Public Lands Alliance | President and CEO

The Voice and Champion for America’s Public Lands Nonprofits
The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) is the national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and empowering the nonprofit partners of America’s public lands. With more than 130 member organizations supporting national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, conservation areas, and state lands, PLA plays a unique role at the intersection of conservation, interpretation, education, retail, and public engagement. Since 1977, PLA has united “friends” groups, cooperating associations, and other philanthropic partners to keep these treasured places, ranging from sweeping mountain ranges and vast deserts to historic battlefields, thriving wetlands, and coastal refuges, accessible, vibrant, and
well-loved for generations.
  
A Connected Network with National Impact
Through advocacy, training, convening, and collaboration with land management agencies, PLA champions the growth of the resources, knowledge, and connections that help its nonprofit partners navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Its members collectively generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually, funding everything from restoring high-country trails in the Rockies, to developing interpretive programs among ancient redwoods, to safeguarding migratory bird sanctuaries in wildlife refuges. PLA fosters collaboration across its network, amplifies member voices in Washington DC, and sparks innovation by sharing proven practices from every corner of the country.
  
Advancing a Shared Commitment to Public Lands
Guided by values of trust, integrity, inclusivity, and creativity, PLA works to ensure public lands are valued, understood, and cared for by all. It stands at the intersection of national policy, local action, and community engagement, linking people and organizations in a shared mission to preserve the awe-inspiring places that tell our nation’s story, stir our imaginations, and invite everyone to belong in the outdoors. From the sight of sandhill cranes lifting off at dawn to the stillness of a historic site at twilight, PLA and its members protect the experiences and landscapes that define the American spirit now and for generations to come.
  
To learn more, please visit their website: https://www.publiclandsalliance.org/home

Why this Opportunity Matters

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead a deeply respected, mission-driven organization that serves hundreds of nonprofits and the land agencies that steward America’s public lands. The next President and CEO will step into a pivotal leadership moment, shaping PLA’s future strategy, expanding its national influence, and supporting partners navigating unprecedented environmental, political, and cultural change. With a strong foundation, national credibility, and a passionate team, PLA is ready for a leader who can champion inclusive interpretation, deepen agency and member collaboration, and elevate the collective power of the public lands community. If you are driven by impact, coalition-building, and are passionate about public lands, this is a once-in-a-career leadership opportunity.

About the Role

Public Lands Alliance (PLA) seeks a strategic, partnership-focused leader to continue its longstanding, successful support of America’s national and state parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands.
  
The President and CEO executes PLA’s mission and provides consistent executive leadership. The incumbent is responsible for leading effective planning, coordination, and partnerships with land management agencies, as well as attracting and retaining talented staff to achieve PLA’s goals. This position drives PLA’s membership and philanthropic strategies and actively represents PLA as a nonpartisan resource and advocate with elected leaders and policymakers. The President and CEO ensures programmatic impact, stewarding PLA’s mission to connect, strengthen, and represent the nonprofit partners of America’s public lands.
  
This is a hands-on leadership role, that directly oversees a VP and CFO, a VP of Development, and a Director of Government Relations. This role is ideal for a collaborative nonprofit professional with experience in partnership-building, team development, and mission-focused strategy. The successful candidate will be an empathetic, strategic, and relationship-driven leader ready to step into the CEO role of a small but impactful national organization. The ideal President and CEO is an organizational leader who has experience working with federal or other agencies,
high-level fundraising and/or membership acumen, an entrepreneurial spirit, and proven ability to manage change while maintaining positive partnerships and commitments.
  
The ideal candidate brings a track record of success leading programs, partnerships, and/or teams within mission-driven organizations, particularly those connected to public lands, conservation, interpretation, or outdoor education.
  
PLA staff operate remotely throughout the US. The President and CEO has been based in the Washington, DC metro area since 2000. While DC area residency is not required, the CEO should be comfortable working remotely, managing a distributed team, and traveling to DC and other key locations as needed for partner engagement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Fostering External Relations 35%

• Encourage cooperative relationships with nonprofit public lands partners, land management agencies (such as NPS, USFS, USFWS, USACE and BLM), and peer organizations.
• Serve as a visible and credible representative of PLA to members, funders, agencies, and the broader public lands community.
• Serve as PLA’s primary public spokesperson, delivering speeches and presentations at the annual convention, to members, partners and media, and in advocacy settings such as testimony before Congress.
• Maintain and grow relationships with land management agency contacts, nonprofit stakeholders, and members by listening well, responding promptly, and consistently representing PLA’s mission.
• Participate in key sector convenings and strengthen PLA’s role as a collaborative voice and connector among partners.

Organizational Leadership and Financial Management 25%

• Ensure the implementation of PLA’s mission and strategic plan.
• Support a strong remote staff team by fostering a healthy, inclusive, and results-oriented culture.
• Lead with clarity, empathy, and accountability in a small-team setting, empowering staff to do their best work and creating shared leadership wherever possible.
• Ensure internal systems and workflows support cross-functional collaboration and alignment.
• Provide strategic oversight of PLA’s annual convention and trade show, including program and budget review, revenue goals, and long-term growth planning.
• Maintain financial sustainability of the organization in partnership with the board.
• Work closely with staff and board to develop and monitor annual budgets, identify opportunities for growth, and ensure compliance and transparency.

Fund Development 20%

• Oversee revenue generation across all major income streams: convention and trade show, membership, and partnerships with land management agencies.
• Support and oversee PLA’s fundraising and membership efforts.
• Support the Vice President of Development in creating and implementing a plan to grow philanthropic support for the organization.

Board Relations and Governance 20%

• Collaborate with the board of directors to advance governance, strategic goals, and opportunities to increase overall revenue generation.
• Ensure board members are well-informed and engaged, and that their expertise is meaningfully leveraged.
• Support effective communication between staff and the board.

QUAIFICATIONS:

Must-Have Qualifications:

• Commitment to the mission of public lands, nonprofit partnerships, and stewardship.
• Experience leading teams or programs within a nonprofit, association, or public lands organization.
• Comfort managing staff in a remote setting.
• Proven experience supporting revenue generation through partnerships, fundraising, membership efforts, and/or other programs such as events, or sponsorships.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Familiarity with the public lands landscape and agency–nonprofit dynamics.
• Experience with organizational planning, financial management, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ability to lead with humility, foster trust, and model shared leadership.

Preferred Qualifications (Not Required)

• Experience partnering with federal agencies such as NPS, USFS, FWS, or BLM.
• Familiarity with cooperative agreements, interpretation, or visitor services.
• Experience with nonprofit advocacy or public policy.
• Executive-level experience or prior CEO role.
• Experience working within membership-based or federated networks.

Location
PLA staff operate remotely throughout the US. The President and CEO has been based in the Washington, DC metro area since 2000. While DC area residency is not required, the CEO should be comfortable working remotely, managing a distributed team, and traveling to DC and other key locations as needed for partner engagement.

Compensation & Benefits
Compensation for the President and CEO is $160,000 to $180,000 annually based on experience and includes an excellent package of employee benefits.

To Apply
Public Lands Alliance has retained the services of ThinkingAhead Executive Search’s Nonprofit Division to serve as our recruitment partner.

You can apply directly at: https://thinkingahead.com/opportunities/job/413971/

Key Partners involved in the search are:

Kay Linder
Partner, Nonprofit, ThinkingAhead Executive Search
klinder@thinkingahead.com 

Jessica Martinez
Partner, Nonprofit, ThinkingAhead Executive Search
jmartinez@thinkingahead.com