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Erik Kulleseid

Commissioner, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Erik Kulleseid

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo named Erik Kulleseid Acting Commissioner in January 2019. Previously, Mr. Kulleseid served as Senior Vice President, Parks and Policy Program for the Open Space Institute.

Mr. Kulleseid previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Open Space Protection at State Parks from 2007 to 2010. Among other accomplishments, he led the state team that oversaw the successful public-private effort to convert an abandoned railroad bridge in Poughkeepsie into the Walkway over the Hudson State Historic Park, the longest pedestrian bridge in the world and now a highly popular state park.

Prior to joining State Parks, Mr. Kulleseid served as the New York State Program Director for The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization, where he led efforts to protect a multitude of New York’s special landscapes over his 13-year tenure, including East River State Park in Brooklyn.