Durango Nature Studies has announced it has hired a new executive director to fill the vacancy left by outgoing director Sally Shuffield.
According to a news release, DNS will be under the direction of former Durango resident Stephanie Weber, who will take over effective July 3.
“We are thrilled to announce that after a wide search, we have hired a wonderful new executive director,” Shuffield said. “I know that everyone in the community will make her welcome, and I am excited to see the energy and ideas that she brings to DNS. We are lucky to have her joining Durango Nature Studies.”
Shuffield, 50, started as executive director of DNS about 10 years ago and announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down from her role to travel with her family.
During her tenure, Shuffield increasingly championed DNS as part of the community, adding more workshops, camps and programs for people of all ages.
“Getting kids learning outside in the real world is so different than finding a YouTube video on something. ... It’s a way to get kids actually thinking about their connection to the natural world,” Shuffield said last month. “It (Durango Nature Studies) does feel very stable and beloved in the community.”
According to the DNS website, Weber is a Colorado native who lived in Durango during her teenage years, ultimately leaving for northern Colorado when she was 16 years old.
She obtained a Bachelor of Science in managerial economics at the University of California-Davis, then found policy and programmatic work with nonprofit organizations, the website says.
For 10 years, Weber worked at Oakland-based Safe Routes to School National Partnership “promoting programs and policies nationally to make it safe for people of all ages – particularly children – to navigate their communities by walking or bicycling.”
Weber also worked for BikeWalk Virginia, an organization that also promotes bicycling and walking. She has also “advocated at the state and federal level for clean energy, scientific research and higher education.”
“In Virginia, Stephanie helped coach a youth mountain bike team, taught safe cycling and enjoyed hiking, camping and mountain biking,” the website says. “Now that she’s back in Colorado, she will be reacquainting herself with all the great outdoor opportunities our region has to offer.”
