Courtney Reich joins the Georgia Conservancy as new Coastal Director

The Georgia Conservancy is excited to announce that Courtney Reich has joined the organization as its newest Coastal Director. She succeeds Charles McMillan in this role, a position that he has held since 2015. McMillan remains with the Georgia Conservancy as Natural Resources Director, guiding the Georgia Conservancy’s policies and practices around land and water conservation.

“The ocean, islands, estuaries, and extensive forest of our Georgia coast represent the state's most biodiverse area and our most globally significant conservation landscapes,” says Charles McMillan. “Stewardship of these incomparable resources is why the Georgia Conservancy has had a Coastal Director serving out of our Savannah office for more than fifty years. Courtney Reich is well known in the coastal region and brings a depth of experience that is well suited for the position.”

Before joining the Georgia Conservancy, Reich most recently led the Savannah office of Goodwyn Mills Cawood, a leader in architecture, engineering, stormwater planning and environmental services. She previously served as the Owner and Principal Planner of Savannah-based Ecological Planning Group as well as a Water Resources Planner with the Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission.

“Throughout my career, I have been driven by the connection between how we use our land and aquatic resources and our impact on this unique and irreplaceable coastal environment,” says Courtney Reich. “As we begin to feel the impacts of climate change here on the coast, it becomes even more critical to take the necessary steps to ensure that our environment, economy, and quality of life, which are so intricately connected, are healthy and resilient. I am so excited to be a part of the Georgia Conservancy team, and I can't wait to work with my fellow staff, our Board, our donors, and our volunteers and partners to build a sustainable and thriving coastal Georgia now and for future generations.”

Since 1967, the Georgia Conservancy is committed to protecting the integrity of Georgia’s coastal resources for the long-term benefit of people and natural systems. From its coastal office in historic Savannah, the Conservancy is focused on forwarding a healthy, resilient and diverse coastal ecosystem that can endure natural and human disturbances, a coastal economy that offers diverse options including healthy, sustainable nature-based businesses such as commercial fishing and recreation-based tourism, and responsible planning for growth and conservation of sensitive coastal lands.

Founded in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy’s mission is to protect Georgia through ecological and economic solutions for stewardship, conservation and sustainable use of the land and its resources.

www.georgiaconservancy.org