Franco Campanello
President
I was born in Queens, New York in 1948 and grew up on Long Island. I graduated from StonyBrook university and taught science for 5 years. I moved to Boston in 1976. I was a waiter, cook and baker until I opened Cafe Calypso in 1981 with my partner Caleb. In 1983 we opened Metropolitan Health Club and ran that business until we sold it in 2006. I lived on The Corridor at that time and watched it die. When my neighbor Joe Short asked me to run the Conservancy, I was delighted and scared at the same time; Delighted to have the project of a lifetime and scared since I knew nothing. In the heart of this great City on a Hill, I could restore a once beautiful park. I started as Concierge at Marriott Copley in 2008, while I worked on the park. I retired from the Marriott in 2020 and devote most of my time to managing a group of 20-30 volunteers caring for the park, and working with the best board a president could have.
