Dix Park Conservancy President and CEO Janet Cowell will step down from her position in the fall.
The board of the Dix Park Conservancy announced Wednesday former board chair Orage Quarles will serve as the interim CEO.
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Cowell plans to step down on Oct. 4 as she prepares to run for Raleigh mayor.
Heading the conservancy board’s search task force are Jim Hansen, regional president at PNC Bank, and former Raleigh mayor Nancy McFarlane. The search for the new president and CEO will remain open until the leader is named by the board.
Several other candidates are vying to become Raleigh mayor, including Paul Fitts, Eugene Myrick, James Shaughnessy and Terrance (Truth) Ruth.
Incumbent Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin is not seeking reelection.
The Dix Park Conservancy is the city’s partner in the public-private partnership that is building Dix Park based on a master plan informed by a broad and effective program of public input and approved by the city council.
“Dix Park is more vibrant and active than ever, thanks in large part to Janet’s strong leadership of the Conservancy,” said board chair Bill Ross. “Our donor base is robust and expanding, our staff is remarkable, our partnership with the City of Raleigh is efficient and productive, and our slate of attractions is at an all-time high and growing.
"We thank Janet for her service and look forward to a bright, transformational future as North Carolina’s park for and by the people.”
Cowell became the president of the Dix Park Conservancy in January 2021. The conservancy said she helped raise $40 million in private funding and launched projects such as the restoration of the park’s historic Stone Houses and an ambitious public art initiative.
In 2025, Dix Park will unveil the 18.5-acre Gipson Play Plaza, a public space for people of all ages with play spaces, works of art, a civic plaza, fountains and gardens.