Kane County announces new Forest Preserve District Executive Director

KANE COUNTY—The Forest Preserve Commission recently ratified Benjamin Haberthur’s contract as the next executive director of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, which occurred during the Commission’s Nov. 7 meeting.

According to a press release, Haberthur is currently serving as the district’s director of natural resource management and will formally assume his executive director duties on Dec. 1.

The Forest Preserve District began its search for a replacement executive director back in September after current Executive Director Monica Meyers announced her plans for retirement at the end of 2022. She has served the district for 18 years.

Forest Preserve Commission President Chris Kious appointed an interview panel of commissioners, which began conducting interviews in late October.

“Ben took nothing for granted in the interview. He was very thorough in his presentation material, knowledgeable, and thoughtful with each and every answer to the questions that the interview committee posted,” said Kious in a press release statement. “Of course, the immediate goal is for Ben to get settled in his new position. Ben is familiar with many of the aspects of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County already, and he has shown himself to be a quick study. I expect a relatively smooth transition.”

Harberthur brings more than 19 years of conservation experience to his new role, with 11 of those years being spent with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.

“I think vision is one of Ben’s biggest strengths. Ben has shown he has a solid background in the basics of land management and well-above-average communication and organizational skills,” added Kious. “He understands the underlying principles necessary to build a solid organization, and he has a very innovative approach to almost all tasks. I expect him to be an administrator that will take our preserves to a place that Kane County deserves. I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Harberthur has served as the director of natural resource management since March 2016, and before that, he was employed as the district’s restoration ecologist.

Current Executive Director Meyers echoed Kious’ sentiments regarding Harberthur’s new role.

“I’m really happy to see an internal promotion, and specifically that of Ben. Passion is critical; it leads people to do the right thing and make the right decisions,” stated Meyers. “Ben’s very intelligent, and that’s evident to all who know him and who have had the opportunity to work with him. With his years of service and passion for the District, I know he’ll do a terrific job as executive director. Plus, because he and I have worked together for years, it’ll be a seamless transition.”

Previously, Haberthur worked as a natural resources manager for Campton Township Open Space and was formerly a GIS (Geographic Information System) specialist and restoration technician with the McHenry County Conservation District.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Systems Science and Policy from California State University-Monterey Bay and has served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

Harberthur’s Marine Corps experience was what led him toward a career in conservation.

“I first found a deep connection to nature after serving a combat tour in Iraq as a United States Marine,” said Haberthur. “Frequent and repeated hikes on public lands helped me process those experiences. Ever since that time, I’ve worked to increase my responsibility and commitment towards protecting and preserving natural areas, to ensure that they’ll persist.”

He continued, “While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed that challenge, sense of purpose, and camaraderie that come with leading one of the best restoration crews in the Midwest, I feel like I can make a bigger impact for conservation by serving as executive director. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, and vast pollution are some of the scariest problems we face, but all three of these environmental problems have nature-based solutions.”

Harberthur stated that originally, he wasn’t looking for the executive director role, but having worked in conservation for years, he encountered the burden of knowing how quickly the aforementioned problems can affect the forest preserves, and what is needed to reverse the trends.

“When faced with the decision to take on more responsibility and lead the organization towards solving these problems, or pretending these weren’t my problems to solve, the decision was clear,” Harberthur added.

Meyers is expected to stay at the district until the end of the year to help Harberthur with the transition into his new role.