Sonoran Institute, a non-profit organization that connects people and communities with natural resources that nourish and sustain them in the North American West, has announced its new Board of Directors leadership slate.
Newly elected officers to the Sonoran Institute Board of Directors are Chair Dan Kimball, retired, National Park Service; Vice Chair Joe Kalt, Ford Foundation Professor (Emeritus) of International Political Economy at Harvard University; Treasurer Matt Teeters, Regional President of Alpine Bank; and Secretary Laurinda Oswald, southern Arizona cattle-ranch owner. Board officers are elected from the Board’s general membership and serve a two-year term.
“It’s truly an honor to be elected to serve as the chairman of this diverse, and very talented, Board of Directors,” said Kimball, a retired National Park Service superintendent who led Everglades National Park’s involvement in restoring the Everglades ecosystem, and also oversaw cultural resource restoration and marine protection efforts at Dry Tortugas National Park during his 30-year career with the agency. Now a Tucson resident, he joined the Sonoran Institute Board in 2015 and served as board chair from 2018 to 2020.
“Through collaboration and connecting with a wide range of communities and interests, Sonoran Institute has a proven 34-year track record of protecting the character of the West that we all love,” Kimball said. “Our goal, as a Board, is to continue to uphold Sonoran Institute’s proud tradition of demonstrating the vital link between healthy ecosystems and strong economies, and to engage the next generation so they are better connected to this place and are committed to sustaining what makes the West so special.”
Kimball cited the organization’s efforts to protect and restore water resources in the Colorado River Delta in Mexico and the Santa Cruz River in Arizona and to assist the states of Colorado, Arizona, and California in water resources planning as examples of how Sonoran Institute is working with a wide range of interests to find meaningful, collaborative solutions to major water challenges across the West.
Sonoran Institute CEO Mike Zellner said that Board members bring a diversity of experience and professional skills to the organization, and all share a common passion for the North American West. All either live in the region or have strong ties to it.
“Our board members are an amazing group of leaders who are dedicated to our mission of connecting to help communities survive and thrive in the face of the most dramatic challenges of our time,” Zellner said. “We are very grateful to have them on our team as we collaborate for positive change and a brighter future for the next generations.”
Media Contact:
Melissa Cordero
Marketing Manager
Sonoran Institute
520-505-0034
mcordero@sonoraninstitute.org