News
ENLARGE
After a two-month search for a new executive director, the Yuba Watershed Institute announced Friday that it has named Nevada County native Maria Ryan to fill the position.
“We're delighted to welcome Maria to our organization,” said Don Mosman, a member of the YWI's board of directors.
“She has the experience to handle this difficult job and the creativity to reinforce our effectiveness and lead us in some new directions.”
Ryan, 33, attended Grizzly Hill School on the San Juan Ridge and Nevada Union High School. She graduated with honors from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, obtaining a B.A. in 2005.
Ryan's professional and volunteer experience includes program development at the Oakland Museum in the departments of Natural Science and History and a six-month stint as a sustainable design consultant for projects in Africa.
The current executive director, Tania Carlone, has held the position for four years. She will pass the torch to Ryan on Aug. 1, when Carlone is set to move to Berkeley.
“Tania has been a fantastic director and we are sad to see her go,” Mosman said. “But we feel we've found a dynamic and insightful replacement for her.”
One of Ryan's first tasks will be to implement two grants recently obtained by the YWI.
The U.S. Forest Service's Resource Advisory Committee has awarded the organization $10,000 to help reduce the risk of wildfire and conserve crucial habitat for spotted owls and goshawks at the interface of federal, state and private land near Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
The other grant comes from the Teichert Foundation and is focused on developing a curriculum at Grizzly Hill School for field studies using the Bureau of Land Management's ‘Inimim Forest on the San Juan Ridge as its study area.
“We're delighted to welcome Maria to our organization,” said Don Mosman, a member of the YWI's board of directors.
“She has the experience to handle this difficult job and the creativity to reinforce our effectiveness and lead us in some new directions.”
Ryan, 33, attended Grizzly Hill School on the San Juan Ridge and Nevada Union High School. She graduated with honors from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, obtaining a B.A. in 2005.
Ryan's professional and volunteer experience includes program development at the Oakland Museum in the departments of Natural Science and History and a six-month stint as a sustainable design consultant for projects in Africa.
The current executive director, Tania Carlone, has held the position for four years. She will pass the torch to Ryan on Aug. 1, when Carlone is set to move to Berkeley.
“Tania has been a fantastic director and we are sad to see her go,” Mosman said. “But we feel we've found a dynamic and insightful replacement for her.”
One of Ryan's first tasks will be to implement two grants recently obtained by the YWI.
The U.S. Forest Service's Resource Advisory Committee has awarded the organization $10,000 to help reduce the risk of wildfire and conserve crucial habitat for spotted owls and goshawks at the interface of federal, state and private land near Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
The other grant comes from the Teichert Foundation and is focused on developing a curriculum at Grizzly Hill School for field studies using the Bureau of Land Management's ‘Inimim Forest on the San Juan Ridge as its study area.
