POST Appoints Gordon Clark as President

Peninsula Open Space Trust Appoints Gordon Clark as President

Palo Alto, Calif. – January 7, 2025 — Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced today that Gordon Clark has been named the new president of POST. Following 18 years with POST, Clark brings deep fundraising, land conservation and partnership experience to build upon the dynamic growth the organization has undergone during the leadership of outgoing president Walter T. Moore. Moore is retiring on January 22, following a 30-year tenure at POST, including serving as president since 2011.

Clark joined the nonprofit land trust in 2007 as a conservation project manager focused on land acquisitions and began a hybrid role divided between POST’s land and fundraising teams in 2010. Clark’s work in land conservation included significant milestones such as the purchase of San Vicente Redwoods, Rancho San Vicente and numerous other properties in Santa Clara County. Clark was named senior director of development in 2016 and vice president of development in 2020. In those roles, he spearheaded significant fundraising campaigns to support POST programs focused on Farmland Futures, POST’s 40th anniversary in 2017, Tunitas Creek Beach, Coyote Valley and wildfire recovery and resilience. Under Clark’s leadership, POST’s annual fund has more than doubled to support the organization, which has preserved nearly 90,000 acres across the Peninsula and South Bay.

“Walter has been at the heart of POST for 30 years and has grown the organization to new levels of impact. For all that he has accomplished for the organization, the board thanks and salutes his tremendous contributions to POST’s success,” said Wende Hutton, vice-chair of the POST Board and head of the hiring committee. “With his deep institutional knowledge and broad skill set, Gordon is the ideal next leader for POST. As the organization approaches its 50th anniversary, he will build upon POST’s legacy of success and ensure that our nearly five decades of work to protect our local biodiversity, build climate resilience and increase public access to open space continues unabated.”

Prior to joining POST, Clark worked for land trusts in Maine and Alaska and for the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in Boston, a philanthropic supporter of healthy food systems in New England. Clark serves on the board of Canopy, a Palo Alto-based urban forestry organization, and previously served as a volunteer docent in California State Parks’ San Mateo sector. He holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and history from Bowdoin College. He lives in La Honda with his wife and two young children.

“POST has been a huge part of my life for so long. I feel a deep affinity and connection with this landscape, the communities we serve and our donors and supporters,” said Clark. “I am grateful for the opportunity to steward this organization into our next 50 years. The vision that Walter and our staff have laid out is audacious, exciting and eminently possible if we continue to focus on the mission, vision and values of POST. We have an amazing team of staff, funders and partners, and I can’t wait to carry the torch that has been passed to me.”

Clark succeeds Walter T. Moore, who joined POST as general counsel in 1995 and later served as vice president (1997-2006) and executive vice president (2006-2011). He took over as POST’s president in 2011. Under Moore’s leadership, POST-protected lands grew from just under 50,000 acres to nearly 90,000 today, and he has nearly doubled the amount of funds raised. Moore has been a board member and board chair of the California Council of Land Trusts and board chair of the Bay Area Open Space Council (now known as Together Bay Area). He will continue to stay involved in local conservation efforts and programs in the years ahead.

***

About Peninsula Open Space Trust
POST protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. As a private nonprofit land trust, POST has been responsible for preserving nearly 89,000 acres since its founding in 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies to create a network of protected lands so that present and future generations benefit from the careful balance of rural and urban landscapes that makes our region extraordinary.