Kronsberg brings decades of stewardship and community ties to the table
Growing up “in the garden of Charleston,” Jason Kronsberg spent summers enjoying family trips to Sullivan’s Island and exploring the black waters of what’s now known as the ACE Basin, instilling an early love for Lowcountry environments. A 1995 graduate of Colorado State University, he earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and spent the next 13 years working on projects ranging from resort planning to park design along the East Coast and across the Midwest.
Kronsberg joined the City of Charleston as a project manager for the parks department in 2010 and was promoted to parks director under the recommendation of Mayor John Tecklenburg six years later. In January, he was named the executive director of the Charleston Parks Conservancy (CPC). In his role leading the nonprofit, Kronsberg manages a network of green spaces, playgrounds, and other facilities and directs a staff of arborists, horticulturalists, landscape architects, and more. Here, he discusses the responsibilities of his new position and the vital presence of public parks.
CM: What are some of your best early memories spent outdoors?
JK: East Bay Playground, now Hazel Parker Playground, was home court for me and my siblings. After school, everyone would go to the playground for the afternoon; it was an essential part of our day. Second to that were birthday parties at the Angel Oak, a little less frequent but nonetheless formative in my life.
CM: How did that influence your initial work in landscape architecture?
JK: My parents encouraged me to create a garden and patio in our backyard during high school that was based on plans that they had drawn up by a local landscape architect. As I prepared to go to college, the fabric of the city’s historic homes, parks, and gardens became more apparent to me as intentionally designed places.
CM: Why are neighborhood parks and other public green spaces so important?
JK: Parks are owned by everyone; they’re the common denominator of our society—places where we learn team sports, how to win and lose; places of beauty and inspiration that serve our community in so many ways socially. And from an environmental lens, parks produce oxygen and absorb rainwater, creating environmentally resilient communities.
CM: Tell us about some initiatives you’ve had a hand in.
JK: When I started with the City, its playground maintenance budget was barely enough to purchase replacement parts for old equipment. My introduction to the Charleston Parks Conservancy was in 2012 as the City’s nonprofit partner in the community-led renovation of Corrine Jones Playground in Wagener Terrace. That was a wonderful model of the public and private coming together to make a difference, and that program has since replaced aging equipment at 23 locations and added an additional 18 new playgrounds at 13 parks. The goal is to ensure every child in Charleston has access to a safe and vibrant place to play.
CM: You spent more than a decade working with the City’s parks department; what will transfer to this new position?
JK: Understanding the city’s park system; budgeting; and relationships with the mayor, city council, staff, and the community are at the core of what I’ll bring to my new role. Being a child of the parks and rec program along with being a professional landscape architect set me up for success in Charleston.
CM: What are your biggest goals as the new director?
JK: As the Conservancy enters its 20th anniversary year, I want to set the nonprofit on a resilient path for the next 20 years with the mission to “cultivate exceptional public gardens and experiences in Charleston’s city parks.” In 2027, we’ll introduce a new fundraising campaign to create a maintenance endowment for Colonial Lake, one of the city’s oldest dedicated public green spaces.
CM: How does the history and culture of Charleston shape the projects you oversee?
JK: One of CPC’s core values is to respect the historic context of the city’s public spaces while stewarding parks for future generations. For instance, White Point Garden was named for the bleached shell bank that settlers noticed when they entered Charleston Harbor for the first time and has kept that name since it was established as a park in the 1830s. Our stewardship is of the utmost importance to preserve these types of resources for generations to come.
