Lerner brings decades of experience at national-level conservation organizations

Washington, D.C. (June 25, 2015) — Scott Steen, president and CEO of American Forests, announced the appointment of Jeff Lerner as the new vice president of conservation programs, a position overseeing the organization’s forest restoration and protection initiatives.

“We are thrilled to have Jeff on board,” Steen said. “I have no doubt that his deep knowledge of conservation issues, both from the policy and programs perspectives, as well as his broad experience within the conservation community, will help bring our program initiatives to a new level. Plus, he is just a great fit with our team.”

Lerner has worked in conservation for more than 20 years on national-level planning, policy and funding for habitat conservation for several organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

He has also served as a national expert on State Wildlife Action Plans and worked to integrate conservation with local land-use planning in urbanizing parts of the U.S. Jeff has most recently served as senior advisor and project director for The Conservation Fund, pioneering their work in the area of climate change.

He began his career with birds of prey in the western U.S. working on landscape scale projects covering public and private lands. His training includes degrees in conservation biology and sustainable development, as well as zoology.

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ABOUT AMERICAN FORESTS

American Forests protects and restores urban and wildland forests. Founded in 1875, the first national nonprofit conservation organization in the country has served as a catalyst for many of the most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and national park systems and literally thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts. Since 1990, American Forests has planted nearly 50 million trees in forests throughout the U.S. and in 45 countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Learn more at americanforests.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Christopher Horn | Director of Communications | 202.370.4517 (direct) | 913.549.0769 (cell) | chorn@americanforests.org