The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of a new staff member. Effective May 9, Kate Gersh has joined the team as Associate Director. She brings to JHWF conservation programming and partnership experience honed with three prior nonprofit conservation organizations. Gersh contributed to the wildlife conservation legacy of Jackson Hole while at The Murie Center of Teton Science Schools for the past four years.
“I’m excited to join the JHWF team and its great core of partners and volunteers to support Jackson Hole’s vision of a wildlife-friendly community,” Gersh said.
While JHWF maintains an efficient grassroots structure that relies heavily on many extraordinary volunteers to accomplish its on-the-ground work, the added staff will enable greater strategic development and integration of its core projects, connecting its work thoughtfully to that of local and regional partners.
“Kate will be a tremendous addition to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation team. Adding this new position will double the organization’s full-time staff and allow us to have even more positive impact to wildlife,” said JHWF Board President Aly Courtemanch.
Gersh moved to Jackson in 2011 from Washington, DC, where she had worked first for the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots youth environmental and humanitarian education program, and then for African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), managing private foundation and corporate relationships. At AWF, she was a key contributor on the program management team for AWF’s large-scale grant award under the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Sustainable Conservation Approaches in Priority Ecosystems program. While with AWF, Gersh was selected as an Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leader, where she developed and implemented an international conservation project related to bats with fellow colleagues via the program.
Gersh worked with JHWF’s current executive director, Jon Mobeck, from 2012-2014 at The Murie Center, while Mobeck served as that organization’s ED.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Kate at JHWF after a great experience at The Murie Center that will likely inspire and inform our conservation work forever,” Mobeck said. “Since partnerships and relationships are critical to our effectiveness here, I’m so grateful that Kate’s spirit, sensibility and professionalism will help guide us forward.”
Kate can be reached at kate@jhwildlife.org or stop by to visit us at our office at 330 N. Glenwood St. in the Meridian Building.
