The Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation is pleased to announce its selection of Tom O’Rourke as its next executive director beginning May 1. Tom previously served as the Executive Director of Hartley Nature Center in Duluth, Minnesota. Prior to working at Hartley, Tom was the Summer Program Director at Camp Widjiwagan near Ely, Minnesota.

George Glazier, Chair of the Board of Directors, said, “One of the most important roles of a board is to make a strong hire in its chief executive officer. The good news is we have found that individual in Tom O’Rourke who we believe will carry forward a tradition of excellence as we advance the Foundation’s mission “to foster and maintain Ober’s legacy and north woods island home as a source of inspiration, renewal and connection to Indigenous peoples, kindred spirits and the natural world.”

In addition to his non-profit leadership experience, Tom is an avid wilderness traveler and canoe aficionado. In 2003 he paddled a route that intersected with Ober’s epic 1912 canoe trip. “I am excited and honored to be joining the Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation. I’ve long admired the foundation’s work to steward Mallard Island, caretake Ober’s archives and legacy, and offer opportunities for kindred spirits of all sorts to connect with nature and each other. I can’t wait to begin the process of immersing myself in the Oberholtzer community through listening and learning.”

Tom will work from home in Duluth, Minnesota, when not on Mallard Island or in International Falls. Tom and his wife Karen have two sons—a first-year college student in the Pacific Northwest and a sophomore in high school.