Reflecting on a Journey: My Gratitude as I Step Down as CEO of Point Blue
November 15, 2024
Dear Point Blue Community,
As I prepare to step down as CEO of Point Blue, I have been reflecting on the past five and a half years that I have had the honor of leading this amazing organization. From the first weeks of my tenure as I was so graciously welcomed by the staff and all of you; through all of the wonderful years of partnership, it has been a wild and wonderful journey!
I am proud of the tremendous success we have had together as a community. Through your support, Point Blue has dramatically grown in size and in its ability to deliver conservation and climate change solutions at an unprecedented scale. We have expanded our work to answer the most pressing scientific questions, scaled our ability to drive critical restoration of our natural world, increased our partnerships with other leading global institutions and governments, and deepened our community engagement through our educational and partnership programs. And through it all, we are connecting our work with a greater number of and more diverse communities than ever before.
While I will miss the staff and the entire community that I have been so fortunate to work with over these past several years, I am very excited to see what comes next for Point Blue. All of you have helped make Point Blue the leading and highly impactful organization it is today. And as we look to the future, we all know that Point Blue’s ability to inspire hope and deliver real solutions, while also empowering the next generation to be even bolder in their efforts is needed more than ever before.
As I depart, I feel confidence in the amazing leadership that the organization has in place, from the Board of Directors to the leaders within the organization who I know will continue to successfully guide Point Blue to new and exciting heights. I want to express my deep gratitude to Melissa Pitkin, Point Blue’s Chief of Staff, who will be serving as Acting CEO of the organization after I leave. Her many years of leadership and her care and thoughtfulness will serve Point Blue well. I also want to share my profound appreciation to Anne Chadwick, the Chair of the Board of Directors, and the entire Board of Directors for their support and guidance during my tenure. I am immensely grateful to the leadership team and the entire staff of Point Blue. I consider my time with these brilliant, passionate and committed individuals to be the highlight of my professional career, and they are the reason for the success we celebrate today.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to all of you. Thank you for your commitment to Point Blue and to making our world a better place. I am proud to be part of this community and I look forward to staying connected.
With deepest appreciation,
Mani Oliva