Don Chartrand

Executive Director

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Organizational alignment
  • Sustainably achieving operating goals
  • Connecting scientific principles and shared values
  • Building resilient people, teams, communities and ecosystems

Biography

Don brings a passion for California’s natural heritage, along with a history of building teams to take on big challenges. As a pioneer in the field of human and social resilience, he has helped city and county governments, military personnel, first responders, corporations, universities, and nonprofits to become more resilient. After a career in health and well-being product development, he found his own path to resilience lay in helping to protect California’s natural resources. At Creek Lands Conservation, Don works to build and share understanding about the environmental realities of California’s Central Coast, because communities that are well-adapted to nature are more resilient in every way. Don is a Certified Chaparral Naturalist, and a seasoned volunteer with numerous environmental organizations. He is a serial entrepreneur, a lifelong California resident, a waterman, and a relentless student of nature. Don’s wife Kim is an integrative healthcare practitioner. They can often be found hiking beloved trails, identifying native California plants, or observing wildlife along California creeks.