CEO Transition

October 28, 2024

Anne Chadwick, Point Blue Board Chair

As the Chair of Point Blue’s Board of Directors, I’m writing to share some important news.

Last week, Manuel Oliva notified the Board of Directors that he will be stepping down from his role as CEO, effective November 15th. Mani will be leaving the organization for an exciting new role advancing environmental justice with the U.S. EPA’s West Coast program.

The Board has accepted his resignation and congratulates him on his exciting new opportunity.

While we’re thrilled for Mani’s new position, we’ll also miss him deeply and have greatly valued his contributions and service. During Mani’s five and half years leading Point Blue, the organization saw immense growth and success.

• Among many other accomplishments, Mani successfully led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic; raised diversity, equity, and inclusion as an organizational priority; and deepened the organization’s connections with key partners at the state and federal level.
• During Mani’s tenure, the organization dramatically grew its annual budget to the largest size in history, allowing it to add new impact areas while increasing the size and geographic scope of many existing programs. The organization is now well positioned to achieve further success under its new strategic plan, which will be released in the spring of 2025.

As Board Chair, I have established a CEO Search Committee which will begin the search for Mani’s successor immediately, to help ensure a smooth transition during this time. During the transition, Melissa Pitkin, currently serving as Point Blue’s Chief of Staff, will serve as Acting CEO. Melissa will bring over 27 years of experience at Point Blue to her position and we are confident in her ability to lead the organization during the transition.

We are deeply grateful to Mani for his leadership of Point Blue and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his journey. Please join me in congratulating him on his exciting new role at the U.S. EPA! We expect to continue working with him in his new position and we know that Mani will always be a part of the Point Blue family.

Thank you for being a part of the Point Blue community and all you do to support this wonderful organization. We are excited to write the next chapter of Point Blue’s history together!