Leadership Change Announced at the Sonoran Institute - Founder Luther Propst to Step Down as CEO

April 20, 2012 - PRLog -- April 20, 2012

Contact:    Ian Wilson/520-290-0828, x.1106/ iwilson@sonoraninstitute.org
      
Leadership Change Announced at the Sonoran Institute
Founder Luther Propst to Step Down as CEO

Tucson, ARIZONA – The Sonoran Institute announced today that Luther Propst, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has notified its Board of Directors of his intention to step down as CEO, a position he has held since founding the Institute in 1991. Propst will remain CEO of the Institute during the search process and until a new CEO is hired.

The Institute also announced that Henri Bisson of Tucson, Arizona has been retained as Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the organization to assist in managing operations during the transition. Bisson recently retired as Deputy Director for Operations with the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, DC.  Bisson is also a member of the Institute’s Board of Directors.  His appointment as Acting COO is effective immediately.

“For 22 years, the Sonoran Institute has been a consuming part of my life and I love this work immensely. After much thought, I feel the time is right to move on, climb new mountains and take on new challenges,” said Propst. “It has been a high honor and sheer joy to work with my friends and colleagues at the Sonoran Institute – staff, board, and partners – and I leave my role as CEO excited about the future. I look forward to working with the Institute’s highly capable and dedicated board and staff to ensure a smooth transition for the organization’s future success.”

“Luther put his heart and soul into building a unique and highly effective conservation organization that has earned the respect of community and government leaders nationwide,” said Bill Mitchell, chairman of the Sonoran Institute Board of Directors. “We are deeply grateful to him for his extraordinary commitment to the Institute, for putting the idea of collaborative conservation into practice from Mexico to Montana, and for his leadership in helping to protect the many special places in the West.”

Mitchell indicated that the Board of Directors has established a special search committee and retained the services of an executive search firm to find a new executive director. “The Board is committed to moving the search process along speedily and to finding the right person to lead the Institute into the future.”

“We are excited for Luther, and we are excited for the future of the Institute,” said Henri Bisson. “While we acknowledge that this change will be challenging for the organization, the depth of experience and leadership that we can draw from within the staff and from the Board will set the course for success for the Institute as the West’s leading conservation organization.”

The Sonoran Institute inspires and enables community decisions and public policies that respect the land and people of western North America. The Institute is a nonprofit organization that is working to shape the future of the West. For more information, visit http://www.sonoraninstitute.org.