Kay Carlson, president and CEO at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes introduced April 25 that she plans to retire in spring 2023. She has led the group since 2008.
“Just as the Nature Center is a special place for so many in our region, it is and always will be for me as well,” Carlson mentioned in a press release launched to trustees and members. “From visiting and attending NCSL programs as a child, to serving on the board prior to becoming CEO, I will always carry fond memories of the organization with me. This was a difficult decision, but it is time for new perspectives and fresh energy to lead the organization through its next phase of growth.”
Carlson most lately supplied visionary management by means of a profitable capital marketing campaign from 2017 to 2021, which included a transformative restoration of the character middle’s trails and habitats, in accordance to a information launch. The current renovations and new options such as a nature play space, tree home and meditation terrace that may present the neighborhood with better entry to nature and extra alternatives for environmental schooling for years to come, the discharge said.
Carlson’s accomplishment’s embrace efficiently implementing the entrepreneurial working system enterprise mannequin to information, streamline and drive effectivity within the group’s strategic and tactical planning processes; making a reserve fund to defend the monetary well being of the group; and launching the Applied Science for Kids (ASK!) program with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, which considerably expanded the group’s environmental and science schooling programming and elevated its attain to underserved youth within the area, in accordance to the discharge. In 2019, Carlson was named a Notable Woman in Nonprofits by Crain’s Cleveland Business
“While we will miss Kay’s thoughtful leadership, vision, and energy, this will be an opportune time for the organization to make a change,” board chair Karen Kidwell mentioned within the launch. “Thanks to Kay’s dedication, the Nature Center is a strong and effective organization, as exemplified by the recent successful completion of a multi-year campaign to upgrade our outdoor classroom and restore our natural areas. She has led a transformation that enables us to be more effective than ever as environmental stewards and educators, deeply rooted and beloved in our community,”
Carlson will work with the board and employees to guarantee seamless management and a clean transition to the subsequent president and CEO, the discharge said.
The seek for a brand new CEO shall be headed by the board of trustees, led by Kidwell and chair elect Meg Hunter.
Any data associated to the search shall be posted at shakerlakes.org.