Regional nonprofit Save the Dunes today announced their search for a new Executive Director. "This announcement is certainly bittersweet for the organization," said Tom Conway, President of the Board of Directors. "Nicole Barker has served as Executive Director of Save the Dunes for the past six years, leading the organization with great integrity and bringing strategic focus to our work," he added. "Nicole will be deeply missed."
Nicole Barker will assume the position of Director of Capital Investment and Implementation for Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District's (NICTD) South Shore Line in mid-July. "It has been an absolute honor for me to work for an organization as important and impactful as Save the Dunes," said Barker. The organization is 64 years old. "It has taken generations of people to save the dunes, and it is with great excitement that we seek a new Executive Director who appreciates the magnitude of this work and can bring unique strengths to help the cause," she said.
Over the past six years, Save the Dunes has addressed many threats to the dunes. They brought $1 million in funding to restore over 1,100 acres of globally-imperiled black oak savanna at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park. They have acquired over 100 acres of land for future donation to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. They are in final stages of development of a manual for nearshore dunes community residents to guide them on how to remove invasive species that harm the dunes and plant native species. Under Barker's leadership, Save the Dunes also convened a team called the Indiana Dunes Ecosystem Alliance to consider the dunes ecosystem as a whole, blurring the lines of ownership, and set priorities together. That group included government agency representatives, scientists, nonprofits, and NIPSCO. For 2017, an exciting project will begin in partnership with Field Museum to create a climate adaptation strategy for our Indiana Dunes.
The organization is in a great position, having developed a strong strategic plan that guided its work for the past several years. Barker remains committed to working with the organization as a volunteer. "This organization remains vibrant, relevant and strong six decades in; the new Executive Director will be so lucky, as I was, to be part of something with such an incredible legacy, and an exciting future," said Barker.
Information about the Executive Director position can be found at: https://savedunes.org/2016/06/15/exdir/. The deadline to apply is Friday, July 15 at 5pm Central Time. For more information about Save the Dunes, go to www.savedunes.org.