Big news landing in our inbox: Assistant city manager, loyal lieutenant to former CM Toby Futrell, and Kirk Watson’s running buddy Laura Huffman is leaving the city to become director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas. Hers is the second high-profile departure from the city in nearly as many weeks, with chief of staff and fellow member of the Tobyocracy, Kristen Vassallo, recently announcing her resignation.
Read our profile of Huffman from last year here. The Conservancy press release is after the jump.
Laura J. Huffman named director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Will assume new leadership role following almost two decades of public service to Texans
AUSTIN – Laura J. Huffman will lead The Nature Conservancy of Texas as the organization’s new state director. She will assume the post on June 9.
Ms. Huffman, currently an assistant city manager for the City of Austin, brings broad and multifaceted experience to the organization following an impressive public service career emphasizing the protection of natural water sources and the environment for the communities where she has worked.
She comes into her new leadership role at a critical juncture in the state’s history, as growing pressures on natural resources present ever-greater environmental conservation challenges for Texas, which is losing its undeveloped land at an alarming rate.
“Laura Huffman’s energy, knowledge and track record of dedication toward improving the lives of Texans by advocating for the environment are critical to the ongoing success of The Nature Conservancy,” said Pete Selig, chairman of The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Board of Trustees. “With our state’s tremendous growth, it has never been more urgent to safeguard our important ecosystems and the wildlife they support. Laura has what it takes to bring the high and effective level of conservation needed throughout our great state,” he added.
“We are thrilled to have Laura lead The Nature Conservancy’s efforts in Texas, one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth,” said Rob McKim, director of conservation of The Nature Conservancy’s Central U.S. Region. “For more than 40 years, The Nature Conservancy has protected some of Texas’ most beautiful, and often most imperiled, lands. With Laura at the helm, we will build upon those solid accomplishments to help ensure the integrity of the state’s diverse habitats and the vast array of life they support.”
“I am honored and excited to lead this remarkable organization. The mission is visionary and its fulfillment will make it possible to protect the most ecologically vital and endangered natural treasures of Texas and the world for present and future generations,” said Ms. Huffman. “I know from personal experience that safeguarding these treasures is our service to one another – it reminds us of our history and guarantees our future.
“Our natural environment affects every aspect of our lives, from the water and food we consume to the air we breathe. As a child, nature was breathtaking and magical. As an adult, my sense of duty to protect the environment for future generations has been a source of inspiration that now leads me to The Nature Conservancy of Texas,” she added.
A native Austinite, Ms. Huffman’s accomplishments include spearheading important watershed protection and neighborhood and economic development initiatives for the cities of Austin and, also, San Marcos, where she previously held the position of deputy city manager.
In both cities she devoted substantial energy toward advancing environmental causes to benefit the lives of citizens, including undertaking important projects to protect water supply quality and public green spaces.
As an assistant city manager in Austin, she was the principal negotiator with the Lower Colorado River Authority to protect the city’s water supply for 100 years. She was also the city’s lead representative for the nationally recognized City of Austin green space acquisition program
In San Marcos, she was the city’s primary negotiator for a regional partnership for the San Marcos Regional Surface Water Project, a $25 million effort to ensure a high quality of reliable source water for city residents. She also led efforts resulting in a 500 acre greenbelt for the community, an important strategy to ensure that high quality of life and environmental preservation standards were maintained as the city grew.
Ms. Huffman has earned a master of public affairs degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor of science degree in political science with a minor in history from Texas A&M University, College Station.
The Nature Conservancy of Texas owns and operates more than 30 nature preserves and conservation projects around the state. It protects some 250,000 acres of wild lands and, with partners, has conserved 750,000 acres for wildlife habitat across Texas. Additional information about the work of The Nature Conservancy of Texas can be found at nature.org/texas.
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 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org.
This article appears in April 25 • 2008.