Charleston Parks Conservancy Grows its Staff with Three New Team Members
Just in time for a busy spring and the launch of several new projects, the Charleston Parks Conservancy is growing.
Amy Carter is the new director of development, leading the Conservancy’s efforts to develop relationships with individuals, companies and foundations. Prior to joining the Conservancy, Carter spent several years in Washington, D.C., at the National Ocean Service and managing conservation and philanthropy programs for the Planning and Conservation League Foundation and Island Conservation in California.
Carter completed a degree in anthropology and environmental studies from the College of Charleston and has a master’s degree in environmental management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University with a focus on coastal resource economics and policy. She serves on volunteer steering committees for Spoleto SCENE and Possibilities Without Borders and is a member of the Junior League of Charleston.
“I am thrilled to join the Conservancy,” Carter said. “I’m an avid user of Charleston’s parks and I’m eager to help the Conservancy bring new resources and communities together to make our great parks even better.”
Leslie Wade is the new community garden coordinator, maintaining the community garden spaces along with volunteers and providing garden-related educational opportunities for the community. Before joining the Conservancy, Wade served as executive director of Adaptive Gardens, a therapeutic horticulture program on Thornhill Farm in McClellanville.
She began her horticulture career as a horticulturalist at the Pender Correctional Institute near Wilmington, N.C., where the skills learned in the greenhouse and in the vegetable fields were used as components of the men’s rehabilitation. Wade has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech.
“I want to be a part of a team that creates the green spaces and gardens that allow people to gather together, learn together, play together and grow together so being a part of the Conservancy is natural for me,” Wade said.
Ashley Wyndham is the Conservancy’s assistant director of development. She will assist with fundraising, special events planning and database management. Previously, she worked for Enough Pie, advocating for art as a vital tool in community and economic development. Wyndham has a bachelor’s degree in arts management and her master’s in public administration from the College of Charleston.
“Working for the Conservancy has allowed me to positively impact my home and better connect with my parks and neighbors,” she said.