Susan Buchanan has been serving as the Executive Director of Tall Pines Conservancy (TPC) since 2008. She will retire by the end of 2024, and it has been announced that Becky Fedak will succeed her.
Under Buchanan’s leadership, TPC became nationally accredited and increased the number of protected acres from about 200 to nearly 3,000 today. Buchanan was also instrumental in forming conservation programs like the Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Program and the state’s Purchase of Agriculture Conservation Easements (PACE). She also helped forge partnerships with Lake Country Clean Waters and Farmers for Lake Country.
“With Susan at the helm, Tall Pines has evolved into one of Wisconsin’s most well respected and successful land trusts and has garnered both a national and statewide reputation as a leader in land protection,” said Tall Pines Board of Directors Chair Kyle Zwieg.
Becky Fedak will work alongside Buchanan through the end of 2024 to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Most recently, Fedak worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as the Lake Michigan Unit Manager, where she managed dozens of environmental restoration projects. Prior to that, she worked as an engineer at a Colorado sustainability consulting firm where she led the water and climate practice areas, and was Co-Founder and Technical Director for Running Water International.
Read more in press releases by Tall Pines Conservancy and WISBUSINESS, and articles by The Freeman and Spectrum News 1.
Photo by Megan Marshall/ Spectrum News 1.
