News

Natural Area Preservation Association
Welcomes New Executive Director

TLTC is pleased to announce that Mark Steinbach has been chosen as the new Executive Director for Natural Area Preservation Association (NAPA). We welcome Mark to this leadership position of one of Texas' largest and fastest-growing land trusts.

Mark comes to NAPA from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, where he was a private lands wildlife biologist providing technical assistance to landowners in the Hill Country. Mark's land management experience also stems from his academic career and working on his family's farm property near Brenham, Texas.

Mark earned his bachelor's in wildlife and fisheries sciences and master's in rangeland ecology and management, both from Texas A&M University. His master's research focused on Texas landowners and their knowledge of conservation policy and land management techniques. In 2004, Mark received his Ph.D. from the University of Montana in Missoula from the College of Forestry and Conservation. His dissertation and post-doctoral work was on land fragmentation in the Rocky Mountain region.

Mark will be based in Austin and will work with Kerry Olenick, NAPA's stewardship director, to maintain and monitor more than 80 preserves. He will also work with landowners to continue our tradition of protecting unique properties, to explore research and educational opportunities, and to work with NAPA's directors to set and meet new goals for the organization.