The Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC), a non-profit environmental education facility located on 127 acres of woodlands along the Chattahoochee River, today announced Natasha Rice will serve as president and CEO starting June 7, 2021. Rice is an accomplished senior leader with nearly 30 years of experience, specializing in operations, business development and human resources for the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, Fortune 50 companies, and small to mid-size businesses.
Prior to the CNC, Rice served as chief administrative officer at the Boys & Girls Club. She was responsible for working closely with senior leadership teams to manage more than 20 locations and a 160-acre summer camp near Athens, Ga., among other responsibilities.
“It is a great honor to lead one of the largest, most prestigious nature centers in the country,” said Rice. “While I thoroughly cherished my time at Boys & Girls Club and those we positively impacted, I am looking forward to connecting people of all ages to nature and educating them about the river’s importance. Our team of widely respected environmental experts, administrators and volunteers serve as our strongest assets and position us well for continued growth.”
In her role, Rice will work with CNC employees, trustees and other stakeholders to grow the nature center and complete its $8.3 million “Bridging. Teaching. Inspiring.” capital campaign. Construction activities for phase one of the campaign began earlier this year; fundraising for phase two will begin later in 2021. Capital campaign activities include replacing the aging 3,000-foot boardwalk with an ADA-compliant pathway and constructing a pedestrian bridge connecting the CNC’s campus to the boardwalk.
“I am extremely proud of all we accomplished during the past seven years,” said Chris Nelson, outgoing president and CEO, who announced he was stepping down earlier this year. “Our talented, dedicated team continues to enrich the lives of many while educating them about the benefits of this unique watershed. I am committed to ensuring Natasha has a seamless transition and making sure she is well-positioned to complete our capital campaign.”
Rice earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Rutgers and Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University. A resident of Sandy Springs, Ga., Rice is a mother of two and her husband is an attorney.
Founded in 1976, the Chattahoochee Nature Center is a non-profit environmental education facility in Roswell, Ga. Located on 127 acres of woodlands along the Chattahoochee River, it is the state’s largest, most prestigious nature center, and one of the biggest in the country. The center’s purpose is to connect people of all ages to nature and educate them about the river’s vital importance. It provides guests with unmatched educational programming, events, wildlife interactions and other adventures, such as canoe trips, river and woodlands walking trails, treetop zipline courses, and much more. The center provides a series of youth-related programs each year to approximately 40,000 children, including more than 13,000 Title I students. To learn more, visit chattnaturecenter.org.
