The League to Save Lake Tahoe board has picked one of its own to take over the organization.

Darcie Goodman-Collins, who has been on the board since 2009, is now the executive director. She has been affiliated with League since 1996 when she was an intern.

Goodman-Collins takes over for Rochelle Nason who abruptly left last fall. The League under Nason’s guidance paved a path to multiple courtrooms in an effort to keep the conservation group’s philosophies at the forefront of all matters concerning development or redevelopment in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

A criticism heard over and over again is the League doesn’t play well with others.

In a prepared statement, the incoming executive director is taking a more tempered approach.

“There are two lessons that I’ll bring with me into this position. The first I learned at Save the Bay. It is that collaboration, both outside and inside the organization, is critical for success. The second I learned as a board member at the League. It is that sound science must play a crucial role in decision-making if we are to make wise choices on how we engage with and preserve our outdoor treasures for all of us,” Goodman-Collins, 32, said.

Goodman-Collins grew up in South Lake Tahoe. She was the community’s youth representative at the first environmental summit when President Bill Clinton was here.

Since then, Goodman-Collins has earned bachelor’s degrees from UC Santa Barbara in biology and political science, and earned her doctorate at UCSB in environmental science and management. Her dissertation was how environmental restoration and science can integrate with community engagement and public policy.

She has worked with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the Tahoe-Baikal Institute. Most recently she was habitat restoration director at Save the Bay.

Besides being passionate about science, Goodman-Collins likes to water and snow ski, snowshoe, and hike.

She and her husband plan to move to South Lake Tahoe.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report