Throughout the year, Madison Square Park will be highlighting some of our amazing Associate Board Members. Their contributions and work as park ambassadors help to ensure that the park remains clean, green, beautiful, and appreciated all year long.

Today we are featuring Eric Liang, a frequent patron of Madison Square Park and a treasured Associate Board Member. Here’s some more about Eric, in his own words:

My name is Eric Liang, and I’m the Senior Vice President for Real Estate Investments at Columbia Property Trust. I currently live with my wife, Flo, and two kids in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

My first memory at Madison Square Park was waiting in line for Shake Shack during a summer internship that first brought me to New York City back in 2008. A few years later we moved near the park in Chelsea, and would frequently stroll around after work. Madison Square Park felt like a place of respite and calm from the streets of New York. Now I work a block away from the park as the Senior Vice President for Real Estate Investments at Columbia Property Trust, and call it my home away from home.

As an Associate Board Member and sponsor of the park, I’ve helped organize my colleagues around leaf-raking events, bench and playground paintings, and planting events. The Associate Board has allowed me to connect with like-minded members of the Madison Square Park community and stay in-the-know on communication and updates about the park.

My fondest memory as part of the Associate Board was when we had our first in-person, post-pandemic event in early 2021. I dressed in a light blazer, anticipating that it was an indoor venue, though it was moved outdoors due to COVID precautions. I was welcomed by fellow Associate Board members and the broader Madison Square Park community that evening—it really felt like I had known them for much longer due to all our prior Zoom calls. It was such an exciting experience that I didn’t realize until I left that my body was completely numb from the brisk fall temperatures!