A Statement From our Interim Executive Director, Ashley Eagle-Gibbs I am honored and excited to serve as our Interim Executive Director. I bring a strong skill set to ensure a smooth transition as we continue to protect and sustain the land, waters, and biodiversity of West Marin. I’m a Marin County native with 17 years of combined experience in environmental policy, organizational management, advocacy, and litigation. I joined EAC in 2016 as Conservation Director and was promoted to Legal and Policy Director in 2021. During my time at EAC, I developed strong relationships with funders and colleagues, grew our program capacity, and launched and expanded our legal and policy internship program. Specifically, I have worked to expand our program areas to address climate, coastal, and freshwater issues that directly impact West Marin. My love for the outdoors and my desire to preserve the environment led me to law school. Despite working nearly full-time, I was a certified student clinician at Golden Gate’s Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and an intern at the Center for Biological Diversity. I graduated with Certificates of Specialization in both Public Interest and Environmental Law with Distinction. A policy maker at heart, my work on the plaintiff’s side as an Associate Attorney at a public interest water quality firm, Lawyers for Clean Water, Inc., provided an excellent foundation for my current advocacy and policy work. I have a clear understanding of the complexities of legal and policy environmental problems and can adeptly navigate government and legal systems. Beyond being a strong advocate, one of my additional strengths is building coalitions and partnerships. I represent EAC in a number of different internal and external working and advisory groups, including spearheading and leading our Advisory Committee and a statewide NGO aquaculture coalition, serving on the Tomales Bay Foundation Advisory Committee, the Protect the Pacific (offshore oil opposition coalition), a national Endangered Species Coalition, the Wetlands Restoration Principles Coalition, the California Blue Carbon Collaborative, and two 30x30 working groups focused on coastal issues including Power in Nature. Passionate about climate issues, I was invited to participate in Drawdown: Marin's stakeholder collaborative on carbon sequestration in 2019. I also served on the Drawdown: Marin Equity Task Force from 2020 to March 2021. In addition, I participated in the Sonoma-Marin Coastal Regional Sediment Management Working Group and was the vice-chair of the Marin State Parks Association from 2019 to May 2023. In this new role, I am eager to build on my existing experience in areas of management, development, and administration. With our Board and committed staff, I have been hard at work to shape our next steps. Feel free to call, stop by, or email if you have questions about our transition or want to get to know me better. I am grateful for this new opportunity to serve the EAC community and our environment in a new way. I am very thankful to our supporters and donors who have contributed generously to EAC in honor of our former Executive Director and have offered words of support for the transition. While transitions aren’t always easy, it helps to know that we have a strong community eager to support our beloved and long-standing organization. If you are able, please consider a special gift to support our programs as we work collectively to meet our year-end goals during this transition year. You can make a gift to support our efforts online or mail it to: EAC at PO Box 609, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956. I look forward to working with our members and the community to ensure our environmental legacy is strong and thriving. With deep gratitude, |
