Dear EarthGen Community,
I am excited to announce that after an extensive search process, we have selected Laura Armstrong as EarthGen’s next executive director. Laura is an experienced executive director with a strong background in nonprofit organizational leadership and a deep commitment to the communities that partner with EarthGen. We are thrilled to welcome her to the EarthGen team!
Laura has 15 years of nonprofit experience and has lived and worked in Yakima for ten of those years. She previously worked as the executive director of La Casa Hogar, an education and immigrant rights nonprofit partnering with families in Yakima. Laura was initially drawn to EarthGen because she witnessed the disproportionate effects of climate change on farmworker and immigrant communities in the region. Living in an agricultural community has also shown her humans’ acute interconnection with their environment. The search committee was impressed by the breadth of Laura’s experience and skills, particularly in staff development, fundraising, and equity-centered organizational development. Although she will spend time all over the state and in the main office in Seattle, Laura will be based in Yakima; we are excited about the new opportunities for EarthGen that her perspective, passion, and knowledge will bring.
Laura’s diverse background and experience in environmental education, agroecology, and marine conservation, along with her interdisciplinary masters degree in community-based climate change solutions, make her a valuable addition to the EarthGen team. Her service on Pacific Power’s Clean Energy Transformation Act equity advisory committee and her passion for the outdoors as a backpacker, mountaineer, and regenerative home gardener demonstrate her commitment to environmental stewardship and promoting a personal connection to nature.
As we welcome Laura, we would like to express our gratitude to EarthGen’s founding Executive Director, Meredith Lohr, who stepped down from her position last summer after 12 years of dedicated service. Meredith’s vision and leadership helped establish EarthGen as a leader in science-based, action-oriented environmental education. Additionally, we would like to thank our interim Executive Director, Laura Collins, and the entire staff who have been instrumental in ensuring that EarthGen’s programming and operations continued during this transition period.
Our search committee, composed of board members, staff, and community members, has worked tirelessly over these past months to get to know a talented and diverse pool of candidates who we were honored to meet. We are grateful to the members of the search committee and the entire EarthGen community for your engagement and support throughout this extensive and intentional process.
Laura Armstrong will start at EarthGen on February 13. The board is committed to working with both Lauras – Laura Collins who will move into a new role to oversee operations and development and Laura Armstrong – to ensure a seamless transition. We have created a transition team that includes board and staff representation who will work to ensure our new director’s success in her role.
We look forward to the next chapter of EarthGen under Laura’s leadership. Stay tuned as we share opportunities to meet Laura in the weeks ahead. Your voice, support, and encouragement as a friend and supporter of EarthGen is important for our growth and evolution. Together, we will continue to advance our work as we expand access for youth across Washington and strengthen our programs for even greater success.
Please join us in welcoming Laura Armstrong to EarthGen!
