A Treasure to Share
Feb 23, 2018 12:00 PM
Merica Whitehall, Fontenelle Forest
A Treasure to Share

Merica Whitehall is Executive Director of Fontenelle Forest, a nonprofit nature center and 2,000 acre forested greenspace bordering the Missouri River and located in the Omaha metro area. She grew up in a Nebraskan family that honored its connection to nature and where daily life incorporated art and creativity. Merica believes that strong, healthy communities are at the core of a just and sustainable society.

She has have over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience including 9 years as a nationally touring artist and arts manager.Merica earned an Executive Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University where she also spent eight years as a faculty member in the Institute for Public Service in the College of Arts and Sciences. As a consultant and trainer she has advised numerous nonprofit organizations seeking to create capacity and achieve organizational goals.

Merica has served as the Executive Director at Fontenelle Forest since June of 2016. Fontenelle Forest includes Raptor Recovery, with a state-wide volunteer network to transport injured birds to the rehabilitation center in Elmwood, Nebraska; the Raptor Woodland Refuge, an exhibit of 12 raptor species native to Nebraska; conservation programs to preserve valuable ecosystems within the Fontenelle Forest properties; and an environmental education program that serves more than 40,000 metro-area students each year.

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