Chris Smith, Executive Director of Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (Composite photo; Original: Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge Inc.)
The Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center announced that longtime board member Chris Smith has been named the new executive director.
Smith is also former chairman of the board of Friends and brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, marketing and strategic planning to the organization, Friends said.
“With her environmental ethos and a career focused on the outdoors over the past two decades, Chris is the right person to help us highlight one of Fort Worth’s most beautiful hidden gems,” Friends Board Chair Linda Christie said in a statement.
Christie said the hiring comes at a “pivotal time” for the group as it embarks on new long-term planning and fundraising initiatives. The nonprofit is also expanding a partnership with Nature Center Staff that will enhance the missions and outreach of both organizations, she said.
Most recently, Christie served as vice president of marketing communications at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, where she led a successful rebranding following its merger with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in 2020. The Friends said Smith built a powerful marketing communications department and implemented strategies that significantly advanced the organization’s brand and exceeded revenue goals.
Smith holds an MBA from Texas Christian University at Fort Worth and a master’s degree in environmental relations from the University of North Texas. She is currently a member of the Women’s Policy Forum and is a past board chair of the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
The Fort Worth Report recently published a profile of Smith and her long-standing connection to the Fort Worth Nature Center, highlighting her early experiences at the preserve and her passion for conservation.
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