Meagan Elliott is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Belle Isle Conservancy, the nonprofit arm of a 982-acre island park situated in the Detroit River between the United States and Canada.
The Conservancy’s mission is to protect, preserve, restore, and enhance the natural environment, historic structures, and unique character of Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all, now and forever. She has spent the last decade leading green space planning initiatives for the City of Detroit, first as the City’s first Chief Parks Planner and, since 2021, as Deputy CFO over Development and Grants, where she oversaw $2.3 billion in grant funds, including all American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Elliott led the Joe Louis Greenway Framework Plan, was the public partner lead in the $350 million campaign for a Unified Greenway for the Joe Louis Greenway and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and serves as co-chair to the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership, which activates this 30-mile green space.
Elliott earned her doctorate in Sociology and her master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.