Vice President of Giving and Impact

The Wilderness Society, one of the nation’s leading conservation organizations, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary O’Connor as vice president of giving and impact, effective June 16, 2025. As a key member of President Tracy Stone-Manning's senior leadership team, O'Connor will spearhead the organization's fundraising vision, bringing her innovative approach to accelerate TWS's already impressive philanthropic momentum. Her leadership will extend to the TWS Action Fund, the organization's 501(c)(4) arm that drives grassroots advocacy and civic engagement to safeguard America's public lands and waters.

O'Connor joins TWS from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), where she served as senior vice president of development since 2021. During her tenure, she engineered sustainable fundraising strategies that nearly doubled NPCA's philanthropic revenue while orchestrating a $300 million capital campaign. 

With more than 25 years championing environmental conservation and humanitarian causes, O'Connor has built a career driving impact at organizations including The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Women for Women International. Throughout these roles, she has consistently demonstrated skills in building high-performing development programs that enhance revenue growth, expand donor engagement, and optimize organizational effectiveness.

O'Connor brings her passion for cultural anthropology, which she studied and was the focus of her bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh, to her conservation work, understanding that protecting wilderness requires connecting deeply with the values and communities that cherish America’s irreplaceable landscapes.

Read the full press release here.

Jack Gorman led this search with Nicole Poe, Christina Garrison, and Sandeep Kaur.