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Rebecca Smith Named Acting State Director of Ohio

Smith filling in for Rich Shank, who is stepping down after six years

DUBLIN, OHIO — October 17, 2007 — Rebecca Smith, deputy director of The Nature Conservancy's Wisconsin Chapter, has been named acting State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, announced John Cook, director of the Conservancy's Eastern Conservation Region.

Richard Shank, the current state director in Ohio, announced his resignation September 19. His last day on the job is Oct. 28. Smith starts her new assignment on Oct. 29.

Smith has nearly 10 years experience with the Conservancy and for the the past 7 years she’s been leading conservation efforts in Wisconsin as deputy director. Her previous experience included 10 years in non-profit management, working for the Cincinnati YWCA and a community college in Illinois. She will supervise all operations of the Ohio program during the search for a new director, which could take several months, Cook said. 

"Rebecca's leadership skills and enthusiasm for conservation will serve the Ohio program well during this transition period," he said.

Shank, who has been state director for the Ohio program since 2001, said he's leaving the Conservancy to pursue other personal and professional goals. Shank came to the Conservancy from an environmental consulting firm. His long career in environmental protection included a stint as Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency under former Gov. Richard Celeste.

“This has been a difficult decision for me, but I feel like I have done my job and that it’s time to pass the baton,” he said, in a message to the chapter’s Board of Trustees.  "I believe the new director will have a stable foundation from which to move forward and build upon the chapter’s many accomplishments of the last six years.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.