Time for a Transition
It has been the good fortune of the Harris Center to have Executive Director Laurie Bryan at its helm for the past several years. We knew that there would come a time when Laurie would be pulled towards one of her many other interests and now that moment has arrived. Thankfully, Laurie has given us ample time to find exactly the right person to lead the organization into its next stage of life.
Though we are sad to see her go, we know that Laurie will continue to be a supporter of the Harris Center in many ways. Most importantly, she leaves us in a very strong position organizationally, programmatically, and financially. We have a talented staff, dedicated board, great volunteers, and generous donors and members.
Laurie has been with the Harris Center for 13 years, in various roles, from Associate Membership Coordinator to Operations Director and, finally, Executive Director. During her tenure, the organization has passed many significant milestones, including:
- The transformation of our beautiful old home into a state of the art “green” building that provides functional, sustainable working space for the Harris Center and meeting space for other non-profits;
- A similar transformation of our earlier informal organization into a truly professional level of performance, with institutionalized formal management structures and processes for both staff and board;
- A successful transition for founding director Meade Cadot, as he eases towards retirement, as Senior Naturalist and Land Program Director;
- Expansion of our educational programs into more grades and schools, greater community outreach and totally new offerings for adults;
- Dramatic growth in land conservation combined with the development of more sophisticated approaches to our conservation and stewardship programs;
- The integration of the Keene-based Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory (AVEO) citizen science program into the Harris Center;
- Further evolution of an already successful fund-raising program, which enabled us to continue full operations during a time when many non-profit organizations suffered greatly from financial stress.
The Harris Center has made all this progress while still holding onto its core values that inspire real loyalty among our staff, board, volunteers and supporters. We thank Laurie for all of the professional work that she has done so well and with such good humor. We now feel that we are in an excellent position to attract the next strong Executive Director to help us navigate the many opportunities for further growth and development.
Announcing the search for our next Executive Director
The Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, NH is seeking an exceptional Executive Director to take this respected organization to its next level.
The ideal candidate will have an educational background and/or experience in environmental education or land conservation, along with demonstrated management and leadership experience. Required skills include the abilities to: develop and implement a visionary strategic plan; raise significant funds from major donors and through grant funding; manage a full and part time staff of 14 in a collegial manner; oversee a $600,000 budget and complex land transactions; work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees and a variety of partners; and inspire and grow a large membership. Competitive salary and benefits will be commensurate with experience.
More specifically, the ideal candidate will have:
- A personal passion, vision, energy and drive around our mission, particularly in the geographic region we serve;
- The capacity to think strategically about how the organization fulfills its mission;
- The ability to translate these strategies into practical, executable plans;
- The ability to successfully lead a development program, which includes grant-writing and relationship development and maintenance with a wide variety of donors;
- The skill to manage the operation in a fiscally responsible and trustworthy manner;
- Personal qualities and interpersonal skills that engender the impassioned support and involvement of the community, the board and the staff;
- Marketing “know-how” to build awareness of, participation in, and advocacy for Harris Center programs and offerings—and, especially, to reach the next generation of supporters;
- The experience to oversee staffing, structure, systems and processes to ensure ongoing organizational efficiency and effectiveness;
- An understanding of the functional arms of the organization (land protection, education, and knowledge of the wildlife, ecosystems and geography of the Monadnock Region), and the skills to mentor and guide those areas to continued success.
About the Harris Center
The Harris Center is a member-supported nonprofit with a 40-year history of outstanding conservation education and land protection work in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. The Center is based in a lovely setting in the Monadnock Highlands and operates out of a recently renovated “green” building that serves as a model of sustainable systems and energy efficiency.
The Harris Center’s groundbreaking school program provides a continuum of outdoor inquiry-based lessons for elementary, middle and high school students in 27 schools in the region. Through field-based explorations, students gain skills in core subject areas and develop individual connections to wildlife and habitats surrounding their school grounds. School programs incorporate current technology into field studies and teacher/naturalists work closely with classroom teachers in preparing the units to be studied. Additional education opportunities for all ages are offered through weekly hikes and outings, in-depth courses for adults, presentations and discussions on current environmental topics, youth camps, after school clubs for students, and an innovative citizen science program.
As a local land trust, the Harris Center owns or holds easements on almost 18,000 acres within its 125 square mile focus area. Focus of the land trust work includes working closely with individuals and community groups to identify land with high natural resource value and to develop strategies for protecting these lands, stewardship of lands owned or managed by the Harris Center, and maintaining relationships with current easement landowners.