(Photo courtesy of Mohonk Preserve)
After nearly 26 years at the helm of Mohonk Preserve, Glenn Hoagland will be leaving the organization to become president and chief executive officer of The Seeing Eye, a New Jersey nonprofit and internationally recognized dog guide school for people who are blind.
According to a release from Mohonk, Hoagland has a strong personal connection with the organization’s mission, as his mother was blind. He admired The Seeing Eye from a young age, being keenly aware of the importance of independence for people who are blind.
“I am so honored and proud to have had the opportunity for a quarter of a century to lead Mohonk Preserve, protect and steward a nationally treasured landscape, and work every day with a passionate and capable staff, visionary board, dedicated volunteers, many community partners, and generous donors,” Hoagland said.
Under Hoagland’s leadership, Mohonk Preserve has grown from an organization with a dozen employees, 16 volunteers and 5,400 acres to New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve with over 60 employees, over 400 volunteers, and over 8,000 acres of protected lands.
Some of the Preserve’s accomplishments during Hoagland’s tenure, according to the release, include establishing the Preserve’s Visitor Center; attaining national Land Trust Accreditation; restoring over half of the Preserve’s carriage roads; developing the Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground; and initiating the 836-acre Mohonk Preserve Foothills project, which is poised to launch public access trailheads and educational facilities over the next two years.
“We have been very fortunate to have Glenn’s knowledge, steady hand, and leadership for a quarter century,” said Mohonk Preserve Board Chair Russ Clune. “The accomplishments to date have firmly placed us on a positive trajectory toward a successful future.”
Mohonk Preserve’s Board of Directors is currently working on a transition and succession plan.
The phrase ‘realizing the potential’ has been true of the Mohonk Preserve during all of Mr. Hoagland’s tenure. He will be missed by staff and community. His leaving the Preserve to pursue another noble cause is laudable. Go well, Mr. Hoagland.