The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR), Board Member

ORGANIZATION

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) seeks new board members to enhance its mission of revitalizing communities through sustainable and equitable land reuse. CCLR is the nation’s leading nonprofit that supports local reuse and redevelopment of abandoned lands. CCLR works with local agencies, nonprofits and tribes, and is a valued partner to hundreds of communities, helping to “unstick” difficult sites that can slow or stop economic revitalization. CCLR is a financially thriving nonprofit with an excellent reputation built on a 25-year track record of delivering land revitalization services to disadvantaged communities. 

CCLR has trained thousands of land reuse professionals and helped communities secure hundreds of millions of dollars through our grant review services to transform abandoned properties into vibrant commercial areas, affordable housing, recreational spaces, and more. Nearly 70% of the more than 300 clients we provided technical support to in 2023 were designated as disadvantaged, in keeping with our mission to invest in underserved communities. Here is the link to our 2023 Impact Report for your review. 

CCLR’s dedicated group of professionals does not accept that formerly industrial sites should sit vacant for decades as fenced weedy lots, and blighting neighborhoods. Our team (12 staff, a team of consultants, and a dedicated board) is multi-disciplinary, and focused on helping local leaders navigate these sites to create healthy, safe, and clean communities. We are expanding our geographic footprint to expand outreach and impacts. 

Today, CCLR serves as U.S. EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) provider to EPA regions 9 and 10 through 2028. This is a five year contract of $10 million. CCLR is the Brownfield Technical Assistance Provider (B-TAP) for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and we co-manage the National Brownfields Coalition in collaboration with Smart Growth America. CCLR is headquartered in the Bay Area, CA, with staff and consultants working throughout California and virtually in 8 states across the country.

To learn more about CCLR, the Board of Directors, and staff, please visit https://www.cclr.org/.

OPPORTUNITY

CCLR’s Board currently boasts many national leaders in land reuse and is looking to add leaders that share the passion with CCLR’s mission. Given the organization’s recent growth and interest in leveraging additional expertise, CCLR is looking to add new members in early 2025. Members will add important perspectives and expertise in areas such as environmental law, environmental justice, communications, fundraising, affordable housing, infill development, and nonprofit finance. Affiliations with universities, tribal communities, or national organizations would be valuable additions as well as candidates who live in or have experience in CCLR’s focus area states of Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, California, Idaho, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and the Pacific Territories. We are committed to having a diverse and inclusive Board and strongly encourage candidates who are from and work with under-resourced and underserved communities and who share a passion for our mission to work with us to deepen our impact. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Board members share responsibilities in these key areas:

• Comply with Board statutory duties.
• Create and approve long-range goals and annual objectives, and monitor their achievement.
• Establish policy, including key operating policies, and approve contracts, as appropriate.
• Ensure that CCLR’s administrative systems, organizational and legal structure, and the Board’s operations are adequate and appropriate. Ensure that CCLR and its board members meet all applicable legal requirements.
• Hire, evaluate, and support the Executive Director.
• Ensure CCLR’s financial health, including adequate resources to achieve the organization’s mission and implement programs and projects.
• Review and approve annual operating budget and expenditures outside authorized budget.
• Ensure annual audit of organizational accounts. Manage and maintain CCLR’s property and investments.
• Select and support the organization’s Board officers, and recruit and orient new board members.
• Provide board members with opportunities to grow and develop as leaders through committee work and special assignments.
• Plan and propose Board committee organization, appoint committee members and manage committee activity. 
• Serve as a liaison to other organizations and represent CCLR to the media and community. Help connect CCLR to individuals and organizations who may be interested in supporting CCLR’s work, financially or otherwise.

Each individual board member is expected to:

• Attend quarterly Board meetings via zoom, and up to one in-person Board meeting per year in the San Francisco Bay Area on years when it is scheduled (usually every other year) .
• Become knowledgeable about CCLR and its work.
• Come to Board meetings prepared and informed about agenda issues, and contribute to meetings by expressing a point of view.
• Consider other points of view, make constructive suggestions and help the Board make decisions that benefit CCLR’s constituencies.
• Represent CCLR to individuals, the public, the media and other organizations in a positive and professional manner.
• Support CCLR through attendance at special events and activities.
• Board members are responsible for ensuring CCLR’s financial health and identifying opportunities to diversify the organization’s funding sources. 
• Board members are expected to make a meaningful donation to CCLR as individuals or through their organization’s charitable contributions program. CCLR will work with individual board members on this commitment.
• Serve on at least one committee - Finance, Development, Policy, Recruitment.
• Assume Board leadership and committee roles when asked.
• Keep the Executive Director informed of relevant constituent concerns.
• Maintain confidentiality of Board discussions, the organizations’ financial condition,
• personnel matters and other other non disclosed financial or other information.
• Submit to the Chair and keep up to date full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, or of items or relationships that may create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

BOARD TERMS / PARTICIPATION

• Board members may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms (a fraction of a term counting as a full three-year term), and may return to Board service following a year’s leave from the Board.
• Board members are expected to commit 3-5 hours per month for virtual quarterly board and committee meetings. 
• Service on CCLR’s Board of Directors is without remuneration, except for administrative support, travel, and accommodation costs in relation to board members’ duties.

Requirements

To fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal board member will demonstrate the following:

• Motivation: 
• Motivated to advance communities’ sustainable and equitable reuse of underutilized and environmentally-impacted, or brownfield, properties. 
• Role-Readiness: 
• Can step into the board trustee role and contribute immediately because of their demonstrated leadership in governance and strategy.
• Has had to make difficult (and sometimes unpopular) decisions and be responsible and accountable for the results.
• Availability and time to participate fully in governance and board activities. 
• Representation: 
• Can accurately represent the interests of traditionally underresourced communities because of their personal background and ability to listen to and synthesize disparate opinions. 
• Resides in one of the following areas: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and the Pacific Island territories.
• Work Style: 
• Rigorous, collaborative, open-minded, candid, professional, prepared, discrete, and capable of working well with a team towards a collective mission. 
• Understanding of the Role: 
• Committed to working with the Executive Director, staff, and other board members as a  governance team with distinct roles and responsibilities, not a tactical, management, and administrative job. 
• Ideal professional backgrounds include: 
• Environmental law, environmental justice, communications, marketing, fundraising and development, affordable housing finance and development, and nonprofit finance. 

TO APPLY

This is a volunteer Board opportunity. Please submit a resume via email to Sabrina Singh at [email protected].

Benefits

CCLR is an equal opportunity employer that highly values diversity. We seek talented and qualified individuals regardless of age, ancestry, color, creed, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, military obligations, national origins, physical abilities, race, religion, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and veteran status.