Back in the mid-1990s, Doug Widener would come to Atlanta to visit friends and walk to Piedmont Park.

When considering places where he would like to live, Atlanta was always on his shortlist.

But Widener ended up taking a detour of a couple of decades (living primarily in Chicago) before moving to Atlanta to become the new president and CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy in late October.

“Piedmont Park is a special place,” Widener said in. a far-reaching interview that included lunch and a stroll through the park. “I want to play whatever role I can — small, medium or large — to help preserve, protect and enhance this park for generations to come.”

Before coming to Atlanta, Widener served as executive director of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Conservancy beginning in April 2018. Lincoln Park is a five-mile linear park that includes the Chicago History Museum and the Lincoln Park Zoo, but they are not part of the Conservancy.

Widener, an unapologetic environmentalist, also served in various roles with the U.S. Green Building Council from 2006 to 2018.

During the interview, Widener, 53, described himself as an open book. He and his husband, Mark Becker, have been together 32 years, and they recently bought a condo in Midtown. Widener is the first CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy to live within walking distance of the park, as best I can remember.

“I want to be an active part of the community. I plan on walking to work every day I can,” Widener said. “I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

The search committee felt the same way. The Conservancy’s board spent the better part of a year seeking a new president and CEO after the announcement that Mark Banta would retire.

“We lucked out,” said Ellen Saachi, board chair of the Piedmont Park Conservancy. “We searched high and low nationwide and…