President and Chief Executive Officer

Save the Redwoods League seeks a dynamic, strategic leader to serve as its next President & CEO. This represents an exceptional opportunity to lead one of California’s oldest and most accomplished conservation organizations, to build on its proud accomplishments, and greatly expand its future impact.

Founded in 1918, Save the Redwoods League is responsible for protecting more than 220,000 acres of coast redwood and giant sequoia forests and has helped to create 66 redwood parks and reserves. For much of the organization’s history, it has operated by raising funds to purchase lands and then transfer the properties, primarily to public agency partners, to permanently protect those forests. This model has had tremendous impact. Around 95 percent of the remaining old-growth coast redwoods and 99 percent of the historical giant sequoia range is protected. 

In recent years, Save the Redwoods League has deliberately expanded to advance its mission in line with the League’s bold Centennial Vision, which includes: (1) greater emphasis on large, landscape scale forest conservation and restoration; (2) greater emphasis on innovative partnerships including new land protection models with tribal organizations; and (3) working to increase capacity of parks to serve a growing and more diverse public. A key goal for the League includes landscape scale acquisitions, targeting 10,000- to 100,000-acre commercial forest properties, which have the potential to become the old-growth redwood forests for future generations of Californians. This sizeable increase in scale represents an opportunity for Save the Redwoods League to meet its mission of ensuring these wonders of the natural world flourish for centuries to come.

The new President & CEO will be charged with navigating the League’s next chapter, ensuring the feasibility and success of its ambitious plans, building alignment among the League’s various partners, contributors, and staff, and thoughtfully expanding the organization’s capacity. They will be a passionate advocate on behalf of redwoods, encouraging donors, partners, and staff to support the League’s mission of land protection, forest restoration, and public connection, while also preparing for landscape-scale acquisitions. In doing so, the next President & CEO has the opportunity to inspire and shape the future of conservation efforts in California and beyond and promoting the potential climate impact of these efforts on the global stage.

While the final compensation package will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications, the estimated salary range for the position is $345,000-$365,000. Compensation is reviewed annually based on performance and inflation. This position is located in San Francisco, California, and will require travel through the state and beyond, especially to the ecosystems the League protects.

To learn more about the search and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and resumes with cover letters, please see below. For best consideration, please apply by January 15, 2025.

Cati Mitchell-Crossley is leading this search with Hayden Lizotte and Thea Kosmack.

Save the Redwoods League is fully committed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Goals. The League welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skill sets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.

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