WASHINGTON, DC—Student Conservation Association (SCA) President and CEO Jaime Matyas, a longtime advocate for connecting young people with nature and conservation, has joined the nonprofit funders’ network Rachel’s Network as a Leadership Liaison.

Each year, SCA motivates and deploys thousands of teens and young adults to improve our natural world. SCA volunteers serve in national parks and forests as well as urban green spaces to make improvements and learn conservation and sustainability practices.

“Our iconic public lands will only be protected if the American people stand up for them,” said Rachel’s Network President Fern Shepard. “Jaime is ensuring that the next generation embraces this stewardship role, while developing leadership skills and conservation knowledge in the process.”

“As SCA volunteers protect and restore our public lands, their hands-on experiences foster enduring links to nature, leadership skills, and lifelong growth. I look forward to working with my Rachel’s Network colleagues to ensure young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn, serve, and thrive in nature,” said Jaime.

Prior to joining SCA in 2014, Jaime was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She joined NWF in 1993, creating its first corporate marketing department, bringing Ranger Rick magazine into the digital age  and rising through the ranks to hold a series of executive positions.

Rachel’s Network Environmental Leadership Liaisons — women CEOs of influential national or international environmental nonprofits — provide high-level expertise and keep Rachel’s Network members connected to nonprofits that share our goals. This esteemed roster includes Jamie Rappaport Clark, President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife; Margie Alt, Executive Director of Environment America; and Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director of the US Climate Action Network.

Rachel’s Network, a nonprofit organization named in Rachel Carson’s honor, promotes women as impassioned leaders and agents of change dedicated to the stewardship of the earth. The Network builds productive alliances among members and offers services that empower them to lead.

The Student Conservation Association’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.