Executive Director

To protect irreplaceable natural habitats for our community, wildlife, and future generations.

Founded in 1953, The Mianus River Gorge, Inc. (MRG) is an independent 501(c)(3). It was the first land project of The Nature Conservancy and, in 1963, was designated the first National Natural Landmark by the US Department of the Interior. Since its inception, MRG has been at the forefront of conservation, education, and community engagement. Over the past seven decades, the organization has acquired 98 parcels of land totaling 963 acres, secured 24 conservation easements to protect an additional 252 acres, and preserved over 100 acres of rare, old-growth hemlock forest.

The 22-mile Mianus River flows through the Preserve – a unique treasure in the New York metropolitan region. MRG protects and manages over 1,200 acres in the Mianus River Watershed in parts of Bedford, North Castle and Pound Ridge, New York, and Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut. The Preserve is open seasonally with seven miles of scenic, challenging, and well-tended hiking trails and outdoor exhibits. MRG also owns 41 acres in the Twin Lakes and Taylor Preserves.

The Mianus Watershed helps protect and filter clean, abundant drinking water for over 130,000 residents in Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut, as well as in Rye, Rye Brook, and Port Chester, New York. The Mianus River is rated Class AA-Special – the highest rating for a drinking water supply. MRG’s work with academic institutions and partner organizations on initiatives to protect the Mianus River Watershed – from its headwaters in northern Greenwich, Connecticut to its endpoint at the Long Island Sound – informs and impacts land management for the entire region.

MRG leads the way in ambitious ecological research and offers innovative hands-on, environmental education programs for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. MRG trains the next generation of scientists who learn to better understand the ecosystems of the Gorge and the surrounding region and apply what they have learned to land stewardship and management.

MRG is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees. With an annual operating budget of approximately $1 million, the organization is staffed by a team of five full-time and three part-time employees. In addition to its land holdings and other assets, MRG has $5.5 million in assets under management through its endowment.

PROFILE

The essence of MRG and what makes it different from other land trusts is the sophistication of its science-based research programs, rare old-growth hemlock forest, and conservation expertise. At its core, the role of Executive Director is about protecting a very special place with irreplaceable resources through conservation, research, education, and community involement – reflected in the mission statement that was developed by the Board. The Executive Director will be a steward of this mandate while also challenging the organization to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

The Executive Director will provide the vision, strategic planning, and management necessary to maintain the organization’s strengths and build its legacy. The Executive Director will provide fresh thinking, present new ideas, and set priorities that present a clear view of the mission and direction of the Preserve going forward. Specifically, and most importantly, the Executive Director will embrace natural habitat and biodiversity protection as the institution’s first priority, while striking a balance between core ideas around public use versus protection – protecting land for the land itself versus protecting land for the people.

The Executive Director will enhance MRG’s research, education, programs, fundraising, and community engagement efforts. As a certified Land Trust (and accredited by the Land Trust Alliance), the Executive Director will direct and prioritize continued geographic expansion and acquisition.

The Executive Director will serve as a resource for programmatic and organizational leadership internally and in the community. This person will both acknowledge and support the expertise of MRG’s Directors of Research & Education and Stewardship who share their knowledge at local workshops and national conferences, in published research papers, and are active participants in regional conservation partnership organizations. Additionally, the Executive Director will strengthen local outreach, involvement, engagement, and awareness and promote visitation to the Preserve without jeopardizing MRG’s commitment to preservation. The Executive Director will partner with like organizations and serve as a visible and engaged member of the community.

PRIORITIES

The Executive Director will ensure that MRG remains clear and ambitious in its strategic intent, and will have the following priorities and key responsibilities:

• Lead in the development of MRG’s strategic plan; help develop actionable multiyear plans and specific goals and milestones to be achieved in order to show progress and success; within its current framework, seize opportunities to extend MRG’s leadership and influence in the field.
• Quickly establish relationships with existing key public and private donors in order to facilitate the ongoing flow of support and contributions; cultivate, solicit, and steward new sources of funding among individuals and foundations; champion and enhance fundraising strategies and outreach in order to develop a broader base of support for MRG and its mission.
• Provide cohesive managerial leadership so that MRG’s day-to-day operations and programs are professionally and efficiently administered; articulate and reinforce research priorities; allow staff’s skills and abilities to come forward; nurture and reward talent; delegate effectively and sustain open channels of communication; embrace Land Trust Alliance standards and best practices which stand as yardsticks to measure MRG’s systems and process.
• Foster a cohesive and collegial working relationship with the Board, finding ways to use effectively their individual expertise to benefit MRG; keep the Board engaged; identify and tap into underutilized talents and connections of various Board members as appropriate; be strategic in the recruitment and development of new Board members.

IDEAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Executive Director should be able to articulate and execute on a clear vision for MRG going forward, and be or have the following:

• A deep passion and connection with nature; leadership skills and the ability to manage growth and foster big ideas; a background in the environmental sciences is strongly preferred; if not already steeped in science, broadly respectful of MRG’s unique grounding in science- and research-based strategies and practices, along with a willingness to learn how to articulate MRG’s priorities to convey broadly what is happening within the Gorge from preservation, conservation, and sustainability perspectives.
• Expertise in land acquisition and management is preferred; respected by funders, partners, and constituents, with the ability to work comfortably with other land trusts and preservation-related partners; someone that people in both the lay and professional communities go to for answers.
• Proven management, problem-solving, and implementation skills as well as strategic capability, with commensurate fiscal and business acumen as an executive with an environmental or other relevant nonprofit organization or government agency; experience in an organization of similar size and scope preferred.
• Proven ability to lead a highly dedicated staff; able to envision and translate into operation new initiatives and deeply understand how operational and programmatic decisions are being experienced by staff.
• Proven experience as a dynamic fundraiser with the ability to cultivate and steward major donors and to frame the vision and concepts to secure financial support from individual donors, foundation, preservation-minded partners, and government sources, particularly in the face of a changing political and financial landscape and increased competition.
• The ability to embrace and engage new audiences through social media, marketing, and digital platforms and technology, with experience working with media, public relations, and community outreach.

The Executive Director should also have or be: 

• An effective relationship builder at all levels: local government, major donors and landowners, staff, local community, and within the community of land trusts and environmental conservation organizations; highly visible, energetic, and engaging, with social and emotional intelligence, gravitas, confidence, and charisma.
• Comfortable in the field; willing to multitask, roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty and/or wet.
• Collaborative and empathetic; a consensus builder who will navigate and balance the interests and agendas of multiple constituencies and embrace the suggestions and promising ideas of others, recognize and respect a group of deeply committed employees, constituents, and partners.
• A proactive, analytical, and creative problem solver who can anticipate, initiate, and implement rather than just respond to challenges as they arise.
• A good and active listener and communicator who can take the lead but also knows when to delegate responsibilities as appropriate; able to maintain on all fronts a sense of continuity and common purpose.
• A good sense of humor and the ability to maintain balance and perspective.

Total compensation which includes salary, bonus, benefits, and housing is $175,000-$200,000.