Meera Joshi, the city’s former Deputy Mayor for Operations, is taking charge of a new group of New Yorkers: the 570,000 permanent residents of Green-Wood Cemetery.
Joshi, who resigned from City Hall earlier this year over Mayor Eric Adams’ willingness to cooperate with President Donald Trump, has been named president of the cemetery by its Board of Trustees.
“It is an honor to join the amazing Green-Wood team as we together write the next chapter of this magical institution’s history,” Joshi said in a statement. “From the over 570,000 New York stories of Green-Wood’s residents to the most unique natural green public space in New York City, Green-Wood offers serenity, beauty and adventure for all — a true city and national public gem that everyone, especially, true New Yorkers, must visit.”
After an “extensive search,” the board chose Joshi based on her “exceptional leadership, deep management skills, and comprehensive understanding of how to navigate complex urban challenges,” according to Green-Wood.
Joshi served as Adams’ Deputy Mayor for Operations for three years, overseeing the city’s infrastructure and operations-related agencies — including the offices for Climate and Environmental Justice, Environmental Remediation, Environmental Protection, Sanitation, Parks, and more. She had previously spent five years as the CEO of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission and one as a deputy administrator at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and is vice chair of the Hudson River Park Trust Board of Directors.
She — and three other deputy mayors — resigned in February, after an alleged “quid pro quo” deal wherein Adams agreed to cooperate with President Trump’s immigration policies in exchange for having his federal corruption charges tossed out. Adams’ case has since been dismissed, with the federal judge who presided over it indicating in his ruling that he believed the federal government could attempt to use the charges to influence the mayor’s actions.
Peter Davidson, chairman of the board at Green-Wood, told the New York Times the graveyard has “a bunch of old systems that you want to bring up to speed,” including green space, monuments, roads, and sewers — all things Joshi has experience with.
“After two decades devoting my career to improving the lives of New Yorkers, I am thrilled to continue serving our city through the further growth of Green-Wood as a hub for climate resilience, culture, restoration, education, public space and a final resting place,” Joshi said in a statement. “Green-Wood holds our city’s history and our future. I look forward to vigilantly protecting and championing both, and I am grateful to my predecessor, Richard J. Moylan, for his vision, passion, and warm welcome.”
The cemetery sprawls over 478 acres, and is a registered arboretum whose thousands of trees and plants help sequester carbon monoxide, soak up stormwater, and provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife. In recent years, the cemetery taken on climate-related projects like building rain gardens, planting thousands of new trees, and “rewilding” some lawns with native grasses and flowers.
“Green-Wood is one of the oldest and largest green spaces in the city and plays a pivotal role in supporting a sustainable environment, and we are confident that under Meera’s leadership, our commitment to preserving our urban green space will grow even stronger,” Davidson said in a statement. “As a place of sacred remembrance, learning and artistic exploration, Green-Wood will continue to thrive with Meera at the helm.”
Joshi is set to start the job in July, after current president Richard J. Moylan retires. Moylan has held the role for nearly 40 years, and oversaw a “renaissance” at Green-Wood — during his tenure, the cemetery was made a National Historic Landmark, earned international accreditation as an arboretum, expanded its public programming, and restored its grounds.
“Through my 39 years at Green-Wood, I have been immensely proud to help this incredible place grow, thrive, and connect with new audiences,” Moylan said in a statement. “I could not be more confident in our staff and their unwavering passion for Green-Wood. I am proud and optimistic about this institution’s future under Meera’s skilled leadership.”
