Open Space Institute Holds 50th Anniversary Gala Honoring Founders John & Patricia Adams and Longtime President & CEO Kim Elliman
May 10 2024 - 12:47PM
More than 500 guests joined the Open Space Institute (OSI) at the
American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Wednesday,
May 8th to celebrate the organization’s 50th Anniversary Gala. The
event honored board founding chair John Adams and his wife,
Patricia, a vital longtime supporter, as well as Kim Elliman, OSI’s
former President & CEO, who retired in early April after more
than 30 years in his role. Select photos
available
here; full gallery
here.
The Gala raised more than $1.4 million for OSI, a national
leader in land protection and expanding public access to the
outdoors. The event featured a keynote address from Kris
Tompkins, President and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation and
former CEO of the Patagonia outdoor recreation company.
“The Gala was both a wonderful celebration of OSI’s 50 years and
a spirited testament to the enormous values of the smart, strategic
land conservation on which OSI has built its reputation,” said OSI
president and CEO, Erik Kulleseid. “Our deepest thanks to all who
had a hand in making our celebratory event an unparalleled success
including our Board of Trustees, Gala chairs and host committee
members, and our guests. This event was truly one for the
ages.”
"From our beginnings in New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills
regions, OSI has grown into a powerhouse in the fields of land
protection, conservation policy, and improving the public access to
protected land for all,” said OSI Board of Trustees co-chair, Amy
Salzman. “We are extraordinarily proud of everything we have
achieved over the past five decades and prouder yet of the
community of supporters, partners, and friends with whom we share
our success. With the strength of this expansive community, our
committed board of trustees, and stellar staff, we are poised for
continued and greater success in the future."
The event marked OSI’s first-ever Gala. In addition to the Gala,
the organization is celebrating a key milestone this year: 2.5
million acres of land saved directly and with partners throughout
the eastern seaboard of the United States and southern Canada.
OSI extends sincere thanks to the honorary chairs for OSI’s 50th
Anniversary Gala: Christopher C. Davis, Leonard A. Lauder, Kitty
Patterson & Tom Kempner, Larry Rockefeller & Wendy Gordon,
Elizabeth W. Smith, and Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, M.D. They were
joined by honorary co-chairs Kate Adams & Duke Wiser, Tom &
Currie Barron, Lea Paine Highet & Ian Highet, and Amy Salzman
& Randy Milch. The Gala committee comprised Carol Ash, Virginia
& Dana Beach, Anne Perkins Cabot, Kim Elliman & Jennifer
Cunningham, Paul Elston & Frances Beinecke, Buzzy Geduld,
Trustees and Staff of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Joseph
& Carson Gleberman, Jane & Roger Goodell, Holly Hegener
& Jon Cummings, Samuel G. Huber & Catherine Weiss, J.M.
Kaplan Fund, the Klipper Family, Larry & Dana Linden, Michael
Mantell, Barnabas McHenry, Thomas McHenry, the Prospect Hill
Foundation, Jennifer Perkins Speers, Hume Steyer & Nanahya
Santana, Patricia F. Sullivan, Marjorie & Charles Van Dercook,
Robin & Giorgios Vlamis, and Kim & Finn Wentworth.
About Kim Elliman
Christopher “Kim” Elliman is a nationally recognized leader in
land conservation policy, strategy, and advocacy who spent more
than three decades at the helm of OSI as President & CEO. Kim’s
retirement in April 2024 bookended a remarkable era of programmatic
and geographic expansion for OSI, during which the organization
grew from a local, Hudson Valley land trust into a nationally
recognized conservation leader active in 17 states in the eastern
United States and three Canadian provinces. Throughout his career,
Kim has served on numerous boards and foundations, including: the
Adirondack Land Trust; Black Rock Forest Consortium; Butler
Conservation Fund; The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; GROW NYC;
Jamaica Bay Rockaway Parks Conservancy; Overhills Foundation;
Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust; Storm King Arts Center; The
Wilderness Society; the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Yale
School of the Environment Steering Committee.
About John & Patricia Adams
Over their long and storied careers, John and Patricia Adams
have worked together to honor and protect the natural world. John
is the Founding Chairman of OSI and has served as the Chair of the
Board of Trustees since its establishment. He is also Founding
Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He has been the
recipient of numerous awards and commendations in recognition of
his work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest
civilian honor in the United States. John and Patricia have worked
with OSI and local communities to preserve and enhance the Hudson
Valley and the Beaverkill, ensuring and expanding public access and
protecting our precious environmental resources.
About the Open Space Institute
The Open Space Institute is a national leader in land
conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land
more welcoming for all. Since 1974, OSI has partnered in the
protection of more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally
sensitive acres in the eastern U.S. and Canada. OSI’s land
protection promotes clean air and water, improves access to
recreation, provides wildlife habitat, strengthens communities, and
combats climate change, while curbing its devastating effects.
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- OSI's 50th Anniversary Gala Honorees
- OSI 50th Anniversary Gala
Eileen Larrabee
Open Space Institute
5188595069
elarrabee@osiny.org