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SAVE THE REDWOODS LEAGUE APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
— Award-winning conservation leader Sam Hodder takes the helm of 95-year-old non-profit dedicated to protecting redwood forests in California
Download the full Press Release PDF
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 18, 2013) — Save the Redwoods League announced that its board of directors has selected Sam Hodder as the organization’s new president and CEO. Hodder, a 20-year veteran of The Trust for Public Land, has spent his career in land conservation overseeing complex conservation programs and land transactions from the remote wilderness to the inner city. He was most recently the Trust for Public Land’s California State Director, managing the organization’s largest state program.
“We are excited to have Sam Hodder join us as president and CEO,” said Jim Larson, president of the Save the Redwoods League board of directors. “Not only is he an award-winning conservationist with a passion for the outdoors, but he has also proven that he can successfully lead a statewide organization through complex projects and campaigns. He is the right person to steward Save the Redwoods League into the organization’s next century with renewed commitment to our mission.”
Hodder first began his career as an intern at the Trust for Public Land in San Francisco and emerged as one of its top leaders, spending more than 20 years with the organization on both the West and East Coasts. He has managed land conservation projects in Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire and Maine, conserving working farms and forests, urban trails and green spaces, virgin forests and pristine lakes and rivers, and all manner of wild places for people to enjoy. As the California State Director, he has played a lead role in some of California’s most visible and impactful park and open space campaigns in recent years, ranging from Cahuenga Peak (home of the Hollywood sign) to Boeddeker Park in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district to the Royal Gorge at Donner Summit.
“I am humbled and honored to have been selected to lead Save the Redwoods League as President and CEO,” said Sam Hodder. “At a time when more and more of us live in cities, and we are increasingly isolated from the natural landscapes that sustain us, the work of Save the Redwoods League is more important than ever. For nearly a century, the League has taken responsibility for the forests that have inspired generations of Americans. Rooted both in leading scientific research and the inspirational power of these special places, the League has set the gold standard in conservation and stewardship of our redwood forests. I am grateful for the opportunity, inspired by the mission and thrilled to join such an outstanding team.”
Hodder is the recipient of numerous awards for his conservation work, including the New England Society for American Foresters Integrity in Conservation award and the Maine League of Conservation Voters Legislative Excellence award. He was also recognized by the Portland Press-Herald (Maine’s largest newspaper) as one of seven Mainers Who Left a Mark.
Hodder is a graduate of Princeton University and an enthusiastic explorer of California’s parks and trails. He lives in the East Bay with his wife Kendra and their four young sons.
About Save the Redwoods League
For more than 95 years, Save the Redwoods League has protected and restored ancient redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so that these wonders of the natural world flourish. In 1850, there were nearly 2 million acres of ancient coast redwood forests in California. Today, less than 5 percent remains and faces threats from past unsustainable logging, poorly planned development and global climate change. Since its founding in 1918, the League has completed the purchase of more than 189,000 acres of forestland. Save the Redwoods League is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, which recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. For more information and to receive monthly email updates, please visit SaveTheRedwoods.org/signup.
Editors, please note: For images or to schedule an interview with Save the Redwoods League please contact Donna Berry Glass at 415-561-0888/[email protected] or Tarah Beaven at 415-561-0888/[email protected].
Tags: 2013, Press Release
