Following the most successful year in its history, the Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) took steps recently to ensure its momentum continues.
The 39 acre expanse, just east of its original home in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park began as a minor attraction at the 1939 World’s Fair.
Last September, the Garden opened its new administration building/visitor’s center, the first structure in the City of New York to earn the coveted “Platinum” energy efficiency rating from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, making it a world-beater in “green architecture.”
On Friday, March 21, they announced the appointment of four new board members with strong backgrounds in fundraising, building, and communications. The idea is that their drive and experience will help the Garden execute its ambitious master plan and carry out its mission of promoting sustainability.
Jim Breznay…is an attorney and the founder of New England Federal Savings Bank.
He has extensive experience in development at The New York Botanical Garden, the Jewish Rehabilitation Center in Swampscott, Massachusetts and the Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston.
Breznay will head the Garden’s development committee.
Do H. Chung…is a Senior Partner at Do H. Chung & Partners, with offices in Stamford, Connecticut.
The firm specializes in converting waterfront industrial sites into mixed-use developments and has included projects along the Hudson River near Sleepy Hollow and in Yonkers.
He also serves as an Executive Council Member of The Urban Land Institute and the Regional & Urban Design Committee of the American Institute of Architects architect with offices in Stamford, Connecticut.
Chung has been quoted as favoring the use of traditional designs “to evoke images of the turn of the previous century.”
“I first got involved with QBG in the 1980s, when there was a plan to create an “Oriental Garden,” with Japanese, Korean and other influences,” he explained. “That project never got done for financial reasons.” He said.
Chung is looking forward to involvement in a plan to create an “Event Garden” which would amplify the concept represented by QBG’s Wedding Garden, which will have to relocate under current expansion plans.
“We want to create a garden space which can accommodate up to 300 people,” Chung said. The challenge is to preserve the intimate atmosphere of the current setting for the sake of smaller groups, he intimated.
Frank Mirovsky…is returning for a second tour of service as Board Chair. He had previously headed the board from 2001 to 2004.
He is Manager of Airport Maintenance Services at LaGuardia Airport and has worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for 31 years.
One of the so-called “Two Franks,” - the other being outgoing Board Chair Frank Macchio - Mirovsky has a reputation as a leader skilled at inspiring fellow board members to greater involvement in Garden activities.
“As the incoming Chair, I appreciate the great job Frank Macchio did for the Garden. He has left the Garden a strong, vibrant, and forward-looking institution,” said Mirovsky.
Mack Tham…is a director of sales at Massey Knakal Realty Services, a Manhattan-based real estate company. He joined the firm’s Brooklyn office in 2006, where he also served as director of real estate and commerce for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
In 2007, Tham moved to the Forest Hills office to oversee Queens sales. He sits on the Membership Committee for the Association of Real Estate Women and is a member of the Chinese-American Real Estate Association.
A bachelor, Tham is busy with professional and civic work. “I belong to many organizations,” he said, continuing, “QBG shows leadership in its building and it’s a wonderful free amenity for the people of Queens, especially Flushing.”
A graduate of the University of Calgary in Canada, Tham went on to study at the National University of Singapore, where he earned his Master of Science degree in Real Estate Investment and Development. He obtained a second Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
