The Wilderness Center New Director Starts April 1st

  • By: Karen Skubik
  • March 15, 2014
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As The Wilderness Center celebrates 50 years of serving our region as a cutting-edge environmental center, Jeff Corney, newly appointed executive director, becomes just the third person to assume the lead role. Corney steps into his new post on April 1st, and according to Andrew Haag, president of TWC board of trustees, “he will have some big shoes to fill”. The previous director, Gordon Maupin, held the reigns for 32 years, leading TWC through considerable growth and development. The center has been involved in conserving nearly 4,000 acres in the region; started clubs, family and adult educational programming; grown from a staff of three to 14; doubled the size of its interpretive building; and became the first nonprofit group in the United States to start a nature preserve cemetery. “It was advertised nationally”, said Vicki Shoenfelt, marketing director of TWC in reference to the director position. “We had applicants from many states and many with qualified back rounds.” Haag was pleased when Corney accepted the position stating, “We are very fortunate to find Jeff. We chose him because of his background in education and because he was running a very similar nature organization in Minnesota.” Corney joins TWC after spending the last eight years as Managing Director of the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. After obtaining a bachelors degree in biology from Hope College in Michigan, Corney earned a masters in communication development at Colorado State University and continued his education, receiving masters and doctoral degrees in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University. Corney spent four years as an Assistant Professor at Lynchburg College and was the first full-time Director of the college's Claytor Nature Study Center. TWC, which now serves a seven-county region in northeast Ohio, enticed Corney who stated, “I accepted this position for a variety of reasons, but not least of which because I am impressed with the depth and quality of programs that TWC delivers, the diversity and innovation of its conservation initiatives, and the obvious commitment and appreciation the community has for this nature center.” While Haag thought TWC will continue to evolve under Corney’s watch with his focus on nature education, Corney stated, “I would like to take some time to truly get to know TWC before I go too far mapping out a vision and plan, but I will say that first I want to maintain the level of high quality programming that already characterizes TWC, and continue the tradition of land stewardship innovations that has become a hallmark of TWC.” As TWC enters its next 50 years, Corney declared, “I’d like to ensure that this nature center remains relevant and ahead of the curve in terms of its involvement in environmental science education, land conservation, and community engagement.”


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