The Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing, and celebrating the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair, has selected Jennifer Hill as its next executive director.
“After a nationwide search, we selected Jennifer due to her robust experience directing conservation policy and field campaigns and working collaboratively with local, state, and federal partners,” says Shawn Keenan, president of the CRWC’s board. “Her experience is critical as we advance our mission of improving and protecting the water quality of our state’s most populated watershed that spans 760-square miles.”
Hill, who begins her new role on Dec. 6, will lead education, stewardship, and watershed management programming, all of which has continued to expand over the council’s 50 years.
Before joining CRWC, Hill spent 17 years at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), where she most recently served as the associate director of NWF’s Great Lakes Regional Center. She managed and oversaw the water, chemicals of emerging concern, and wildlife programs, as well as strategic planning implementation and new program development. She also led NWF’s expansion of PFAS mitigation efforts in the Great Lakes region, including as a co-founding member of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.
“I have spent more than a decade helping shape environmental and Great Lakes water policy at the state and federal levels, but the rubber really meets the road in how policies are implemented at the local community and watershed level,” says Hill. “I look forward to working collaboratively with communities and partners to improve water quality for the millions of residents who call the Clinton River watershed home.”
Hill co-founded NWF’s Women in Conservation Leadership Program, which empowered female leaders across the conservation and environmental communities, and she currently serves as a board member of Huron Pines. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment in 2005.