Tag Archives: executive director

Ruffner Mountain gets a new director, conducts online survey

stanwebTucked into Weld publisher Mark Kelly’s Red Dirt column this week was a nugget to which few people paid a great deal of attention – the naming of a new executive director for the 1,000+ acre nature preserve located on the city’s east side. A visit to Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve’s website (specifically the page listing its staff) shows Stan Palla listed as holding the position. Palla has previously served as the executive director of Alabama Bicycle Coalition.

Kimberly Jeanty, who served as the organization’s interim executive director since last fall, remains on staff as its director of marketing and development. The hire ends a search that started when Robbie Fearn left to become the director of the Pine Island Sanctuary and Center in Corolla, North Carolina.

Ruffner Mountain has also made a simple three-question survey available online via SurveyMonkey, using it as an opportunity to announce Palla’s hire via their fan page on Facebook on July 31.

Photo: via AlaBike.org.

ONB announcement means Main Street Birmingham changes

Fleming and TaskerThe news became official this morning as Operation New Birmingham (ONB) announced they’d named a new president and CEO. David Fleming, the founding executive director of Main Street Birmingham (MSB), will take the reigns of the downtown revitalization organization effective November 1.

It can be viewed as a homecoming of sorts for Fleming, who left ONB as its vice president for planning and urban development in 2004 to launch MSB. He was one of four candidates considered for the position which has been vacant since the departure of Michael Calvert earlier this year.

MSB released its own statement later in the day naming Elizabeth Barbaree-Tasker as the organization’s interim executive director. The seven year-old neighborhood revitalization organization has been enjoying success recently, including an arts incubator in Woodlawn that hosted an open house this past weekend as part of the WOODLAWNx after-party for TEDxBirmingham.

Incidentally, I’ve got some thoughts on Fleming, his new job and what it means for The Magic City over on Dear Birmingham.

Photo: left, David Fleming; right, Elizabeth Barbaree Tasker.

New Sidewalk director search begins

Sidewalk logoThis afternoon Sidewalk supporters received a note via email written by AIMA President Alan Hunter formally announcing the departure of Catherine Pfitzer as executive director of Sidewalk and the launch of a national search for a new executive director. We’d tell you more, but we thought you might like to read the note yourself (it’s in PDF format). Of course, you could also check out the job description too.