at the Mystic River Watershed Association,” said Shannon Ames, Board Chair. “As we look to build on the next fifty years of work, Dave’s experiences will be instrumental in implementing projects that reflect all our communities.”
"I have had the great fortune to have known Dave for nearly twenty years as a valued colleague and friend," said Julie Wormser, Senior Policy Advisory at the MyRWA. "I feel like a little kid on my birthday to finally have the chance to work together at MyRWA."
Dave currently serves as an Associate Park Commissioner for the City of Boston; served on the Mayor’s GoBoston 2030 Task Force and the Mayor’s Zero Waste Task Force for the City; was a 2014 recipient of the John O’Connor Award for Grassroots Leadership from Clean Water Action, and was a recipient of the 2016 Golden Shoe Award from Walk Boston, a statewide walking advocacy organization.
