Former Santa Cruz County Counsel to join the board of directors to help lead the conservation efforts of California’s oldest land trust

Dana McRae

Santa Cruz, Calif. (Nov. 21, 2024)–Sempervirens Fund, California’s first and oldest land trust, is welcoming a new member to its board of directors.

Dana McRae, a resident of Santa Cruz and the former County Counsel for Santa Cruz County has joined the Sempervirens Fund Board of Directors. She served as the county’s main legal representative for more than 20 years and remains heavily involved in the Santa Cruz community.

“As a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz, I know the important work that Sempervirens Fund is doing to protect the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains and to make our communities more resilient against wildfire,” said Dana McRae, the organization’s newest Board member. “I look forward to working alongside the board of directors to make sure Sempervirens is in the best position possible to sustain our work far into the future and maximize our impact for the natural resources and people in our region.”

In 2021, McRae was appointed to the 14th District Agricultural Association (Santa Cruz County Fair) by Gov. Gavin Newsom where she now serves as the Vice President on their board of directors. She is active in the University of California’s Master Gardener program and enjoys being outside in nature hiking, riding horses, and taking in the beauty of the Santa Cruz mountains.

McRae earned a B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco.

“I speak for everyone at Sempervirens Fund when I say how delighted we are to have Dana joining our board of directors,” said Sara Barth, Executive Director at Sempervirens. “Her wealth of legal experience and longtime commitment to Santa Cruz County means she knows that our critical work to conserve our redwood forests and make our community safer against fire and the devastating consequences of climate change is more important than ever before.”