Chris Cook brings extensive experience to The Greenway, having most recently served as the Chief of Environment, Energy & Open Space for the City of Boston. He has spent his career working to strategically position open spaces to foster community, adapt to climate change, and promote public health and wellness through design excellence and management. In his time as Boston’s Parks Commissioner, Cook comprehensively worked on initiatives to make Boston’s open spaces more equitable and accessible. As the former Director of the previous Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism, & Special Events, Cook also played a key role in advancing cultural tourism and fostering the growth of Boston’s cultural community.

Meg Mainzer-Cohen has served as President and Executive Director of the Back Bay Association since 2000, leading the organization’s efforts to strengthen the economic vitality and quality of Boston’s Back Bay. Working alongside a board of business leaders, she serves as a key liaison between the neighborhood’s businesses and property owners and city and state officials, advocating on issues ranging from economic development and permitting to hospitality and the public realm. Since 2023, Meg has led the Back Bay Association’s effort to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) for the neighborhood. The proposed BID would provide dedicated resources for business advocacy, daily cleaning and maintenance, connections to services for people experiencing homelessness, and seasonal beautification. The effort has secured support from a significant coalition of Back Bay property owners and continues to advance toward the formal petition process. Earlier in her career, Meg served as CEO of the Somerville Community Corporation and as Events and Public Relations Director for the Downtown Crossing Association. She has also served on and chaired the Boston Finance Commission. Her career spans community development, business advocacy, economic development, and public-private collaboration across Greater Boston.

Charlayne Murrell-Smith is the Vice President of External Relations and Corporate Development at the Boston Children's Museum. She stewards the museum's civic, community, and corporate stakeholder relationships to advance its mission, programs, public profile, and financial health. She also plays a pivotal role in the Boston Children's Museum's many outreach initiatives benefiting children and families in Boston and beyond. Charlayne is the recipient of the Pinnacle Award for achievement in nonprofit management from the Women's Network of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Her many recognitions include being named one of the EXTRAordinary Women of Boston by the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement; one of the 100 Most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected and the National Center for Race Amity at Wheelock College; a Leading Woman by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts; and a Harbor Hero by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. A resident of Roxbury, Charlayne holds a BA from Wellesley College and a MEd from Northeastern University. Her current affiliations include the Boards of Directors of the Boston Children’s Chorus, Friends of Fort Point Channel, Friends of Martin’s Park, Inc., Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Third Sector New England, Seaport TMA, Wellesley College Alumnae Association, and YMCA of Greater Boston. She is also on the advisory boards of Boston Harbor Now and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network and Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Council.

Michael J. Nichols joined the DBA as President in October 2022 and directs the organization’s work to significantly improve the experience of all who live, work, visit, own a business, go to school, or shop in Downtown Boston. Michael leads a visible, high-impact, 12-year-old organization that provides supplemental services within the 34-block DBA to support a clean, safe, and welcoming neighborhood. The DBA works to promote and foster an energetic, thriving, and inclusive business climate in the area and serves as the voice and advocate for Boston’s central business district. Under Michael’s leadership, the group has developed a multi-faceted economic development agenda to lead an equitable and impactful revitalization effort as downtown faces a new post-pandemic reality. Michael joined the DBA after five years as Executive Director of the Esplanade Association, a non-profit friends group for Boston’s Charles River Esplanade. At the Esplanade, Michael was responsible for setting a new strategic direction for the organization that included legislative authorization of the $20 million Charlesbank Landing redevelopment project, the launch of the group’s climate action and public art initiatives, and the completion of numerous other capital improvement projects and program upgrades. Michael has a long record of serving his community, having served on the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees, the Mayor’s ONEin3/SPARK Boston Council, an Adjunct Professor at two Boston-area colleges, and as President of the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association in Boston. Michael presently serves as a mayoral appointee to the Boston Zoning Commission. He is an admitted attorney in Massachusetts with a BA and JD from the University of Connecticut.

Maria Noguera is an urban planner and designer with the Downtown Boston Alliance, where she works to support the continued evolution of Downtown Boston as a vibrant, people-centered urban district. Her work is grounded in the intersection of urban planning, design, and architecture, with a particular interest in applying transformative and equitable design strategies in partnership with communities.

Tom Ryan serves as Executive Director of the Greenway Business Improvement District (BID) and Senior Advisor on Policy, Government & Community Affairs at A Better City. As Executive Director, Tom oversees the BID’s approximately $2 million budget and works in partnership with the Greenway Conservancy, property owners, and city and state officials to support capital improvements, public programming, safety initiatives, and activation along Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway. Tom joined A Better City in 2015, where his work includes policy development, legislative advocacy, transportation finance, and relationships with public officials and other stakeholders. He previously spent eleven years in Massachusetts state government, holding positions within the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and the House Committee on Ways & Means. Tom holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bowdoin College.

Yanni Tsipis is Senior Vice President – Fenway / Seaport Development at WS Development in Boston and oversees the company’s Boston Seaport project, a 33-acre, 20-block, 7.6 million square foot mixed-use development currently under construction in Boston’s Seaport District, as well as a 2 million square foot mixed-use development surrounding Fenway Park in Boston’s historic Fenway neighborhood. Prior to his tenure at WS, Yanni spent nearly 15 years at Colliers International after completing undergraduate and graduate studies at MIT in civil engineering and planning. At Colliers, Yanni focused his work on managing large-scale urban development and historic rehabilitation projects. His project experience at Colliers included multiple commercial, multifamily residential, hotel, and other project types, and spanned over $2 billion of development projects, all in the City of Boston. Yanni lives in Westwood and has written four books about the history of the city’s transportation infrastructure. He serves on numerous non-profit boards and is a past member of the Boston Landmarks Commission. Yanni has been involved with the CRE in various capacities since 2001.