2022 ASLA-NY President’s Award for Design Excellence: Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner

President’s Award for Design Excellence in the Public Realm: Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation President’s Award for Excellence in Ecological Conservation Erik Kulleseid has served as Commissioner since January 2019, leading State Parks through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as major capital initiatives including opening the new Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn, an award-winning rebuilding project at Niagara Falls State Park, the new Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center on Long Island, planned new Parks in Kingston and Rochester, and the opening of the Autism Nature Trail in Letchworth State Park, a first-of-its kind trail designed specifically for people on the autism spectrum and their families. State Parks and Historic Sites have set annual attendance records in 2019, 2020 and 2021 under his tenure. At State Parks, Erik has focused on rebuilding New York’s unsurpassed state park system, expanding access to the broadest cross-section of New Yorkers and visitors, embracing new technologies and efficiencies, and fostering the commercial, nonprofit, and volunteer public-private partnerships that are so crucial for delivering the best visitor experience possible.