Anthony Sama has recently been appointed the new administrator of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. He will also serve as the executive director of the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, replacing former administrator/executive director Janice Melnick, who held the position for the last 19 years.
“We are excited that Anthony will bring his expertise and care for public service to his new role as Executive Director of our Alliance and Administrator for Flushing Meadows Corona Park,” FMCP Alliance Chair Daniel Zausner said in a statement. “We look forward to working with him.”
Sama previously served as the Director of Citywide Special Events for NYC Parks Department, a position he has held since 2009. A Queens native and graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, he went on to attend New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is also married with two young children, who he says will be among the most devoted participants involved in upcoming activities at the park.
“I’m proud to be part of the flagship park of Queens and the fourth-largest park in New York City,” Sama said in a statement. “I’m honored to have been selected to help represent some of the most fascinating and diverse neighborhoods in the country. It will be my privilege to continue the great work of those who stewarded Flushing Meadows Corona Park before me, from keeping the park clean and safe to celebrating our cultural heritage and environmental legacy.”
In his role with NYC Parks, Sama has overseen the growth and execution of many of New York City’s premier special events on parkland, including the NYC Marathon and the Global Citizen Festival. For more than ten years, he has worked closely with communities, elected officials, and large organizations to standardize event processes and policies and help create meaningful and fun public programs in compliance with complex policies and needs.
“Throughout his career at NYC Parks, Anthony has played an integral role in connecting and representing partners, stakeholders, and the public we all serve,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in statement. “Over the past two years in particular, Anthony has shown great leadership by coordinating the distribution of over half a million masks to New Yorkers in parks, overseeing the build-out of a hospital on Central Park’s East Meadow, and working with more than 350 city schools to bring the City’s Outdoor Learning Initiative to life in city parks. I am confident his vast experience, and ‘can-do’ attitude, will benefit him in this new position.”
