Maya Conrad’s passion for California’s North Coast landscape has guided her path since her time in school. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Zoology at Humboldt State University. During her college summers, she worked as a wildlife technician, conducting surveys for species like marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls throughout Northern and Central California. This often placed her deep within redwood forests.
“The biological surveys of my early career helped me get very familiar with redwood ecosystems, and it’s a great privilege to protect and expand redwood habitat in my current role,” says Conrad.
After her wildlife consulting work concluded, Conrad moved on to managing watershed programs in the Monterey Bay region for the Coastal Watershed Council. Her work included restoration planning, grant writing, and authoring comprehensive assessments and educational documents for project stakeholders. Conrad later became Executive Director of the Northcoast Regional Land Trust (NRLT), overseeing all conservation programs, fundraising efforts, and developing conservation protocols for the young organization. Under her leadership, NRLT initiated the conservation of approximately 20,000 acres across California’s North Coast. Prior to joining Save the Redwoods League, Conrad worked as a realtor for several large brokerages, successfully negotiating more than $100,000,000 in residential, rural residential, and conservation transactions on the North Coast.
Conrad brings more than 30 years of conservation and relationship-building experience to Save the Redwoods as Senior Manager of Land Protection. She oversees a diverse portfolio of real estate transactions, including redwood forest acquisitions and conservation easements, in partnership with local, state, federal, and Tribal partners. Her responsibilities include strategic planning, supporting fundraising activities, and leading outreach efforts among local communities and potential partners. Conrad represents Save the Redwoods in regional conservation groups and during key negotiations with landowners and government agencies, using her expertise as a convener and collaborative leader to build trust and secure conservation opportunities that advance the organization’s mission.
“Connecting people with place has been my life’s work, and at Save the Redwoods League I get to apply the skills I’ve developed throughout my career toward acquiring and conserving beautiful redwood forests that, in time, we can connect everyone to,” says Conrad. “Land deals are complex processes, but each one begins with two parties meeting as people and starting a conversation about what we can accomplish. Taking that first step is always exciting.”
