LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville-based River Fields has named Kristin Faurest the next president and CEO of the 65-year-old nonprofit, effective May 7. Faurest will replace Meme Sweets Runyon, who announced her retirement after leading the organization for 38 years.
The largest and oldest river conservancy on the Ohio River’s 981 miles, River Fields leverages advocacy, education, and land conservation to foster a long-term vision for land and water usage. As a land trust, River Fields holds 63 acres of key river corridor properties in 10 parcels, all accessible to the public, and approximately 2,172 acres in 27 conservation easements in Jefferson, Oldham, and Shelby counties.
Since 1959, River Fields’ work has promoted good planning, preservation of the river and its resources and neighborhoods, and the importance of natural and cultural resources to quality of life in the region. Their mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources—including agricultural and scenic — between Westport and West Point, Ky., for public benefit.
“The board participated in a thoughtful and exhaustive search to identify just the right leader to take River Fields into its next phase of service to our community,” said Logan Ormerod, chair of River Fields’ board of directors. “Kristin’s entrepreneurial spirit and true passion for engaging the community around advocacy and conservation are perfectly aligned with River Fields’ interests as we look toward the future.”
Faurest, a national award-winning public garden professional, stood out to the River Fields search committee for her breadth of experience in advocacy, programming, community outreach, advancement, and strategic planning. She is also a landscape architecture writer, researcher and educator with a long record of advocating for sustainable thinking, equity, and conservation.
“For nearly four decades, Meme has been a tireless advocate for protecting, preserving, and enhancing the natural and cultural resources on both sides of the Ohio River for the public benefit,” said Ormerod. “We owed it to her legacy and the future of River Fields to carefully consider our vision and who is best prepared to continue to bring it to life. We could not be more excited to work with Kristin.”
After graduating from the University of Louisville, Faurest earned a master’s degree from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and later a Ph.D. in landscape architecture before establishing a landscape design company focusing on urban ecology, sustainable small spaces, educational landscapes, therapeutic gardens, and community participation processes.
She went on to serve as director of the Japanese Garden Training Center at Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon before returning to Kentucky to lead the education team at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Faurest most recently consulted for Origin Park/River Heritage Conservancy in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
“I grew up on the banks of the river in Arctic Springs in Jeffersonville and have a lifelong sacred relationship with the Ohio River,” said Faurest. “It is an incredible honor to be entrusted with this role, and I look forward to working with the board and our community to build on our legacy and set out on our path forward.”
The search for River Fields’ new president and CEO was led by Ashley|Rountree and Associates, a Louisville-based consulting firm that supports nonprofits.
