The Wave Hill public garden and cultural center in Riverdale has a new president and executive director to oversee the 28-acre museum without walls. Ray Oladapo-Johnson will bring his more than 20 years of experience as a horticulturist to the role beginning late July.
Oladapo-Johnson, 53, is joining Wave Hill after six years as the vice president of park operations and chief safety officer at Friends of the High Line. He also worked at the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo for eight years as curator and director of horticulture.
A board vote to verify Oladapo-Johnson’s appointment was the last step in a six-month, national search process conducted by a search committee of Wave Hill board members, staff and other stakeholders. Before ultimately choosing Oladapo-Johnson as the newest president and executive director, the search committee identified three finalists from more than 300 potential applicants.
“Ray Oladapo-Johnson stood out as someone with deep knowledge and love of horticulture, a commitment to inclusion and a decades-long admiration for Wave Hill,” Wave Hill Board Co-Chairs Ezra Borut and Sarah Gund said in a press release announcing Oladapo-Johnson’s appointment. “He is passionate about our mission and will bring deep operational experience, creativity and joyful energy and excitement to his new role. We are thrilled to have him as our next leader of Wave Hill.”
The position has been held by Karen Meyerhoff for the past eight years, during which time Wave Hill adapted to pandemic-related conditions to prevail as a crucial oasis for Bronxites, while extending its reach through hybrid opportunities.
In an interview with the Bronx Times, Oladapo-Johnson said his main goal once he assumes his new role is to “really get to know the place, learn the staff, understand the culture, get a feel for it.”
Oladapo-Johnson, who said he was filled with “ecstasy” when he learned he got the job a few weeks ago, became infatuated with horticulture when he first stepped into a plant nursery as a child. He defines horticulture as the “interaction between plants and people,” and in regards to an urban setting, it is the “essential nature of nature.”
For Oladapo-Johnson, Wave Hill is “one of the most precious oases in the City of New York.” He specifically loves the center for its unique and extraordinary gardening.
“This place has been my navigational Northstar,” Oladapo-Johnson said. “I’ve been tracking towards Wave Hill my entire career.”
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