OCCA Names New Executive Director

Following an extensive nationwide search, the Otsego County Conservation Association has announced that Darla M. Youngs is the organization’s new executive director.

Youngs has served at the OCCA helm as acting executive director since July 1, when former director Erik Miller left for a position with the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board. Her promotion was made official in December.

“The Search Committee conducted a very deliberate and thorough search, and we are confident that we have the best person for the job,” said OCCA Board President Vicky M. Lentz. “Darla’s intimate knowledge of the organization and her extensive supervisory and managerial experience put her at the top of the list. We’re fortunate to have had the perfect candidate so close at hand.

“An added bonus is that the transition was seamless – we haven’t missed a beat,” Lentz said.

OCCA’s administrative director since October of 2008, Youngs originally focused primarily on bookkeeping, organizational and administrative oversight, fundraising, event planning, and newsletter design. Over time her responsibilities expanded to all program areas.

Since late 2009, Youngs has been responsible for public relations generated on behalf of OCCA, including press releases, eco-bulletins and “The Lookout,” OCCA’s quarterly newsletter. She has been a member of the Executive Board of the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee since 2007 and a member of the Earth Festival and Otsego Lakes Festival steering committees since 2006. For the past two years, Youngs has overseen OCCA’s annual “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” Garage Sale as well as the Annual Meeting and Dinner.

Programmatically, Youngs has been increasingly hands-on in all respects, from water chestnut eradication on Goodyear Lake and trail clean-up at Basswood Pond State Forest to the Circuit Rider Planner Program and preliminary environmental reviews for Otsego Rural Housing Assistance. She has organized OCCA’s popular nature walk series for the past two seasons, and was instrumental in reviving both the OCCA-sponsored DEC campership program and the Natural Resources Survey mapping initiative. Fund-raising appeals, grant writing and website/social media development have also been among her focus areas.

After earning her associate's degree in journalism from Morrisville State College, where she graduated first in her class, Youngs relocated to Long Island to begin her journalism career. Over the next 10 years, her on-the-job training – which she terms “invaluable” – led her to positions as managing editor and editorial design director of two prominent weekly newspaper chains.

In 1994, Youngs left her post as head of the production division of Richner Publications, where she directed a staff of 30-plus, to return to central New York so that she could raise her two sons closer to home, where they could enjoy farmland, rolling hills and forests as they grew up, as she had. At that time, she became production director of "The Freeman's Journal," the third oldest weekly newspaper in the nation. She continued with the Journal through a change of ownership, and was promoted to general manager by Otsego Templeton Publishing Co., Inc., then the parent company. She held that position from 2001-2006.

In 2006, Youngs left the paper to pursue a career that would allow her to spend more time with her family. She was hired by Otsego 2000, another local environmental nonprofit organization. In 2007, she was promoted to associate director there. While at Otsego 2000, Youngs administered the Cooperstown Farmers' Market among other duties.

“Darla is a natural, strong leader. Her ability to efficiently and effectively carry out administrative duties is a huge asset. Since leadership and efficiency are crucial to OCCA’s success, these assets weighed heavily in her favor,” Lentz said.

Youngs said she looks forward to her new role at OCCA.

“I have been very fortunate in that I had the opportunity to train under Martha Frey and Erik Miller, two of Otsego County’s most successful environmental non-profit leaders. I intend to put what they taught me to good use,” Youngs said.

“The next step will be to complete our team. Rima Shamieh, OCCA’s new environmental planner, came on board last month and I’m currently interviewing to fill a newly-created program director position which will allow us to increase our programming in water and air quality, land protection, and livable communities, and will complement Martha Clarvoe’s work as special projects manager.

“This is an exciting time for us,” added Youngs.

Youngs grew up in Pine Woods and graduated from Morrisville-Eaton Central School. She is an award-winning graphic designer and sole proprietor of DM Youngs Design. She and her two sons – Morrison and John Darcy – live in Hartwick.

OCCA is a private, non-profit environmental membership organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation and sustainable use of Otsego County's natural resources through education, advocacy, resource management, research, and planning. For more information on OCCA, or to support programming, call (607) 547-4488 or visit www.occainfo.org.