Nature Society's fresh face has big plans
By Mark Wilson
Monday, July 7, 2008
When area residents think green, Kim Meadors wants them to think about Wesselman Nature Society.
In June, the organization's board of directors named Meadors as executive director and CEO. She is the first person to serve in that capacity since the local not-for-profit environmental education and preservation society was formed in 1973.
Meadors, who began work last week, said she hopes Wesselman Nature Society can grow to become the area's premiere environmental resource.
She brings a decidedly business-oriented background to the organization staffed by a small group of paid employees assisted by volunteers.
"She has a business background that is really going to help us. We have a good staff that are naturalists," said Carol Markle-Hull, a nature society board member. "Wesselman Nature Society has grown from just being Wesselman Woods, and we felt like we really needed an organizer who could work with that. In Kim, we really see somebody who can put that together."
Meadors' experience in human resources and management will help balance the skills needed to run the organization, Markle-Hull said, but her excitement for the position and community interest also are important.
"I think she is going to bring a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm and a passion for the organization," Markle-Hull said.
Wesselman Nature Society entered into a three-year contract with the city in March to manage Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, Howell Wetlands and the Canoe Evansville program. The city agreed to pay the organization $170,000 in 2009, $155,000 in 2010 and $140,000 in 2011; provide up to $850,000 for a renovation of the Wesselman Woods Nature Center; and split the utility costs of the nature center after the improvements.
Meadors said she was impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff and volunteers working with the organization.
"This is a position surrounded by people who are devoted and talented — that's hard to get in an organization," Meadors said.
Before taking the position, Meadors was director of development for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Before moving to Evansville with her husband, Matt, and two daughters in 2001, the couple lived in Traverse City, Mich. There she was president and CEO of The Grayson Group Inc., a human resource development company she founded.
Meadors isn't all business. She has been active with numerous local boards and groups, from Tales & Scales and Keep Evansville Beautiful to the Reitz Home, and has worked with Ivy Tech Community College.
"I think there is some surprise in the community that this is a fit for me," she said.
But from her childhood years in rural northern Indiana to 13 years in conservation-minded Traverse City, Meadors said she always has had a fondness for nature.
"I have a natural passion for conservation and the environment," she said.
Meadors said she hopes to oversee positive growth and changes with the nature society and its programs. She called Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, located on Evansville's East Side adjacent to Wesselman Park, an especially important asset to the area — one that needs to be better promoted.
"We aren't just a resource. This is a treasure, literally, and I think that it has found its time," she said.
However, she believes that kind of increased awareness isn't incompatible with the natural resources found at the nature preserve and Howell Wetlands.
"Preserving the integrity of the preserve as a place for wildlife is foremost. It is first in our plans," she said. "We will not do anything to threaten that."
The nature society already is gearing up for construction of a 2,400-square-foot building at Howell Wetlands that will serve as an educational facility to provide children with hands-on activities such as water quality samples, hikes and tree identification. The center also will provide public restrooms and storage space for education and property maintenance supplies. It will use solar energy for heating and cooling.
By Mark Wilson
Monday, July 7, 2008
When area residents think green, Kim Meadors wants them to think about Wesselman Nature Society.
In June, the organization's board of directors named Meadors as executive director and CEO. She is the first person to serve in that capacity since the local not-for-profit environmental education and preservation society was formed in 1973.
Meadors, who began work last week, said she hopes Wesselman Nature Society can grow to become the area's premiere environmental resource.
She brings a decidedly business-oriented background to the organization staffed by a small group of paid employees assisted by volunteers.
"She has a business background that is really going to help us. We have a good staff that are naturalists," said Carol Markle-Hull, a nature society board member. "Wesselman Nature Society has grown from just being Wesselman Woods, and we felt like we really needed an organizer who could work with that. In Kim, we really see somebody who can put that together."
Meadors' experience in human resources and management will help balance the skills needed to run the organization, Markle-Hull said, but her excitement for the position and community interest also are important.
"I think she is going to bring a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm and a passion for the organization," Markle-Hull said.
Wesselman Nature Society entered into a three-year contract with the city in March to manage Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, Howell Wetlands and the Canoe Evansville program. The city agreed to pay the organization $170,000 in 2009, $155,000 in 2010 and $140,000 in 2011; provide up to $850,000 for a renovation of the Wesselman Woods Nature Center; and split the utility costs of the nature center after the improvements.
Meadors said she was impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff and volunteers working with the organization.
"This is a position surrounded by people who are devoted and talented — that's hard to get in an organization," Meadors said.
Before taking the position, Meadors was director of development for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Before moving to Evansville with her husband, Matt, and two daughters in 2001, the couple lived in Traverse City, Mich. There she was president and CEO of The Grayson Group Inc., a human resource development company she founded.
Meadors isn't all business. She has been active with numerous local boards and groups, from Tales & Scales and Keep Evansville Beautiful to the Reitz Home, and has worked with Ivy Tech Community College.
"I think there is some surprise in the community that this is a fit for me," she said.
But from her childhood years in rural northern Indiana to 13 years in conservation-minded Traverse City, Meadors said she always has had a fondness for nature.
"I have a natural passion for conservation and the environment," she said.
Meadors said she hopes to oversee positive growth and changes with the nature society and its programs. She called Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, located on Evansville's East Side adjacent to Wesselman Park, an especially important asset to the area — one that needs to be better promoted.
"We aren't just a resource. This is a treasure, literally, and I think that it has found its time," she said.
However, she believes that kind of increased awareness isn't incompatible with the natural resources found at the nature preserve and Howell Wetlands.
"Preserving the integrity of the preserve as a place for wildlife is foremost. It is first in our plans," she said. "We will not do anything to threaten that."
The nature society already is gearing up for construction of a 2,400-square-foot building at Howell Wetlands that will serve as an educational facility to provide children with hands-on activities such as water quality samples, hikes and tree identification. The center also will provide public restrooms and storage space for education and property maintenance supplies. It will use solar energy for heating and cooling.
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