Westchester Parks Foundation (WPF), the only organization dedicated exclusively to promoting and supporting Westchester County Parks, has appointed Nancy Curtis Patota as its new director of development. Patota comes to WPF with 25+ years of experience in fundraising and communications across nonprofit higher education, human services, and health-care sectors, as well as retail and marketing industries.
“We are delighted to have someone of Nancy’s caliber join our team at the WPF,” said Seth Mandelbaum, Westchester Parks Foundation chair. “Her proven record in development and fundraising comes at a strategic time for our organization as we are looking to expand many of our signature programs and rely on philanthropic donations for support.”
Prior to joining the WPF, Patota served as the chief development and marketing officer at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and executive director at The Arc Westchester Foundation. She also spent two decades at Iona University in New Rochelle, most recently as assistant vice president in the ddvancement and external affairs office and as an adjunct professor in the LaPenta Business School’s MBA program.
“I’m excited to be here and feel fortunate to have an opportunity to work with a great team in support of a mission that is so near and dear to me – the Westchester County Parks system,” said Patota.
A lifelong Westchester resident, Patota grew up frequenting the county parks. Her father was well-known parks and recreation visionary Joe Curtis, and her sister Kathleen O’Connor currently serves as commissioner, Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. She is a member of The Business Council of Westchester’s Nonprofit Council and United Way’s Nonprofit Summit Planning Committee. She currently resides in Rye, New York, where she served two terms on the Board of Architectural Review.
