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George Dusenbury serves as the Vice President Southern Region, and the Georgia, Florida, and Chesapeake State Director at Trust for Public Land. Dusenbury leads a team of professionals who are working to improve access to the Chattahoochee River, to increase the number of residents in the south who have a park within a 10-minute walk of home, and to develop coalitions and partnerships to dramatically change how communities interact with the outdoors. In 2022, Dusenbury was named one of the 100 most influential Georgians by Georgia Trend. It’s a testament to his lifelong commitment to creating parks and green spaces in places where too few residents reap the benefits of green space.

From 2010 to 2014 Dusenbury served as commissioner of the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department. During his tenure, he helped expand park acreage in the city while increasing the percentage of local residents living within a half-mile of a park. He also led an effort to reopen 16 closed recreation centers and transform them through high performing youth-development programs.

Prior to his appointment as commissioner, Dusenbury was executive cirector of Park Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to building civic and corporate support for Atlanta’s parks. During his six years at Park Pride, the organization significantly increased its capacity while launching a wide range of programs designed to increase community leadership, bring gardens to underserved neighborhoods, and help residents create and implement community master plans for parks. Also under his leadership, the organization expanded its geographic scope and played a pivotal role in engaging community groups and corporate partners to realize the vision of the Atlanta BeltLine, a transformative urban park and trail system.

Dusenbury first became active in Atlanta’s environmental community while serving as legislative director and district director for Congressman John Lewis. In these roles, he was responsible for the Congressman’s work on transportation, clean air, clean water and smart growth issues, including expanding tax incentives supporting alternative commute options like transit and biking. During these years, Dusenbury developed his understanding of the importance of parks and green spaces in the context of equity, economics and health.

Dusenbury earned a B.S. degree in English from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University where he served as the president of the Environmental Law Society. He has been a Certified Park and Recreation Professional through the National Recreation and Park Association, is a member of the Historic Oakland board of directors and is a graduate of regional leadership programs.

INTRODUCTION: Michael McPherson