Sittenfeld joins NPCA after spending more than two decades fighting for public lands, bold action on climate change, and clean air and water for the League of Conservation Voters.
WASHINGTON – The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Board of Trustees has selected Tiernan Sittenfeld as the next President and CEO of the 107-year-old nonprofit national parks advocacy group.
Sittenfeld will take office beginning March 1. She is the National Parks Conservation Association’s eleventh chief executive and the second female leader to hold the reins at the leading independent voice for America’s national parks. With nearly 1.9 million members and supporters, NPCA employs more than 180 staff in 11 programmatic regions across the country.
Sittenfeld joins NPCA after spending more than two decades fighting for public lands, bold action on climate change, and clean air and water for the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), a leading environmental nonprofit and longtime ally of NPCA.
With nearly 30 years of leadership experience, including as a team-builder, strategist, advocate, fundraiser, and communicator, Tiernan is widely respected within the national environmental community, on Capitol Hill, and with partners across the country. Tiernan’s leadership and strong advocacy were vital to major victories, including passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and Great American Outdoors Act. She has led the LCV Government Affairs team since 2005, expanding it from a team of two to a highly effective team of 20. A longtime member of the LCV Executive team, she has worked closely with the LCV Board of Directors and helped LCV grow from 40 staff to nearly 200 today.
After attending Dartmouth College, Tiernan was a campus organizer and a field director with Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), working on grassroots environmental campaigns in California and Oregon. She moved to Washington, DC in 2000 to be a Conservation Advocate and the Co-Director of the Heritage Forests Campaign before moving to LCV in 2005.
Born and raised in Ohio, Sittenfeld credits life-changing backpacking trips to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Denali, and Glacier Bay as a teenager with inspiring her career in conservation. She lives in Washington, DC and enjoys frequent hikes in Rock Creek Park with her family.
As NPCA’s President and CEO, Sittenfeld joins the ranks of ten other luminaries in the fields of publishing, law, media and conservation, all united by a common passion for America’s national parks. Her predecessors include Tom Kiernan, now-president of American Rivers and a former EPA official under President George H.W. Bush, acclaimed journalist Devereux Butcher, and Robert Sterling Yard, one of the original founders of the National Park Service. Together with Stephen Tyng Mather, Yard founded NPCA in Washington in 1919.
Sittenfeld will succeed Theresa Pierno, the first woman to hold the office of President and CEO for NPCA. A renowned Chesapeake Bay policy expert, national park aficionado, and former elected official, Pierno served NPCA for more than twenty years, spending the last decade as chief executive. Pierno leaves behind an admirable legacy of victories for parks and people across the country, including helping pass the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, establishing new national parks and monuments representing America’s diverse history, and building an organizational culture that resulted in being voted one of the country’s “Best Places to Work.”
Sittenfeld said in a statement: “I am so honored to join NPCA at this pivotal juncture for America’s national parks. From the unrivaled beauty of their landscapes to the powerful American history and culture they preserve, there is no question that our parks bring people together like nothing else can. But even as visitors are drawn to our national parks in greater numbers than ever before, these one-of-a-kind places are increasingly under threat. Devastating staff and funding cuts, attempts to erase science and historical facts, biodiversity loss and climate change are all putting our parks in harm’s way.”
“I can’t wait to jump into this role with awe and reverence for our national parks and respect and admiration for NPCA’s board, staff, and mission. NPCA will never stop fighting to protect America’s national parks. Together, we will defend them today and prepare for a better tomorrow.”
Sändra Washington, Chair of the National Parks Conservation Association Board of Trustees said: “It is with great enthusiasm that the NPCA Board of Trustees announces the selection of Tiernan Sittenfeld as the organization’s next President and CEO. Tiernan is a proven leader who has spent her career building coalitions, bridging divides and forging policy to advance America’s conservation legacy. These skills are matched by her lifelong love of the outdoors and national parks. We believe she is the right leader for this moment in history and for the future we want to build for America’s national parks.”
Theresa Pierno, immediate past President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association said, “Leading the National Parks Conservation Association has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I remain endlessly proud of our work together to protect and strengthen our national parks over the last twenty years. We’ve done it with passion, integrity and an unshakable belief in the power of our parks to inspire and unite. I know it is this belief that powers Tiernan Sittenfeld, an outdoor leader who comes to this role well equipped to fight the good fight and defend our national parks at every turn. I want our staff, members and supporters to know that your efforts on behalf of our national parks have meant the world to me. It’s hard to say goodbye, but I have every confidence that under Tiernan’s leadership, NPCA will continue to grow and thrive, leaving a powerful national park legacy for generations to come.”
Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers and former National Parks Conservation Association President said, “I am so proud to see NPCA continue its strong advocacy for our national parks by choosing my colleague and friend Tiernan Sittenfeld as its next chief executive. In Tiernan, NPCA has gained a dedicated national park advocate who has a life-long love of our National Park System. She is a skilled, effective, and kind leader who has an ability to link hands with everyone to advocate for and protect our national parks. I look forward to working with Tiernan to protect and restore America’s rivers that are both inside and outside our National Park System.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
