Tom Clay
The Door County Land Trust has a new executive director. He is 55-year old Tom Clay, who comes to Door County by way of the Illinois Audubon Society where he was Executive Director for ten years. During Clay’s tenure with the Illinois organization which acquires and owns wildlife sanctuaries statewide, its net assets nearly tripled from 4 million to over 11 million dollars, it raised $750,000 in private donations to build the society’s first permanent state headquarters, and it secured acquisition and stewardship grants of nearly $3.5 million. According to Jeff Ottum, the land trust’s president-elect and chairman of its search committee, Clay was selected because of his experience in land preservation, his record of effective relationship building and fundraising, his ability to communicate, and his strong management skills. A native of northern Illinois, he has visited Wisconsin and Door County on several occasions. Tom Clay will begin his new position in Sturgeon Bay in September.
