Tag Archive for: board of directors

The Trust Welcomes New Board Leadership

June 16, 2023

This spring our volunteer Board of Directors elected Sarah Chase Shaw to lead the organization as Board Chair.

Sarah grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona with millions of acres of public lands in her backyard. She spent weekends hiking in the Grand Canyon or trailing steers on the ranch. “The ability to walk out the door into public land wasn’t a novelty; it was something I took for granted. Many years later, as I watch battles rage over land use, protection of sacred lands and beloved open spaces, and the destruction of ecologically diverse landscapes that have long-standing consequences for future generations, I am reminded how fortunate I was to have that experience and how important it is to pass that on to future generations,” Sarah says.

These days Sarah lives in Basalt, Colorado where she works as a freelance writer, landscape architect, and Communications Manager for the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies at the Aspen Institute. Sarah has served on the Trust’s board since 2018, and we are thrilled to have her taking the reins: “I look forward to collaborating with the board and staff to set in motion the next thirty years of keeping the promise of wilderness.”

As we welcome Sarah, we also extend a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Board Chair, Denise Schlener, for her tremendous leadership over the past three years. “Denise has led the board with a steady hand and a keen eye toward the future. During her time as board chair, the Trust successfully weathered a global pandemic, and closer to home, celebrated our 30th anniversary, completed a strategic plan, and expanded our reach into new regions of the country,” Sarah reflects.

The Trust’s 16-member Board of Directors is tasked with leading and governing the organization, ensuring that together we are working toward our mission to protect our wild places for generations to come. Their expertise, wisdom, and dedication underpin every acre of wilderness we protect.

Welcome Torrey Udall!

April 7, 2023

The Wilderness Land Trust is excited to welcome Torrey Udall to our board of directors!

Torrey grew up in Carbondale, Colorado where he forged an early and lasting connection to the ski mountain and outdoors. Today, Torrey is the Chief of Staff of Protect Our Winters (POW), a non-profit that helps passionate outdoor people protect the places we live and lifestyles we love from climate change. There he ensures the organization’s financial management, people operations, organizational performance, partnerships, and decision-making are aligned to propel it toward its goals.

Before joining POW in 2016, Torrey worked for three years as a strategic advisor to Jim Collins, author of the international bestseller GOOD TO GREAT, and gained unique insight into the practices of building great organizations while diagnosing challenges and opportunities with Fortune 500 corporations, leading social sector enterprises, and executive teams.

Torrey is the descendant of a line of conservationists and adventurers. Torrey’s grandfather and great-uncle, Morris and Stewart Udall, each played significant roles in conserving natural landscapes throughout the United States. Torrey’s maternal grandfather, Dick Emerson, was part of the first successful American expedition to Mount Everest in 1963.

Join us in welcoming Torrey to our board of directors! We look forward to all he will bring to the organization.

Welcome Connie Myers!

March 10, 2023- We are thrilled to welcome Connie Myers to the Trust’s board of directors!
After earning master’s degrees from Michigan State University in both Fisheries & Wildlife Management and Interpersonal & Organizational Communication, Connie Myers worked for the US Forest Service for over 30 years. For much of that, Connie served as the founding Director of the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center where she advanced the training of nearly 27,000 agency staff and partners in wilderness stewardship and helped lead national information and education programs. She was also a founding board member of the Society for Wilderness Stewardship, and in recognition of her many contributions was awarded the USFS National Bob Marshall Wilderness Champion Award and USDA Unsung Hero Award. Connie lives in Missoula, Montana.
As is the case with many small nonprofits, our volunteer board of directors are an integral part of the organization, providing guidance, wisdom, and oversight to ensure our success. We look forward to the many contributions Connie will bring to The Wilderness Land Trust!