FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2026
Connecticut Forest & Park Association Welcomes Joey Listro as Next Executive Director
ROCKFALL, CT – The Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA) is pleased to announce Joey Listro as its next Executive Director. He will lead CFPA’s efforts to strengthen the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System, educate and advocate for sustainable forest management, and build a more inclusive conservation movement.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Joey to the CFPA family as our new Executive Director,” says Laurie Giannotti, CFPA Board of Directors President. “His lifelong passion for connecting people to the land and experience building stronger, healthier communities through environmental stewardship will be invaluable as CFPA continues to grow its mission and impact. We are fortunate to have found him and look forward to a successful season with him blazing the way.”
Joey is an experienced and visionary nonprofit leader with Connecticut roots and an impressive record of advancing thoughtful environmental stewardship, deep community engagement, and effective statewide advocacy. His career has been dedicated to ensuring all people have meaningful access to the outdoors.
Building on a career in community-based environmental and education work, Joey returned home to Connecticut and founded New Britain ROOTS. He grew it from a grassroots idea into a vibrant organization recognized across the region for its impact on urban agriculture, environmental education, and community-based stewardship. As Executive Director, he built programs serving thousands of youth and families each year. He secured and managed over $4 million in funding and developed community engagement initiatives in environmental justice neighborhoods, working with agencies including the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, municipal public works, and public schools.
Under Joey’s leadership, New Britain ROOTS recently secured funding from CT DEEP’s Urban & Community Forestry Trees for Communities Grant program for their Rooted Together: Tree Stewardship and Youth Green Jobs Initiative, a project designed to increase the tree cover, expand the canopy, and improve local green spaces in New Britain. Working in cooperation with Central Connecticut State University, the funding will help the organization plant 100 shade trees across the city, restore older trees, create a school orchard, and provide young people with job training in environmental work.
A respected policy advocate, Joey has helped pass laws that improve land access for beginning farmers, expand environmental education, strengthen local food systems, and establish funding for the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant program. His public service also includes five years on the New Britain Board of Education, where he served as Chair for a public school district serving 10,000 students.
“Joining the Connecticut Forest & Park Association is an incredible honor,” says Listro. “CFPA has shaped Connecticut’s conservation story for more than a century, and I am energized by the opportunity to help carry that legacy forward. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated partners, volunteers, and trail maintainers whose commitment strengthens CFPA’s mission every day, and to ensuring that our forests, parks, and trail systems remain vibrant, accessible, and protected for generations to come.”
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About the Connecticut Forest & Park Association:
Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1895. CFPA connects people to forests, parks, and Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails to ensure their protection and management for future generations. With the help of volunteers, members, and partners, CFPA maintains the 825-mile Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails System, advocates for laws protecting Connecticut’s natural resources, conserves land for today and tomorrow, educates communities on sustainable forest management, and is the statewide coordinator of Connecticut Trails Day. Learn more and get involved at www.ctwoodlands.org.
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Media Contact:
Meaghan Strange, Communications Coordinator
mstrange@ctwoodlands.org / (860) 398-4539