December 15, 2018 - AUBURN, Calif. - The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) Governing Board last week announced the hiring of Angela Avery as the state agency’s new Executive
Officer.“On behalf of the Governing Board, I would like to congratulate Angela on being selected as the new Executive Officer,” said SNC Governing Board Chair Terrence O’Brien. “Angela brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the job, including her time serving as the Conservancy’s Policy and Outreach Division Chief. The Conservancy and the Sierra Nevada region we serve will all benefit from her expertise and leadership.”
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is a state agency focused on supporting efforts that improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the 25 million-acre Sierra Nevada region. Since its creation in 2004, the SNC has been actively working with partners to improve forest health, protect and improve water and air quality, provide increased opportunities for tourism and recreation, protect critical natural and cultural resources, and reduce the risk of large, damaging wildfires.
Avery has worked for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy since 2007 and has prior experience working in the non-profit conservation sector and the technology industry. In her early years with SNC, Avery helped to design and implement the SNC’s first grant program. More recently, as the Policy and Outreach Division Chief, Avery led SNC’s scientific research, legislative, policy, and communications efforts.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue the great work that the Sierra Nevada Conservancy has been doing to protect and restore the forests and watersheds of the Sierra Nevada region,” said Avery. “I look forward to working with SNC’s Governing Board and staff, and our partners, to ensure Sierra forests and communities are resilient in the face of a changing climate and increasing wildfire risk.”
Avery will be the second person to hold the Executive Officer position at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. The agency’s first Executive Officer, Jim Branham, will be retiring in December after serving in the position since 2005. Avery will assume her duties on Monday December 17.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last 13 years on behalf of the Sierra Nevada region, but our communities and watersheds face ever-increasing challenges,” said Branham. “Angela has played a number of key roles within our organization over the past decade. I am confident that she will provide the leadership for the outstanding SNC team and our many partners in addressing the serious challenges we face.”
About the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Created in 2004, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy is a state agency whose mission is to improve the environmental, economic and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada region. The SNC has awarded over $68 million in grants for projects to protect and enhance the health of California’s primary watersheds by improving forest health, remediating mercury contamination from abandoned mines, protecting critical natural resources and reducing the risk of large, damaging wildfires. Funding for these projects came from Proposition 84 passed by voters in 2006, Proposition 1 passed by voters in 2014, and Proposition 68 passed by voters in 2018.
The Sierra Nevada Region spans 25 million acres, encompasses all or part of 22 counties, and runs from the Oregon border on the north to Kern County on the south. The Region is the origin of more than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply.
Source: Sierra Nevada Conservancy
