Woodcock Nature Center today announced the appointment of Wilton resident Lenore Eggleston Herbst as its new executive director. With more than 20 years of non-profit management experience, Eggleston Herbst brings a deep knowledge of marketing, fundraising, community outreach and education to Woodcock at a key point in the organization’s development.
Lenore succeeds Dr. Michael Rubbo, who moved on to accept a teaching position in the Department of Environmental Studies and Science at Pace University and has since become a member of the newly formed Advisory Committee at Woodcock, serving as Science Advisor. Thus far the committee also includes Dr. Raina Schunk from South Wilton Vet Group.
“Woodcock Nature Center is poised for growth and Lenore’s skills in marketing, fundraising and organization development are an essential element of the plan to re-invigorate existing programming, build exciting new programs and deepen our relationship to the community,” said Board president Jana Hogan. “We are thrilled to welcome Lenore as our new director and look forward to her leadership as we continue to grow.”
For the past 12 years Eggleston Herbst has been director of marketing and development for the Westchester Philharmonic in Westchester County, where she played a key role in transforming the 35-year-old organization through strategic marketing and fundraising, audience development and donor cultivation.
At Woodcock, she will be responsible for overseeing strategic planning and programming, community outreach, marketing, grant writing and fundraising as well as oversight of the WNC facilities, activities and staff. She comes to the position with an existing commitment to the organization, having served on the board of directors at Woodcock since 2016.
“I believe deeply in the benefits of nature education and am grateful for the opportunity to lead this gem of an organization,” commented Eggleston Herbst. “Woodcock Nature Center has been an essential resource to our community for decades, and I look forward to increasing the visibility of the organization, growing programs, building partnerships with other local organizations and getting to know our constituents.”
Her past experience also includes fundraising for Ballet Tech (New York City’s only tuition-free public school for dance), as well as marketing and fundraising for the Kaufman Center in New York, which operates a community arts school, a K-12 public school for gifted music students, and the renowned Merkin Concert Hall. Eggleston Herbst has been a guest speaker on non-profit management at Pace University and Manhattanville College and is a regular classroom speaker at NYU on marketing and public relations in the arts sector. Lenore holds a B.A. in Dance and Psychology from Connecticut College and an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from NYU.
Eggleston Herbst lives in Wilton with her husband and two young boys, two rescue cats, and a coonhound rescue puppy named Darwin.