Evolution: A New Leadership Team for Biohabitats

In nature, change is not only inevitable; it’s essential for growth and development. The same is true here at Biohabitats. In fact, “Evolving to be the best” is one of our five core values.  

Keith Bowers, at an event celebrating Biohabitats’ transition to a Perpetual Purpose Trust ownership.

Over the last several months of 2023, our ownership and governance structures evolved as we transitioned to a firm owned by Perpetual Purpose Trust and thus fully beholden to our purpose: to restore nature, protect and conserve biodiversity, inspire love for wild places, and generate a financial return on our investment while operating as an authentic representation of our core mission and values. More recently, Biohabitats’ leadership has also evolved, as we have formalized an approach to leadership that we’ve always embraced: teamwork.   

When I founded Biohabitats back in the 1980s, I knew that I needed to surround myself with people whose expertise differed from mine…people who helped fill the gaps in my own knowledge and experience and allowed us to realize a shared vision for the firm. Recognizing that Biohabitats’ strength comes not only from our team members’ passions, but from the diversity of their experience, disciplines, and perspectives, we decided to apply this multidisciplinary approach to the firm’s leadership. I am happy to announce that effective January 1, 2024, there is a new leadership team at Biohabitats. Representing our entire team’s blend of capabilities, this new body is collectively poised to guide Biohabitats work, culture, and operations and lead the firm into new frontiers in the spirit of advocating for nature.  

At the helm of our new leadership team is Ted Brown. Ted has been an integral member of the Biohabitats since 2006, and I am thrilled to the pass the baton of Biohabitats President & CEO into his capable hands. Having worked with Ted for 18 years, I have seen his passion for Biohabitats’ mission, team members, and clients demonstrated in both his work and his daily interactions with others. In addition to applying his 30 years of technical expertise as a water resources engineer to hundreds of Biohabitats projects, Ted has been an inspirational leader to our team—both officially and informally. For the past four years, he has successfully directed Biohabitats’ business development while also serving as Secretary on our Board of Directors, and a key figure in our internal Leadership Council. At the same time, he has mentored and advocated for countless members of our team, across all bioregions. 

Other members of the leadership team include: Adam Feuerstein, who has been promoted from Operations Team Leader to Chief Financial Officer; Jennifer Missett, who has been promoted from Eastern Bioregions Operations Leader to Chief Operations Officer; Chris Streb, Learning & Innovation Leader; Katherine Bartter, People & Culture Leader; Matt Koozer, Construction Leader; Claudia Browne, Western Strategy Leader, and Amy Nelson, Marketing & Brand Leader. I believe that under the guidance of this team, Biohabitats is on more than just solid footing; we are on a launching pad to dramatically expand, upscale, and intensify the impact of our work and the reach of what has always been our mission: to restore the earth and inspire ecological stewardship.  

I am not stepping away from Biohabitats. Nor am I stepping down in terms of my commitment to our mission and purpose. I am joyfully stepping into a new role: Practice Leader. In this position, I will be able to immerse myself more deeply into Biohabitats’ projects, mentorship of our team members, and advocacy to support our mission. I am honored and excited to join Biohabitats’ growing cadre of Practice Leaders, a group that includes Chris Streb, Joe Berg, Erin English, Claudia Browne, Pete Muñoz, and newly promoted Practice Leader Jennifer Dowdell.  

Keith Bowers in Biohabitats’ Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion office

Our earlier transition to a Perpetual Purpose Trust ownership model was a natural turn in our evolution. It was a turn away from an extractive business model focused on satisfying individual shareholders, and toward a sustainable, regenerative way of practicing and growing our business. This transition in leadership rounds out that turn, and I cannot wait to see what is around the corner.