After three years at Awbury Arboretum, Sara Stevenson is stepping into a new role at the helm of Philadelphia’s largest park Friends group.

Stevenson has been named the new executive director of the Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW), the nonprofit announced on Dec. 8. The Philadelphia native will officially begin the role on Jan. 12, leading a team of 13 staff members, 2,000 volunteers and 3,000 members.

“It’s a rare opportunity to be a part of FOW. I’ve loved the Wissahickon for a long time, and I’ve always admired FOW’s blend of conservation, stewardship and community engagement,” Stevenson told the Local.

FOW, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, manages more than 2,000 acres of land, hundreds of wildlife species and assets worth $3 million, as of 2024.

The organization selected Stevenson out of more than 100 candidates, after former executive director Ruffian Tittman departed in March and director of development Sarah Marley took over as interim executive director.

The transition is bittersweet for Stevenson, who’s leaving her role as executive director of Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown after helping it through a period of expansion and financial growth. Like FOW, the nonprofit is dedicated to conserving urban woodlands and providing free recreational space for Philadelphians.

Stevenson said she’s excited for the chance to lead an organization of this scale and help conserve Wissahickon’s ecologically diverse landscape, which draws more than two million visitors a year.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure that nature is accessible. And I think that Awbury and the Wissahickon answer this call beautifully,” she said.

Formative years

Growing up in Ardmore, Stevenson hiked in Wissahickon Valley Park and spent summers at Camp Walden in Maine, gaining a passion for the outdoors. In high school, she found she had a knack for Latin. Stevenson earned a bachelor’s degree in Classics and taught Latin for four years.

While getting her master’s degree in Latin, Stevenson took a break from teaching and started gardening more frequently. Something clicked.

“The feeling I would get at the end of the day was so different. I really enjoyed being outside, getting my hands dirty, learning about plants,” she said.

From 2010-11, she interned at Morris Arboretum & Gardens, where she realized she could pursue a career in public gardens.

“It was one of the best years I’ve had in my career, because it was so fun, and it was so varied. And it really showed me where I belonged,” she said.

As recommended by one of her supervisors, Paul Meyer, she earned a master’s in Public Garden Management through a program with the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. In that program, she became familiar with Awbury, a 56-acre public garden and farm. Years later, the executive director position opened up while she was working at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability in Ithaca, New York.

Stevenson said she was drawn to Awbury’s mission of providing residents more equitable access to green spaces. The arboretum is open to the public every year, free of charge.

“This was the perfect step,” she said.

Impact on Awbury

Stevenson came to Awbury during a time when the arboretum had started coming back from a lull period, with few programs and paid staff members, said Project Manager Chris Van de Velde, who served as the volunteer executive director for 10 years. Its first paid executive director, Heather Zimmerman, was hired in 2021, he said.

“The rest of us knew we had to get some programs and find funding, but we didn’t really have a big picture of what Awbury could and what it could be as a service to its community. And Sara came with that vision,” Van de Velde said.

Under Stevenson, Awbury received more than $1 million in grants, expanded earned revenue, added four positions and created its 2025-28 strategic plan.

“It’s making all the difference. It sort of filtered everything that we’ve been excited about the last decade, and gives us direction. We also redid our mission vision values as part of that process,” Deputy Director Branda O’Neil said.

Van de Velde said Stevenson’s success at Awbury can also be attributed to her focus on programming, which included adding The Lightning House and Prescribe Outside, and partnering with more schools, agencies and nonprofits.

The team just received funding for a volunteer coordinator, which will help Awbury continue expanding volunteer engagement, Stevenson said. She plans on prioritizing volunteer engagement at FOW as well.

“They are the heart as well… the people that love this place and give their most precious resource, which is their time,” she said.

FOW

In the coming year, Stevenson will be tasked with fundraising, leading FOW through the final phase of its 2023-26 strategic plan and brainstorming strategies for 2027, among other responsibilities. One of FOW’s goals in the plan was to double its number of financial supporters by 2026.

Stevenson said Philadelphia parks have long been underfunded and the Wissahickon requires sustained city investment. FOW will seek both government support and build partnerships with private donors and organizations, she said.

“This (mayoral) administration has prioritized clean, green spaces; the test now is turning that focus into lasting, strategic impact,” she said.

In the coming years, FOW will need to tackle significant threats to Wissahickon Valley Park, which include the rapid spread of beech leaf disease and invasive species.

She also plans on continuing her efforts to increase public access to green spaces at the Wissahickon.

“I think to be able to have this access to nature is a basic right,” she said. “It’s a human right to have these spaces to breathe, think and break away from the built environment that we’ve created. And to have it at our fingertips like this and to have that access is unfortunately rare, but it’s so special.”

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.