Forterra has hired Tim Farrell as its new Chief Program Officer (CPO). Drawing on his experience in the public and private sector, Farrell will lead the Policy, Conservation and Stewardship departments as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team.
The city of Kent has a 20-year partnership with Forterra as part of its Green Kent program to help restore and manage 1,344 acres of urban forests and natural areas in the city.
“Tim is an insightful, experienced leader and brings to Forterra the skills necessary to advance all of our work, from restoring natural habitat to creating livable cities to conserving vast landscapes across the region,” said Gene Duvernoy, Forterra president, in a media release. “His contributions to community building and conservation will strengthen our ability to create a sustainable region worthy of our children.”
Farrell spent over a decade at the Port of Tacoma, first as deputy director, then executive director and CEO.
After leaving the Port, Farrell worked for three years in real estate investment, development and property and asset management in single-family and multi-family infill and rehabilitation projects. The experience will be a valuable addition to Forterra’s urban development and rural conservation work.
“In both real estate and at the Port, I worked to make my communities great places to live and work,” Farrell said. “Forterra’s vision of spectacular landscapes, a vibrant economy and great places to live strongly resonates with me and the Chief Program Officer position presents an opportunity to bring my skills, experience and urgency to the larger realm of this long-term vision.”
Farrell’s hire adds critical capacity and programmatic leadership as the organization’s work continues to broaden in scope and complexity. He will be joining Michelle Connor, Forterra’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Enterprises, to advance cutting edge projects for walkable, livable and affordable communities and landscape scale conservation of the region’s farms, forests and natural areas.
Forterra’s work is guided by the Cascade and Olympic Agendas, long-range visions and actions plans that recognize the intrinsic connection between cities and towns and the conservation of rural lands.
Since the launch of the Cascade Agenda in 2005, Forterra has increasingly worked to create great communities by shaping policies around transportation, walkability, equity and more; mobilizing residents to engage in changes within their neighborhoods; and building community gardens and restoring parks and urban green spaces.
The work is grounded in the recognition that great communities with sustainable economies in which people choose to live, work and raise their families can help protect our rural lands from sprawling development. Hiring the CPO is a demonstration of Forterra’s dual commitment to creating communities worthy of our children and conserving the landscapes that shape our regional identity.
For more than 20 years, Forterra has led efforts to conserve more than 181,000 acres of forests, farms, shorelines, parks and natural areas and restore critical landscapes.
For more information, go to www.forterra.org.
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