Prospect Park

Parks & Recreation Appoints Kevin Jeffrey As Brooklyn Borough Commissioner

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today announced the appointment of Kevin Jeffrey as Borough Commissioner of Brooklyn. Kevin first joined Parks 31 years ago, most recently serving as Deputy Commissioner for Public Programs. Kevin will succeed Julius Spiegel who recently retired as Borough Commissioner after serving in that position for 29 years.

“Parks is pleased to welcome Kevin Jeffrey to his new seat as Brooklyn Borough Commissioner,” said Commissioner Benepe. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Kevin since we were both in the first class of Urban Park Rangers in 1979, and his dedication to and love of parks is as prevalent now as it was then. Kevin’s experience as Deputy Commissioner, overseeing the Parks Enforcement Patrol and Urban Park Rangers as well as the recreation division, is an invaluable resource that he will bring to the borough.”

“As a long term Parkie and a Brooklyn resident, I am thrilled to start a new path as Brooklyn Borough Commissioner,” said Kevin Jeffrey. “Brooklyn is the home to some of the city’s most loved parks, from McCarren Park to Prospect Park to Owl’s Head Park. Brooklyn’s parks have seen a phenomenal level of capital investment and are more heavily utilized than ever before. I look forward to maintaining the level of success that Commissioner Spiegel has set as a standard for the borough.”

Kevin was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn Friends School and Syracuse University. He then returned to Brooklyn, joining the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation in May 1979 in the first class of Urban Park Rangers. During his tenure with NYC Parks he supervised the Mounted Rangers Unit and, served as Executive Director of the Parks Enforcement Patrol, Chief of Operations of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Brooklyn’s Chief of Recreation. Kevin left NYC Parks to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Recreation, Programs and Services with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He was later appointed Regional Director of State Parks holdings in New York City.

Kevin again returned to Brooklyn in 1997, taking on the role of Executive Director of the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA where he spearheaded the task of revitalizing this large urban youth development facility. He has also served as a trainer and coordinator in the design and implementation of Total Quality Management programs within the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the National Parks Service.

As Deputy Commissioner for Public Programs, Kevin Jeffrey has focused on program innovation and the creation of partnerships that align the Parks mission with that of the NYC Departments of Health and Education. He is committed to expanding recreational, educational, and athletic opportunities for all New Yorkers.

Kevin resides in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and has two sons. He spends his free time enjoying fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities with his family.