Davnet Conway Named Executive Director of SVT

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Davnet Conway

SVT's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that environmental leader Davnet Conway has been selected as our new Executive Director. She will officially join SVT on March 1. 

For more than 30 years, Davnet has worked in the fields of environmental conservation, stewardship, and education. She comes to SVT from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, CT, where she has been the Executive Director since 2019. She joined DPNC in 2002 and has also served as Preschool Director and Assistant Director during her tenure.

“With Davnet’s sound background in hands-on conservation, educational outreach, and organizational leadership, the Board and I are confident that Davnet has all of the skills needed to guide SVT to even greater success in the coming years,” said Paul Bakstran, SVT Board President.

Paul continued, “Davnet is passionate about the role that land protection plays in environmental conservation, and she is committed to creating an organization that welcomes and engages the full diversity of people who live in the SVT region.” 

At DPNC, Davnet has played a hands-on role in nearly all aspects of the Nature Center’s work. She led the team in the stewardship of habitats and trails, oversaw a wildlife rescue-and rehabilitation program, and directed the development of a giving garden that donates produce to the food insecure. She also developed and led one of the first nature-based preschools in the country, expanded a robust volunteer program that now delivers over 8000 service hours per year, and revitalized the DPNC planned giving program, securing an additional $1.1 million in pledged legacy gifts. 

Prior to joining DPNC, Davnet worked on promoting environmental advocacy through education with other notable organizations such as the New York Botanical Gardens, Clearwater, Soundwaters Inc., and the Mystic Aquarium. She is a Committee Member of Senator Chris Murphy’s Connecticut Land Conservation Council and is Past DEI Chair of the Connecticut Outdoor Environmental Education Association. 

Davnet holds an M.S. in Organizational Leadership (Nonprofit) from Charter Oak State College, an M.S. in Oceanography from University of Connecticut, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the State University of New York Purchase.

“I am honored to be joining such a dedicated land trust,” she said. “I’m looking forward to engaging collaboratively with the SVT community and many other like-minded organizations in pursuit of the common and critical goal of land conservation.”

The Board and Staff are looking forward to introducing Davnet to our supporters and partners.