After three successful years guiding the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, Executive Director Jaron Cramer will be stepping down from his position effective Friday, April 18.

Cramer and his family will be relocating to Minnesota to be closer to extended family.

The Tejon Ranch Conservancy has announced Mitchell Coleman, the Conservation Science Director, has agreed to serve as Interim Executive Director.

Coleman’s deep understanding of the conservation programs and Tejon Ranch generally, his scientific expertise and his strong relationships with the Conservancy’s partners make him ideally suited to maintain the Conservancy’s momentum. He has a graduate education from California State University, Bakersfield, and has been stewarding resources on the Ranch for nearly a decade.

Under Cramer’s leadership, working closely with Coleman, the Conservancy has made significant progress in recent years. The Conservancy has advanced the Tejon Creek Watershed Enhancement Project to improve riparian habitat, enabled a range of scientific research projects within the conserved lands, established a matching grant opportunity that maximizes donors’ contributions (including major support from the Tejon Ranch Company) and secured critical grant funds for important resource-protecting projects from local foundations, businesses and government partners.

To strengthen community ties, the Conservancy has also expanded public access programs, continued nature education collaboration with local schools and relocated offices to Bakersfield.

These accomplishments have substantially strengthened the Conservancy’s impact and furthered its mission to preserve this extraordinary landscape.

“The Tejon Ranch Conservancy has become a significant part of my life, and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together,” said Cramer. “My gratitude extends to every person who has made these past three years so professionally and personally fulfilling, our dedicated staff, our Board of Directors, our donors and funders including the Tejon Ranch Company, our volunteers, and our community partners. It has been an honor to serve as your Executive Director, and I will always remain a passionate advocate for the Tejon Ranch Conservancy and its vital mission.”

The Tejon Ranch Conservancy was created as an independent nonprofit organization by the Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement, signed on June 17, 2008, by the Tejon Ranch Company, Audubon California, the Endangered Habitats League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, and Sierra Club.

For more information on the Tejon Ranch Conservancy visit www.tejonconservancy.org.