Florida State Parks Foundation Hires New CEO

    TALLAHASSEE, FL, March 25, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Florida State Parks Foundation announced today the hiring of Julia Gill Woodward as its new Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.

"I'm honored and thrilled to serve as the Chief Executive Officer for the Florida State Parks Foundation. As a ninth generation Floridian, my love for our state and our award-winning park system runs deep. I can't imagine a better job than to help protect, preserve and sustain our state's natural treasures for generations to come," she said.

The Foundation, working with the Florida Park Service, supports the work of Florida's award-winning 175 state parks' staff, local Friends groups and the 14,500 volunteers who donate 1.2 million hours of their time every year working in them.

"The search for a new CE0 has been long and thorough because we were determined to wait until we could find the right person for the job. With Julia, we are confident that we now have the right person in place to lead us as we embrace a challenging yet exciting future," said Foundation President Ben Pingree.

Woodward is a dynamic leader with more than ten years of campaign and government experience. She has worked across the spectrum in Florida politics – including managing multiple campaigns, serving as a Congressional Chief of Staff in Washington DC and most recently, managing Gwen Graham's Florida gubernatorial bid.

In addition to her campaign and governmental management experience, Woodward has helped raise more than $25 million dollars for candidates and organizations throughout the course of her career.

The Florida State Parks Foundation is a nonprofit organization of dedicated members and volunteers who help preserve the natural beauty and resources of the Real Florida for generations to come.

The Foundation was founded in 1993 as the Friends of Florida State Parks and renamed in 2018.

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