After former executive director of the New York nonprofit Van Alen Institute, David van der Leer, announced that he was stepping down in October of last year, the hunt to find a replacement leader for the 125-year-old institution was on. Now, Deborah Marton, currently the executive director of the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (NYRP), has been tapped to lead Van Alen.

Marton’s experience in advocating for open space in the built environment, whether it be as the former executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space, her five years as director of the NYRP, or her position on the board of the Landscape Architecture Foundation, seems to be in natural alignment with Van Alen’s mission.

“Deborah brings extensive experience to Van Alen in successfully mobilizing professionals across various sectors—architecture, urban design, ecology, public health—to take an interdisciplinary approach that effects positive change, particularly among underserved communities. Her passionate, innovative and collaborative leadership in addressing complex issues will be invaluable in executing the single largest program in our history being launched this fall,” said Van Alen board of trustees chair Jared Della Valle in a press release.

“Van Alen Institute stands alone in its ability to render visible the complex systems that govern our physical environment,” wrote Marton, “effectively bridging the gap between pure knowledge and built form. I am privileged to be joining Van Alen’s outstanding team and look forward to building on the organization’s 125-year history as a leading voice in unearthing unconventional solutions to our most significant social, ecological and cultural challenges.”