Pease Park Conservancy expands team

Pease Park Conservancy has expanded its executive team as the group heads into implementation of its new master plan. The new members are Chuck Smith, former CEO of Equality Texas, who will serve as director of projects and programming, and Meredith Thomas, former executive director of the Great Springs Project and now the conservancy’s director of development and communications. The two were chosen because of their deep background in nonprofit causes and fundraising for various LGBTQ advocacy causes, Conspirare Austin and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The group’s primary focus is improving the park located along the Shoal Creek greenbelt. City Council approved the park’s new master plan in late 2014.