Alan White, the executive director of the Arkville-based Catskills Center for Conservation and Development, is retiring, according to a press release issued by the CCCD on Wednesday, March 25.
Left: Alan White. Photo via the Catskill Center's website.
The statement quotes Jim Infante, the chairman of the CCCD's board, saying that White will "devote the next chapter of his life to his beloved farm." White raises goats on a homestead in Halcott Center.
White took the job almost exactly five years ago, in 2010. Previously, he was the director of the Nature Conservancy's Catskill Mountain program.
The press release does not say when White will formally end his tenure at the CCCD. A candidate to replace White has not yet been chosen.
No one answered the phone at the Catskill Center this afternoon to comment on the announcement.
Read the full press release below:
Catskill Center Executive Director to Retire
ARKVILLE, New York-- Catskill Center today announced that the organization’s executive director, Alan White, has decided to retire. White’s decision to retire will bring to a close his remarkable career of public service throughout the region, most recently with his last five years at The Catskill Center, establishing a firm foundation for the future of the organization. White will devote his retirement years to developing new enterprises at his farm in Halcott Center and enjoying life in the Catskill Mountains.
“Alan will be sorely missed, not only at The Catskill Center, but also by all of us who love this region and want it to thrive economically, maintaining its greatest resource: its beauty and pristine environment,” said Jim Infante, chairman of the board of The Catskill Center. “In retiring from his many leadership positions in the region, he will now devote the next chapter of his life to his beloved farm. From an admired public figure, he becomes a full-time Catskills farmer. Many of us are green with envy at his accomplishments as a public figure, and for his love for farm life.”
A leadership transition will take place over the next months. The board of directors will soon begin to conduct the process to choose White’s successor. The board will be seeking a qualified candidate to continue the Catskill Center’s legacy of community leadership.
“Alan White has brought The Catskill Center to a significantly higher level as an organization devoted to the conservation and development of the Catskill Region,” said Infante. “His leadership of the initiative to finally bring to realization, in the very near future, the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center will contribute greatly to an increase of the number of tourists that come to the region, thus strengthening one of the major economic activities of the Catskills. His contributions to the protection of the local ecology will, I expect, lead to the saving and regeneration of our hemlock forests, and to better control of a number of invasive species. Finally, Alan has been masterful in organizing partnerships among the many local entities that deeply care for the Catskills in making a case to the state, New York City, and their agencies on behalf of the region. Alan has been a most enterprising leader, with a deep feel for the economic development of the Catskills and for the protection of its natural resources.”
The Catskill Center works to protect the natural resources of the Catskill Mountains and to promote the unique Catskill communities that are the stewards of this beautiful region. During White’s tenure as executive director, The Catskill Center celebrated the addition of the Balsam Mountain summit to the Forest Preserve; helped established the Catskill Park Coalition, a strong partnership for regional advocacy; hosted the partnership combating invasive species, focusing on strategies to protect ash and hemlock trees throughout the region; and advocated for the construction of the Catskill Interpretive Center, slated for completion this June.
The organization’s balanced approach to working on behalf of the entire Catskill Region encompasses five program areas: regional advocacy, environmental education, promoting the region, invasive species, and arts and culture. Additional information about The Catskill Center is available at catskillcenter.org.
