We are so happy to share exciting news: Heart of the Rockies Initiative will welcome Gavin Ricklefs as a managing director in October.
For the past 17 years, Gavin has served as executive director of Bitter Root Land Trust, where he has grown the Hamilton, Montana based organization to become a trusted community partner and national model of local conservation in action as the recipient of the Land Trust Alliance’s 2023 Land Trust Excellence Award.
“I know the value Heart of the Rockies Initiative brings to its members because I’ve experienced it as executive director of a partner land trust for the past 17 years,” Ricklefs noted. “From science-based conservation planning, to leadership training, to capacity building and project capital, Heart of the Rockies Initiative has helped elevate Bitter Root Land Trust — just as it has all 29 of its members — for over two decades. I am thrilled to join the Initiative staff and grateful to the board for trusting me to join the management team that will lead Heart of the Rockies Initiative into the future. My goal is to honor the incredible work that has made the organization such a valued partner, while being laser-focused on amplifying those programs that are most valuable to our member land trusts and the communities they serve. Together, we will increase the pace and impact of conservation in this one-of-a-kind landscape for the benefit of the land, water, wildlife, and people of the Intermountain West.”
Heart of the Rockies Initiative’s Board President Kristin Troy shared, “Gavin is a grounded practitioner committed to honing the complex work involved in private land conservation. The care and duty he has extended to his community, combined with earned leadership, which has been recognized at local, state, and national levels will serve Gavin well in his new role to support a diverse membership of land trusts across our iconic landscapes. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Gavin to the Heart of the Rockies Initiative team.”
When Gavin joins us this fall, he will share leadership of the organization with Kali Hannon and JoAnn Grant, who, together with Gary Burnett, have served as co-managing directors since 2021. Gary will retire this fall, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to bring Gavin on board to collaboratively grow and strengthen the legacy that Gary has helped build over the past eight years.
Along with our board, staff, and many partners, we are delighted to welcome Gavin and are equally pleased to learn that Lauren Rennaker, current development director at Bitter Root Land Trust, will step into the executive director role at that organization. It’s an exciting and inspiring time in the life of both of our organizations.
We look forward to providing space for Gavin to introduce himself when he joins us full-time in the Fall.
