Pittsburgh, Pa. – January 1, 2025 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announces the appointment of two new leadership positions and the retirement of Cynthia Carrow, vice president of government and community relations. Carrow retired from the Conservancy after 51 years of service on December 31, 2024.
Conservancy President Tom Saunders noted that Carrow had many roles at the Conservancy during her tenure. Most recently, she led government and community relations as well as the natural heritage and community greening programs. She has also been involved in numerous committees and activities locally and statewide. She has been a member of the Citizens Advisory Council to the Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board and DEP’s Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board.
“Cynthia has had an extraordinary role in building the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy over the years, developed very strong relationships with partners and provided superb leadership at every stage of her time at the Conservancy,” Saunders said.
On January 1, two Conservancy senior directors fill positions created in response to Carrow’s departure.
Jeff Bergman, senior director of community forestry, begins the role of associate vice president of urban forestry and community greening, and will also lead the Conservancy’s diversity, equity, inclusion and justice work.
Bergman has worked at the Conservancy since 2009, advancing community forestry, green infrastructure, ecological assessments and analysis, and diversity and inclusion work. He has led TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, resulting in more than 40,000 trees planted, and helped implement the Pittsburgh Redbud Project.
Bergman holds a master of public and international affairs and international political economy from the University of Pittsburgh, and earned a bachelor of arts in applied anthropology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Mike Kuzemchak, senior director of operations at Fallingwater, begins the role of associate vice president for government and
community relations. The position includes oversight of the Conservancy’s conservation science and natural heritage programs, and direction of sustainability initiatives across WPC’s offices.
Kuzemchak has worked at the Conservancy since 2004, formerly as director of operations of land conservation and in other land protection roles. Much of that time he focused on land conservation work in the Ligonier Valley and Laurel Highlands, and has strong working relationships with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and other agencies.
He holds a master of science in environmental planning and a bachelor of science in secondary English education, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Sumoske
Communications Specialist
412-586-2328, work
jsumoske@paconserve.org