None The Nature Conservancy in Ohio Press Releases Search All Press Releases Randall Edwards Phone: (614) 339-8110 E-mail: redwards@tnc.org

The Nature Conservancy Hires New Director in Ohio

Josh Knights brings local and global experience to conservation

DUBLIN, OH — June 1, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy, a leading conservation organization celebrating 50 years of protecting ecologically important lands and waters in Ohio, has selected an Ohio native with a strong resume in international business to direct the organization’s successful local and global conservation strategies in the state.

Josh Knights, a seven-year veteran with the Conservancy who as manager of the organization’s Corporate Partnership team led efforts to engage the private sector in conservation, will start as the new Executive Director for the Conservancy in Ohio on June 1. 

Knights takes over leadership of the Ohio program as its 30 staff and nearly 30,000 members are poised to parlay a successful legacy of conservation achievements into innovative new strategies for protecting forests, fresh water and other natural resources.  Since 1958, the Conservancy has worked with its many partners to protect more than 40,000 acres of forest, wetland and grassland in Ohio. The Ohio program was also an early supporter of international conservation, especially in protecting migratory bird habitat in Belize.

“The future of conservation in Ohio is very bright,” said Knights.  “Ohioans understand the contribution our work makes to healthy communities across the state through access to clean water, outdoor recreation and sustainable management of natural resources. Ohio also has a pivotal role to play on a global stage to leave a stable climate for our children.”

“We expect Josh to build on the Conservancy’s innovative 50-year track record of on-the-ground conservation in Ohio combined with support for The Nature Conservancy’s global mission,” said Jo Ann Barefoot of Columbus, chair of the Conservancy’s Board of Trustees in Ohio. “His passion for conservation and his understanding of the global economy will serve the Conservancy well.”

Prior to coming to the Conservancy, Knights was Director of Asia Trade Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the international law firm White & Case.

He has a master’s degree in International Relations from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University. He grew up in Cleveland and Cincinnati, and has family in Ohio. He and his family will make their home in the Columbus metropolitan area.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.