Robert Pirani is Regional Plan Association's Director of Environmental Programs and Executive Director of the Governors Island Alliance. His responsibilities include developing and directing programs in parks and open space advocacy, land use management, water quality protection, and recycling and waste prevention.

The nation's oldest regional planning organization, Regional Plan Association has worked since 1929 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county, 13,000 square mile New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan area. On the basis of professional research, the Association recommends policy improvements, fosters cooperation among various government and private organizations, and involves the public in considering and shaping its own future. The Governors Island Alliance is a coalition of civic, environmental, and preservation organizations working to celebrate the Island’s rich history, create memorable parks and public spaces, and ensure appropriate reuse of the Island and its historic structures.

Before coming to RPA in 1986, Mr. Pirani worked as a county planner in western Massachusetts and for several national and regional environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, the Connecticut River Watershed Council, and the National Audubon Society. Mr. Pirani holds a Master's Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from Hampshire College.