Media Contact:
Robin Carr, Landis Communications Inc
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (415) 766-0927
Incoming slate of five new officers will advance conservation strategies that protect, restore and connect people with California’s coast redwood and giant sequoia forests
San Francisco, Calif. (October 4, 2023) — Save the Redwoods League today announced that its Board of Directors has elected Sara Clark to serve as chair. The Board also elected Rosemary Cameron and Abe Tarapani to serve as vice chairs, John Montague as secretary and Mike Wyatt as treasurer. The newly elected officers are vastly experienced in land conservation, tribal law, parks and public engagement, scientific research and philanthropy.
“Each of our new officers brings unique and deep passions for coast redwood and giant sequoia conservation to their leadership roles. We’re honored to work with them and have their strong leadership on our Board of Directors,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League. “I’m thrilled to announce that Sara Clark has been elected to serve as chair of the Board of Directors for Save the Redwoods League. Her work in land conservation, engagement of Indigenous communities and conservation policy solutions will help accelerate the pace and scale of the League’s conservation work in the context of equity and climate resilience,”
“I’m honored by the trust endowed in me by my fellow Board members, and excited to help shape the future of the League at this pivotal time,” said Clark. “Both the coast redwood and giant sequoia ranges are threatened by climate change and historical land use and management practices. I believe that the League is particularly well-positioned to address these challenges head-on, with its strategic approach, impressive capacity and long-standing commitment.”
New Officers on the League’s Board of Directors
Sara Clark, Chair
Clark is a partner at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, a public interest environmental law firm in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on land conservation, tribal sovereignty and cultural resource protection and wildfire policy. Clark graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she earned a certificate in environmental law. She has served on the League’s Board of Directors since September 2019, as vice chair since September 2022 and on the League’ Council since June 2018.
Rosemary Cameron, Vice Chair
Cameron runs a consulting practice in which she advises on marketing, branding, communications and fundraising. She is an active volunteer advisor, serving on the boards of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, National Association of Park Foundations Advisory Council and the California Park & Recreation Society’s PAC. Cameron retired from East Bay Regional Park District in 2010, where she led integrated marketing communications programs for the largest local park agency in the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and government from Mills College and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She has served on the League’s Council since 2010 and the Board of Directors from 2013 to 2022.
Abe Tarapani, Vice Chair
Tarapani is the CEO of Atlas AI, a geospatial AI startup that helps organizations anticipate changing societal and environmental conditions. Abe’s career has focused on commercializing deep technology fields spanning renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and advanced semiconductors including experience living and working in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Across all of these settings, Abe’s passion has been to apply innovative new technologies to advance sustainable development objectives around the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and is a First Mover Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program. Abe has been a League Councilor since 2016 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2018.
John Montague, Secretary
Montague is a leader in the League’s education, conservation planning and scientific research programs, and he collects data for the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative. He has had a passion for the redwoods his entire adult life, and he has explored every trail and every grove of the north coast, assembling the first-ever inventory of all redwoods more than 18 feet in diameter. Montague owns Scope Dog, a film production company that specializes in film financing and story production. He is a graduate of The University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater. He has served on the League’s Council since 2015 and the Board of Directors since 2017.
Mike Wyatt, Treasurer
Wyatt is head of Global Technology Mergers and Acquisitions at Morgan Stanley. For more than 20 years, he has negotiated complex transactions and given strategic advice to leading technology companies. Wyatt holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University. He has served on the League’s Council since 2017 and on the Board of Directors since 2018.
The Board of Directors is the volunteer leadership of Save the Redwoods League. They are advisors who set policies, approve the organization’s budget and oversee all redwood land purchases. The 15 directors are selected by and from the League’s Council of 66 advisors and ambassadors in an annual election process. Directors are elected to three-year terms, and officers are elected annually.
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To schedule an interview, contact Robin Carr at 415-766-0846 or [email protected].
One of the nation’s longest-running conservation organizations, Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwood forests since 1918. The League has connected generations of visitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forests. Our 400,000 supporters have enabled the League to protect more than 220,000 acres of irreplaceable forests in 66 state, national, and local parks and reserves. For information, please visit SaveTheRedwoods.org.
Tags: 2023, Board of Directors, Press Release, Sara Clark
