Staff changes are underway at Takshanuk Watershed Council.
Executive director Meredith Pochardt has accepted a yearlong fellowship in Juneau with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she will conduct research mapping marine juvenile salmon habitats.
Derek Poinsette, Takshanuk’s science director, will take over the duties of executive director, while new hire Jenn Hamblen will fill the new position of development director.
“Takshanuk is (in) a good spot to have some fresh blood,” said Pochardt.
The creation of the development director position highlights the organization’s plan to expand its impact, said Hamblen, who will split her time between Haines and Juneau in an effort to broaden the nonprofit’s outreach. “It can be easy to get isolated in Haines,” said Hamblen.
Pochardt has been at the nonprofit since 2010, when she started as an intern. Under her tenure as director, the organization finalized the purchase of their headquarters property on Jones Point Road and expanded its research and educational initiatives.
Pochardt, who recently bought a house in Haines, isn’t planning to leave for good. “That’s the plan, to come back eventually,” she said, noting that a return to Takshanuk could be in the cards as well.
“Meredith was here for a long time and did a lot of really great work,” said Poinsette. “We hope to continue having a relationship with her.”