Save The River Executive Director Departing
May 16th, 2018 | Posted by Margaret Hummel
Save The River announced today that after six years of leadership Lee Willbanks will be departing his position as Executive Director and Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper at the end of June.
Willbanks joined Save The River in June of 2012 and played a critical role in significant achievements for the organization including:
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- Oversight of the advocacy enactment of Plan 2014;
- Creation of Bass Catch & Release program;
- Expansion of the In the Schools program;
- Strengthened relationships with fellow Waterkeeper organizations and elected officials; and
- Led member engagement in the advocacy effort to ban Microbeads in New York State.
“I have loved the responsibility and challenge of being the Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper and working with the staff, board and volunteers to advance Save The River’s mission to protect and preserve the River,” said Willbanks. “After six years of hard fought accomplishments I am looking forward to other ways to engage with this great River, starting with a lot of delayed boating.”
“I have enjoyed working with Lee during his tenure at Save The River. His depth of knowledge and passion for both regional and global environmental issues have allowed us to reach beyond the ends of our docks and impact the entire St. Lawrence River basin. He will be sorely missed,” said Jeff Garnsey, president of Save The River’s board of directors. “Our board is committed to supporting our dynamic staff team during this transitional period. Our priority is to find the best individual to fulfill Save The River’s mission to protect the Upper St. Lawrence River.”
The search for new leadership will begin immediately; a position description is available here. Interested individuals should submit application materials by June 1, 2018.