Kat Imhoff Hired as New Montana State Director

HELENA, MONTANA — November 16, 2007 — Kat Imhoff, whose 27-year career has focused on preserving rural lands and waterways, has been named the state director of The Nature Conservancy in Montana.

She replaces Jamie Williams who held the position for almost a decade and will now lead the Conservancy's Northern Rockies Initiative.

Currently Kat lives in Virginia where she is the vice-president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. which owns and operates the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello – a World Heritage site. She previously served as the executive director for the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, and vice president for conservation and development for the Piedmont Environmental Council. Last year, the Council presented her with its Conservation Leadership Award.

Kat is serving as treasurer for the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. She has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership in growth management issues.

“I am honored to have been selected and look forward to contributing to the considerable achievements of the board and staff of the Conservancy in Montana, a team that has a national reputation for excellence,” Kat said .

Montanans are passionate about saving the special places of their amazing landscapes. In the coming years – working with landowners, community leaders and state, federal and non-profit partners -- we have the opportunity and responsibility to conserve and enhance Montana’s natural and working lands,” she said.

Born in Utah, Kat has lived extensively in the West. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Urban and Environmental Planning from the School of Architecture, University of Virginia.

She begins her full-time duties February 1, 2008 in Helena, where she’ll oversee a 34-person staff, a membership of around 6,500 and a program that has worked with landowners and communities to conserve more than 550,000 acres in Montana.

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The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit conservation organization that conserves critical habitats for plants, animals and natural communities. The Conservancy’s Montana chapter, based in Helena, has community-based programs around the state. It has worked with landowners since 1979 to conserve more than 550,000 acres of land in Montana. For more information, visit Nature.org/Montana

Kat Imhoff Hired as New Montana State Director

Kat Imhoff © courtesy of Kat Imhoff