We are excited to welcome SNC’s new director, Shawn McCrohan. Shawn is a Southern California native with a background in park management and environmental education. For more than 25 years she has been building her diverse professional experience with leadership roles in strategic planning, membership recruitment, partnerships, environmental education and interpretation, public engagement, and finance and budget.
McCrohan started her career with California State Parks at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum set among towering rock formations of Piute Butte in the Mojave Desert. The museum’s mission is interpreting Native American cultures of the Great Basin and surrounding regions.
Prior to joining SNC she was Associate Director of the National Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary on the western edge of the Everglades in Naples, Florida. This 13,000-acre sanctuary is home to the world’s largest remaining ancient bald cypress forest as well as the endangered Ghost orchid and Florida panther.
As Manager of Environmental Science for Somerset County Park Commission, she oversaw the operation of two parks in the Great Swamp region of New Jersey and managed an Environmental Education Center. During this time, she secured major corporate grants to expand K-12 STEM environmental education programs including a new biomimicry program and guided the organization to expand its environmental stewardship efforts.
Shawn also served as Executive Director for the Arizona Association for Environmental Education, an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education. Here she worked to further environmental literacy and professionalize the non-profit, helping the organization to earn the 2018 Outstanding Affiliate Award. Shawn also held the position of Science Education Coordinator at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and managed the visits of over 90,000 school children and piloted an outreach program for underserved youth.
Shawn attended Northern Arizona University, majoring in Parks and Recreation Management and is Wilderness First Responder certified. She is passionate about the conservation of ancient landscapes and environmental education for all. A keen interest in hiking has taken her to landscapes in Patagonia, the Himalayas, and Africa providing an appreciation for park management and operations around the globe and leading to her supporting lion conservation efforts in western Tanzania and a native plant restoration project in Rwanda.
February 27, 2024
