NRCM’s board of directors unanimously selected Rebeccah Sanders to serve as the organization’s next CEO. Sanders joined NRCM in late January and brings with her more than two decades of executive nonprofit management experience in science-driven conservation and policy.
“NRCM’s inspiring legacy of bringing people together to protect Maine’s natural beauty is a model for the rest of the nation and one of the reasons I’m so excited to lead this organization into the future.” – Rebeccah Sanders
A past Maine resident and frequent visitor, Rebeccah shares our deep love of Maine’s spectacular outdoors and local communities. As a leader who understands the importance of coalition building and developing deep relationships across the breadth of Maine communities, she is ideally positioned to lead NRCM at this exciting time for Maine’s environment and climate action.
To learn more:
- Read press release announcing Rebeccah’s selection
- Read message to supporters from the Chair of the NRCM Board of Directors, Ed Simmons
- Read Rebeccah's biography
With great enthusiasm, I am sharing the news that earlier this week the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s (NRCM) board of directors unanimously selected Rebeccah Sanders to serve as our next CEO.
Rebeccah will be joining us in late January and brings extraordinary executive nonprofit management experience in science-driven conservation and policy. She is well prepared to continue NRCM’s six decades protecting the nature of Maine, particularly as we work to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
Most recently, Rebeccah was Chief Field and Strategy Officer for the National Audubon Society, where she maximized the impact of the organization’s 22 state and regional field offices. After joining National Audubon in 2013 as Executive Director of the Chicago region, she extended reach across five states and increased annual revenue ten-fold.
Shared Love of Maine
A past Maine resident and frequent visitor, Rebeccah shares our deep love of Maine’s spectacular environment and communities, from the rocky shores of our coast to the forests surrounding Katahdin, and the rolling hills and fields, scenic rivers, and majestic mountains that abound.
“NRCM’s inspiring legacy of bringing people together to protect Maine’s natural beauty is a model for the rest of the nation and one of the reasons I’m so excited to lead this organization into the future,” says Rebeccah.
“A healthy environment and strong sense of community are what make Maine so special. We can meet the urgency of this moment by bringing as many voices to the table as possible to ensure our work is an expression of what Mainers want and value in day-to-day life,” she continued.
Bringing People Together
Rebeccah is a leader who understands the importance of developing deep relationships across the breadth of Maine’s communities. Her extensive experience with coalition building and bringing people together to advocate for change comes to us at just the right moment in NRCM’s history as we implement a new strategic focus on cultivating young conservation leaders and broadening our outreach and connections to Tribal governments and rural and underserved communities.
A Fulbright recipient, Rebeccah received her BA in anthropology and environmental science from the University of Notre Dame and her MA in environmental and ecological anthropology from the University of Georgia. In her early career in Maine, she traveled extensively to communities across the state, from Portland to Fort Kent, to build more post-secondary education opportunities for Maine’s children.
Finally, I would like to thank Pete Didisheim for bringing a steady hand as interim CEO and guiding NRCM so deftly during this time of transition. In addition to taking on the considerable responsibilities of CEO, Pete never missed a beat as he continued to meet the demands of his position as Senior Advocacy Director. The board and staff are truly grateful for his dedication to this organization as demonstrated by his willingness to serve in this capacity.
I also want to acknowledge my fellow members of the search committee for their hard work in getting us to this point. This was a rigorous nationwide search process, led by our outstanding committee co-chairs Emily Beck and Bill Meserve. I extend deep gratitude for their outstanding service.
Rebeccah and her family are eager to move to Maine from Chicago where they now live. You will be hearing much more from Rebeccah when she joins the team in late January.
In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and hope you are able to find time to enjoy and explore Maine’s wonderful outdoors.
Sincerely,
Ed Simmons
Board Chair
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Biography
Rebeccah Sanders was selected to serve as CEO of Maine’s leading environmental advocacy organization, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, in November 2022 and will start in late January 2023.
With more than twenty years of experience in nonprofit executive management, Rebeccah Sanders has established a strong reputation expanding the institutional impact and reach of the organizations she leads. Rebeccah’s work has been recognized by the U.S. Forest Service for her commitment to fostering collaborative coalitions and authentically engaging a diverse breadth of communities.
Rebeccah most recently served as the Chief Field and Strategy Officer of the National Audubon Society, where she was accountable for maximizing the conservation impact of Audubon’s 22 state and regional field offices and extensive network of nature centers and sanctuaries throughout the country.
She joined Audubon in late 2013 in the role of Executive Director for Audubon Chicago Region. Over the course of a few years, she extended the reach of the office across five states – creating Audubon’s first Great Lakes field office and increasing annual revenue ten-fold. During her tenure at Audubon, Rebeccah has also served as Vice President of the Upper Mississippi Flyway and Senior Advisor to the Chief Conservation Office, where she provided guidance on many of Audubon’s national conservation and fundraising priorities.
Prior to joining National Audubon, Rebeccah was the inaugural executive director of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of many of Chicago’s heritage-based community organizations and major cultural institutions. She grew the organization from a nascent start-up of 23 organizations to a vibrant coalition of 50 organizations that leveraged community voices for cultural change, addressing a broad set of civic issues such as climate change, immigration, and community planning.
Rebeccah has also served as the Post-Secondary Coordinator of the Maine State GEAR-UP program, where she facilitated connections for hundreds of students and families to the state’s colleges and universities.
A Fulbright recipient, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her graduate degree from the University of Georgia. Rebeccah has devoted significant time to numerous civic, conservation, and cultural organizational committees and boards and currently serves as a board member for The Wetlands Initiative. She has lived and worked in Israel, Italy, and Puerto Rico and plans to relocate to Maine with her family from Chicago, where they currently live.
Banner photo: Acadia National Park, by Jesse Roussell
