Blue Ridge Conservancy Announces Hiring of David Ray as Executive Director

The Blue Ridge Conservancy Board of Trustees is excited to announce the hiring of David Ray as Executive Director. “David brings 29 years of experience in conservation, real estate, land use, fundraising, and non-profit leadership,” says Katherine Dean, Board Chair. “He is known for his integrity, his highly collaborative approach, and his deep knowledge and passion for conservation. He spent the first 14 years of his conservation career in western North Carolina, and we are delighted to welcome him back to the Blue Ridge mountains to advance BRC's mission.”

Ray has served as the Chief Conservation Officer at Lowcountry Land Trust in Charleston, SC, since 2018. He has also worked for The Nature Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and the Open Space Institute, leading or assisting in 70 land acquisition projects totaling almost 60,000 acres.

In addition to land conservation, Ray’s work has included significant fundraising roles, such as donor relations, overseeing end-of-year giving, and securing large pledges. Ray earned his undergraduate degree from Davidson College, where he volunteers regularly as a fundraiser, and his law degree from the University of Georgia. Ray takes the reins from Director Charlie Brady, who has served with distinction as BRC’s Executive Director since 2017. 

“I’m thrilled to return to the North Carolina mountains to join Blue Ridge Conservancy’s dynamic and accomplished team,” says incoming Executive Director David Ray. “Together with its supporters and partners, the Conservancy is safeguarding nature’s wonders, preserving land that produces clean water and locally-farmed food, and creating truly invigorating experiences for people at many places across the region. I look forward to working at Blue Ridge Conservancy with all stakeholders to meet the conservation challenges of today and tomorrow in order to protect the quality of life so valued by our communities.”

Blue Ridge Conservancy partners with landowners and local communities to permanently protect natural resources with agricultural, cultural, recreational, ecological and scenic value in northwest North Carolina. The organization leads two major trail projects: the Middle Fork Greenway, connecting Blowing Rock to Boone, and the Northern Peaks State Trail, connecting Boone to the Jeffersons across the amphibolite mountains. Blue Ridge Conservancy is committed to “Saving the Places You Love.”