Leadership

Ruskin is the Executive Director and Secretary of Save the Redwoods League, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting ancient redwood forests for people—as a living link to the past and as a place to find inspiration now and always. Ruskin was appointed as Save the Redwood League’s Executive Director and Secretary of the Board of Directors in December 2006. He is the sixth leader in the organization’s 90-year history.

Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has assisted in the purchase of more than 181,000 acres of redwood-related land in California. The support of individual members, public service organizations, private foundations, and the State of California has enabled the League to help build and protect 59 redwood parks and reserves.

Ruskin’s tenure with Save the Redwoods League began in 1997. In his previous role as director of conservation and education, he developed the plan for the League’s current and future conservation efforts—the Master Plan for the Coast Redwoods. This plan provides Save the Redwoods League with a science-based conservation agenda for all coast redwood ecosystems and guides the League in prioritizing protection of the remaining 5% of the world’s greatest forest for people to enjoy.

He also played a key role in the largest single land acquisition in Save the Redwoods League history—the 25,000-acre Mill Creek Redwoods. This landmark project created complete watershed protection for the spectacular ancient redwood groves of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Ruskin leads the League’s restoration work at Mill Creek, a model for forest restoration, using practices on the cutting edge of forest science to help damaged areas of the forest to recover and develop old-growth characteristics. He was also an integral part of the acquisition that doubled Montgomery Woods State Reserve as well as the purchase and transfer of Dillonwood Grove to Sequoia National Park.

Additionally, Ruskin established the educational framework Save the Redwoods League uses to encourage people of diverse ages and backgrounds to personally experience the redwoods and support their protection. He has sought to broaden support for redwood conservation and has created successful partnerships with diverse constituencies including government agencies, conservation organizations and the scientific community.

Before joining Save the Redwoods League, Ruskin worked as an environmental planner in the United Kingdom, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman. He studied geography at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and earned his master’s degree in rural development planning from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. Ruskin currently serves as the Chair of the Mill Creek Advisory Committee. He sits on the advisory councils of the Mendocino Land Trust and the Smith River Alliance, the steering committee for the Bay Area Open Space Council and is a member of the Society for Conservation Biology and the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Ruskin is dedicated to being an international steward for the redwoods and protecting this giant global icon for all generations. Born in Liverpool, England, he grew up in Ireland and southeast Britain and was first introduced to “Sequoia wellingtonia” (the California giant redwood) in an arboretum in England.

Jennifer joined the League in 2007 to lead the Education and Communications Programs of the new Outreach Department. A Bay Area native, she brings years of journalism, marketing communications and media relations experience in the public and private sectors. She holds a BA in communications and an MS in integrated marketing communications. “I joined Save the Redwoods League to give back to the community,” she says. “That’s important to me.”

Rolando joined the League in 2004 as the Chief Financial Officer. He was born in the Congo, lived in Brazil, South Africa and in New York, before finally making his home in San Francisco in 1990. He was a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and became a Chartered Accountant in South Africa, as well as a CPA in the United States. He has always been passionate about the preservation of the environment, and he finally decided to make the move to marry that passion with his professional vocation in joining the League. He says, “I am so gratified to be able to make my contribution towards the attainment of the League’s mission to save the redwoods. I am humbled when I reflect on these glorious trees and contrast the length of their existence with human history.”

Suzanne has over 25 years of fundraising, marketing, and conservation experience. She began her career at the Save the Redwoods League as Production Manager, where she wrote and produced all fundraising and communication materials.

Before recently returning to the League, Suzanne had held several leadership positions in development for the Western Region of the Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization headquartered in San Francisco. Since 1994, she had worked in the capacity of Regional Director of Development, Major Gifts Officer, and most recently, as Director of Campaigns. Her fundraising experience at TPL included raising significant private capital in support of land acquisition projects, in addition to raising funds to launch several new programs at TPL, including the Urban Parks and Playground Initiative in SF and LA, the California Center for Land Recycling, the Hawaiian Islands Program, the California Coastal Campaign, and the Sierra Checkerboard Initiative.

Before TPL, Suzanne held the position of Director of Development for the California League of Conservation Voters and Friends of the River. Suzanne has been an active member of the Bay Area environmental community, and has served on many boards and advisory councils. Suzanne is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she studied physiological and clinical psychology. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, rafting, skiing, photography, music, gardening, international travel, and fine food and wine. She lives in Walnut Creek, California, with her husband and son.

Hugh joined Save the Redwoods League in 2007. He is a member of the Bars of California, District of Columbia and Maryland — Business Law, Real Property Law and Intellectual Property Law Sections; and the American Corporate Counsel Association.
Hugh enjoys running, backpacking and sailing.

Russ joined Save the Redwoods League's staff in 2008. He brings more than 25 years of experience in land conservation in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Before joining the League, he led Western Rivers Conservancy’s efforts in California, working to protect the estuaries of many North Coast rivers. Before that, he worked for 14 years in Oregon as The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Land Protection, negotiating more than 200 transactions. His work in Oregon was recognized in 2001 with the Oregon Conservationist of the Year award. While he has done lots of work throughout the West Coast, his conservation career started right here in San Francisco as a senior project manager for The Trust for Public Land.

"I have vivid memories of camping in the Humboldt redwoods with my parents when I was young, and I have many times since sought out the forest as a place of refuge and calm. I am honored to be able to work on behalf of the redwoods," Russ says.