Telluride Mountainfilm Hires Sage Martin as Executive Director
Telluride Mountainfilm Hires Sage Martin as Executive Director
Telluride, Colorado (September 17, 2014) – Sage Martin, a ten-year Telluride local, was hired as Mountainfilm’s Executive Director by the organization’s board of directors today. Current Executive Director Peter Kenworthy announced his resignation in July and will assist Martin in transitioning into her new role before his departure on October 18th.
Martin was the Director of Development for the Telluride Mountain School since 2007 where she led all aspects of fundraising, marketing, events and community relations for the private school. Prior to her tenure there, Martin was Director of Planned Giving for the Trust for Public Land where she managed their national fundraising and stewardship campaigns. She has extensive experience with non-profit organizations including holding similar positions with Save-The-Redwoods and The Sierra Club. She also served on the Trust for Public Land’s Advisory Council, the Northern California Planned Giving Council and currently is a board member for the Lizard Head Hockey Club. Sage received a Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences from the University of Colorado in Boulder and her Masters in Non Profit Administration from the University of San Francisco.
Martin, along with Mountainfilm Festival Director David Holbrooke, will take the helm of the organization. She will report to the board of directors and will be responsible for managing Mountainfilm’s individual and corporate fundraising, strategic and operational planning, while also developing and implementing the organization’s local and global initiatives. She will serve as the primary spokesperson for the organization and will be responsible for communicating the organization’s mission to the community, to attendees and to all other stakeholders.
According to Beth Gage, president of the board, Mountainfilm’s former Executive Director Peter Kenworthy’s extensive and strategic efforts were critical in shaping the organization’s future over the past eight years. Thanks to Kenworthy’s efforts and those of Holbrooke, Tour Director Henry Lystad and the rest of the staff, Mountainfilm has nearly doubled the attendance of its’ annual 4-day festival over Memorial Day weekend in addition to expanding the reach of Mountainfilm’s mission to over one hundred locations around the world via Mountainfilm on Tour.
“Kenworthy’s efforts have been instrumental in laying the ground work for Sage to take on Mountainfilm’s outreach,” said Gage. “We are going to miss Peter’s leadership and knack for securing creative sources of funding. Mountainfilm is on rock-solid footing because of Peter’s management.
“Sage’s ability to develop and sustain collaborative efforts among public and private agencies combined with the strong recommendations we received from her peers gives us assurances that she will continue to develop effective relationships with key partners within the corporate, foundation, government and local communities,” Gage added.
Holbrooke participated with the board of directors in a nationwide search for a new executive director.
“We had several amazing candidates to consider and this was an extraordinarily difficult decision given the quality of our finalists,” Holbrooke said. “While I’m going to miss working with Peter who has done a tremendous job, I am very much looking forward to collaborating with Sage to keep the festival at its high standard and take the organization to another level.”
According to Martin, “There have been so many amazing experiences that I have witnessed at Mountainfilm over the years that have shaped my worldview. This past May I was fortunate to reconnect with Dave Foreman, one of the founders of Earth First!. He remembered my parents who started the environmental organization Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and it brought to full circle my upbringing and deep affinity for Mountainfilm, which never fails to inspire.
“It is a great honor to work with such an amazing organization,” Martin added. “It is humbling to continue the mission that Peter is leaving in my hands.”
Martin will begin working with Mountainfilm immediately as she phases out of her current employment.
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About Mountainfilm: Established in 1979, Telluride Mountainfilm is dedicated to educating, inspiring and motivating audiences about environments, cultures, issues and adventures. Working at the nexus of filmmaking and action, its flagship program is the legendary Mountainfilm Festival—a one-of-a-kind combination of films, conversations and inspiration. Mountainfilm also reaches audiences year round through its worldwide tour, on Outside Television, with its online Minds of Mountainfilm interviews and in classrooms through its educational outreach initiative, Movies that Matter. Mountainfilm has the power to change lives. To learn more, visit the website. To join the conversation, please visit the blog, follow us on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.