CVSC Transition Announcement
Dear Friends and Conservation Voters,
When I took on the task of leading CVSC and “building a bipartisan majority for conservation” in 2003, we had a budget under $60,000 and the challenges ahead of us were great.
Over the last 13 Years, I have worked with dedicated board members, exceptional staff, and a community of talented professionals and volunteers. Together, we have grown CVSC to where it is thriving and stronger than ever.
Our annual budget surpassed $600,000 this Year – a ten-fold increase. Average scores on our Conservation Scorecards more than doubled from 41% in 2004 to 87% in 2016. CVSC has endorsed Republicans and Democrats in every election since 2003 with a success rate over 70% – including the defeat of three low scoring incumbents in 2016. We have formalized collaboration within the conservation community and raised our collective voices through the South Carolina Conservation Coalition.
Through this work, Conservation Voters has become a force in both the State House and in elections across the state. With these successes in mind, I believe that the time is right for CVSC to grow and expand under new leadership, and I notified the CVSC Board of my resignation earlier this summer.
I am pleased to announce that John Tynan will assume the position of Executive Director in mid-October. John joined our team in February as Political Director and together we launched a sophisticated voter engagement strategy, doubled our expenditures over past cycles and spent more than $145,000 to support conservation minded candidates.
With a background that includes non-profit conservation work, election to local office, and service as a government employee, John has the right set of skills and passion to expand CVSC’s impact. Having hired John and worked alongside him for the last six months as we expanded our political efforts, I can think of no better person to lead this organization into its next phase.
I look forward to working with John and the CVSC team through the end of the Year while I consider new career challenges. Post-transition, I will remain a strong supporter of CVSC’s work and encourage you to do the same.
I will be forever grateful for the amazing friendships formed within the conservation community and with elected leaders. Thank you for your encouragement and for your support for Conservation Voters. Together we will continue to protect the South Carolina we love.
