Since 1969, when at 22 years of age he went to work as the Executive Assistant to the Corporate Secretary of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gregory Long has worked consistently for major New York City institutions. After The Met, where his work was in the administration of the business of the Trustees, he has held leadership positions at the Brooklyn Museum (1973), The American Museum of Natural History (1973–75), the Wildlife Conservation Society (formerly the New York Zoological Society) (1975–81), and The New York Public Library (1981–89). He was made president and CEO of The New York Botanical Garden in 1989 and served in that capacity until 2018. His work in each of these venerable institutions included Trustee and volunteer development and management, strategic and financial planning, the development of education and exhibition programs, institutional support for scientific research and graduate programs, institutional communications and fundraising, and government relations.
Outside of his formal responsibilities, he has worked on a volunteer basis with many cultural institutions, including The Glimmerglass Festival, the Preservation League of New York State, and The Public Theater.
Long has served as a member of the Steering Committee of the Cultural Institutions Group of New York City and served as Chairman of the Cultural Institutions Group from 1992 to 1995. He is a member of the Association of Science Museum Directors and the boards of The Glimmerglass Festival and the Preservation League of New York State. He is a former member of the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Cultural Affairs and the Board of the Natural Science Collections Alliance. Long is also a former member of the Board of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, the Advisory Committee to the Getty Leadership Institute for Museum Management, the Board of the Jerome Park Conservancy, and Trees New York. Today, Long’s work is varied and includes a research project on Roman Renaissance gardens and institutional development and strategic planning projects for several cultural institutions in the US and Europe.
In June of 2018, Long was elected President Emeritus by the Trustees of the NYBG. His overall commitment is to the well-being of the civic and cultural sectors that make cities and states great.