Matt Purdy Named Director of Forest Investments

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Conservation Fund, America’s leader in land protection, is pleased to announce the hiring of Matt Purdy as Director of Forest Investments. In this new role Matt will lead the marketing and development of co-investment opportunities for mission-aligned partners to work with The Conservation Fund’s Working Forest Fund^®, a unique and proven model for the long-term protection of U.S. working forests that balances climate, natural and local economic benefits. Prior to joining The Conservation Fund, Matt was the Impact and Sustainability Director at Campbell Global, a leading forest investment company.

Lawrence Selzer, president and CEO of the Fund said: “As the implications of climate change reshape our landscapes, communities and economies, we recognize with urgency the importance of creating new strategic partnerships to protect at scale the lands needed to ensure a brighter future. This is especially true with our nation’s large, intact working forests, which we are losing at the rate of 1 million acres a year. We are excited to bring Matt on board to help us further scale our efforts to protect these forests and other landscapes.”

Forestry experts anticipate losing as many as 37 million acres in the coming decades to fragmentation and commercial development, eroding America’s strongest defense against climate change as well as natural habitat and local jobs that depend on sustainable forestry and the outdoor recreation economy. The Conservation Fund has pioneered a regenerative model of conserving these landscapes for all of their societal values over the last decade through its Working Forest Fund^®, and the organization looks to expand its mission and impact by teaming up with new partners that share its vision.

To date, The Conservation Fund has deployed $696 million in capital to impact 890,000 acres in 19 states, with over 500,000 of those acres permanently conserved. These lands store an estimated 213 million metric tons of CO2e, sustain 6,600 jobs, and provide $779 million in economic impact.

On his new position, Purdy noted: “The Conservation Fund is a pioneer and leader in the space, and I’m very excited to join the team. The Fund’s approach to forest conservation provides a tremendous opportunity to work with like-minded partners with the goal of creating positive outcomes for climate, communities and conservation.”

Purdy holds a Master of Business Administration from Oregon State University, a Master of Science in Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Florida.

About The Conservation Fund
At The Conservation Fund, we make conservation work for America. By creating solutions that make environmental and economic sense, we are redefining conservation to demonstrate its essential role in our future prosperity. Top-ranked for efficiency and effectiveness, we have worked in all 50 states since 1985 to protect more than 8.5 million acres of land.

Contact
Media Contact: media@conservationfund.org