Jun. 6—The Foundation for Geauga Parks trustees has named Christine S. Davidson as the new executive director.

Davidson will manage the day-to-day operations and serve as the external face of the foundation to the community at large, according to a news release.

Davidson has 15 years of senior management experience and strategic development and plan execution, including decades of non-profit experience as a board member, volunteer and most recently as director of operations for the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, the release stated.

"I am eager to build on the momentum of the foundation's programs and relationships with partner organizations to grow the foundation and maximize the impact of our collective endeavors," Davidson stated in the release.

As executive director, Davidson will direct advancement activities, develop strategic relationships and networks with Northeast Ohio organizations and bolster relationships with donors and sponsors to support the Foundation's philanthropic work and further its mission.

"Christine is the right leader for the foundation," board president Eric Sukalac stated in the release. "Christine comes to us with a great deal of operations experience and connection into Geauga County. Our Selection and Governance committees put a lot of work into finding the best candidate to help move our organization forward. We're all very excited to welcome Christine to the foundation."

The Foundation for Geauga Parks, established in 1990, is an independent nonprofit organization that provides funding and grants for projects and programs that focus on preservation, conservation, education and fostering community engagement with Geauga County's natural assets.

It has provided private funding for The West Woods, The Rookery, and Observatory Park. In recent years it expanded the scope of its mission to also support Geauga County's township parks.

The foundation is the primary source of funding for Nature Scopes, the first binocular-nature education program of its kind in the country in which Geauga County's fifth-graders from both public and parochial schools participate, the release stated.

The foundation initiated the Pollinator Program in 2019 to promote education about the importance of protecting pollinator habitats and in 2022, in collaboration with the Geauga Park District, a pollinator "Play" Garden was installed and commissioned in Frohring Meadows, providing kids of all ages hands-on ability to engage with nature and learn about the benefits of protecting pollinator habitats.

It also collaborated with multiple organizations to create the Geauga Skywatchers, an astronomy club that provides telescopes for check-out from local public libraries in addition to offering educational activities in astronomy, geared toward grades 6 through 12.