The Brooklyn Heights Association announces, with much regret, that it has begun a search for a new Executive Director to replace Peter Bray, who will be leaving his post at the end of June to attend to a serious health issue within his family.

According to BHA President Martha Bakos Dietz, "Peter Bray has been invaluable during his tenure at the BHA in strengthening the organization to best serve the community of Brooklyn Heights. He has been a wise leader, a persuasive advocate, and a stalwart colleague. On a personal level, he has made my job as President infinitely easier. We are so sorry to see him leave and we wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future."

Since becoming Executive Director in 2015, Bray has worked closely with the BHA’s Board of Governors to manage the BHA’s response to many issues that faced the community. Among those efforts have been the BHA’s legal actions to limit developments in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the implementation of a successful grassroots campaign to secure State authorization of a Design Build approach for the BQE, the historic designation of two buildings on Montague Street that link the Brooklyn Heights and Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic Districts, and on-going involvement in a local coalition advocating for changes to the City’s plan for a borough-wide jail system.

Bray has helped coordinate the BHA’s efforts to-date to replace the City’s plan for a temporary six-lane Promenade Highway with a less destructive alternative that would move traffic away from thousands of local residents. A temporary alternative proposed by the BHA has gained significant support throughout the community and is now being studied as a potentially viable option by the NYC Department of Transportation.

Bray has also extended the BHA’s traditional efforts to resolve problems with the delivery of City services and to improve the community’s quality of life. By working with residents and City agencies, Bray has overseen the BHA’s projects to slow traffic on Brooklyn Heights streets and to repair streets, like Love Lane and College Place, that had been long-neglected. He has helped promote the BHA’s sponsorship of family-oriented events in Pierrepont Playground, launch a new program to foster healthier street trees, and spearhead Brooklyn’s first designer showhouse.

While it will be very difficult to replace Peter Bray, the BHA is actively searching for a new Executive Director. We welcome the interest of all persons who feel passionate about working in New York City’s greatest neighborhood and want to contribute to the BHA’s mission to protect and strengthen Brooklyn Heights’s quality of life. The description of this position is posted here. Applicants are requested to submit an application by May 3rd to jobs@thebha.org.