Lisa Diekmann is the new CEO and president of Yellowstone Forever.
Lisa Diekmann, the first executive director of the Yellowstone Park Foundation that four years ago merged with the Yellowstone Association to form Yellowstone Forever, on Monday was named president and CEO of Yellowstone Forever.
Diekmann, who begins the role August 17, will be tasked with stabilizing the nonprofit organization's finances and restoring confidence in its board of directors.
“I look forward to developing a successful plan for the organization’s future, including the re-start of the Yellowstone Institute, and to enhancing relationships with our partners and supporters," the Bozeman, Montana, resident said in a press release.
During her tenure with Yellowstone Park Foundation, which began in 1996, the organization raised more than $30 million. While with that organization she worked closely with the Yellowstone Association and its Institute, which led interpretive and education programs in Yellowstone National Park, and is familiar with the history and importance of those organizations to the park and the visitor experience.
“Lisa is exactly the right person for the job," Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said. "She knows Yellowstone, our communities and partners and has a proven track record of success. I commend the board on selecting such a high-quality candidate, and we look forward to working closely with her to make Yellowstone Forever one of the best park partners in the country.”
Diekmann is coming to Yellowstone Forever at a crucial juncture in its short tenure. When Yellowstone Forever arose in 2016, its proponents believed it would become a giant in nonprofit fundraising for the park. But rapid spending, frictions between the board members brought together from the two predecessor organizations, and questionable accounting hamstrung the organization.
Earlier this year Yellowstone Forever's leadership shut down the venerable Yellowstone Institute and terminated a great number of staff, including its vice president of operations and the teams that worked under him.
Diekmann is board chair of Mountain Journal, an online news organization, and most recently served as director of development for the Bridger Ski Foundation and regional director of development for The Wilderness Society. Earlier in her career, she was a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs and the director of development for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Diekmann holds both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree from Yale.
The announcement of Diekmann's hiring also noted that Kay Yeager, chair of Yellowstone Forever's board of directors, was leaving the organization.
“With a new leader in place, this is the right time for me to retire from the Board. I’m confident Lisa will be an outstanding leader, and I wish her much success," said Yeager.
Yellowsone Forever board member Kevin Butt, the senior director of sustainability for Toyota North America, will step into the role of interim chair of the board. The nonprofit's acting CEO, CEO Edna Johnson, will transition back to the vice chair position.
The board of directors will be working closely with Diekmann in the coming months to consider board structure and composition, the release said.
Diekmann’s plans include reopening the institute, which was suspended in June 2020, next year.
“YF has seen a strong recovery in its philanthropic efforts in recent months. Its retail locations that are open are stable, despite the impact of COVID-19,” she said. “And, I am optimistic that circumstances will allow a reopen of the institute in the near future.”
Related stories from the Traveler:
Yellowstone Forever Heading In New Direction As An Organization
Yellowstone Forever Crippled By Overambition, Lack Of Financial Transparency
Yellowstone Forever Shutters Institute, Financial Position Described As Unsustainable
Yellowstone Forever Lays Off Some Staff, Offers Big Discounts On Programs
Change In Leadership Announced At Yellowstone Forever
Merger Of Yellowstone Park Foundation And Yellowstone Association Gives Rise To Yellowstone Forever
Comments
Hooray! Lisa Diekmann a great choice. Knows they Park, knows the forerunners of YF (YPF & YA), knows the Institute.
Now the hard work begins. Let's all take a deep breath and watch the new chapter unfold.
All involved have one thing in common...we love all things Yellowstone!
Wishing YF and Ms Diekmann the BEST!
Deck chairs re being shuffled, but the YF boat is still sinking
Okay, yes, I know I indicated that I would pause my comments about Yellowstone Forever (YF) in order to give everyone a fair chance to show what they intend to do to reform the organization. Yes, I know I already offered "parting shots" on the situation. However, since that time, I have been pummeled by a colleague for not including the one reform, the one low hanging fruit, that he believes and that I guess I agree should be on Ms Diekmann's first 100 day list when she assumes control next month. I will try to get this point across as tactfully as possible.
One of the things about YF's current business practices that has driven my colleague to distraction and constitutes an obstacle to those of us who would like to be able to see how our donations are being used, is the schedule on which YF reports its financial data. In the past, YF's fiscal year has run from March 1st to February 28th and that period admittedly covers the nonprofit's busy summer seasons. However, there's then a significant time lag, close to a year, between when the nonprofit ends its fiscal year each February and when corresponding tax filings and financial statements are disclosed. This means that, even if those financial data are reviewed the moment they become available, a contributor or other interested party who wants to see how the organization is doing at the end of any particular summer busy season is waiting until that data is really about sixteen months old.
Let's use what YF has labeled as their FY19 Form 990 tax filing and associated audit statement as examples. What YF labels and provides on their website as their FY19 Form 990 tax submittal was filed on a Form 990 designed to be used for calendar year 2018; covers a fiscal year that actually ran from March 1, 2018, to February 28, 2019; was completed and signed on January 15, 2020; and was disclosed to the public sometime after that. Again, YF labeled this document as their FY19 Form 990 tax submittal. YF's audited financial statement for FY19, which contained information crucial to understanding the organization's business practices and financial performance, was not completed and signed until February 17, 2020, and apparently disclosed to the public sometime after that, although, again, YF labeled it as their FY19 audit statement. So, information on YF's performance during the all-important summer busy season of 2018 was not available to contributors or other interested parties until late February of 2020. If those past practices were to continue, information on YF's performance and financial activities during the 2019 summer season, which they would label as their FY20 results, wouldn't be publicly disclosed until early in 2021 and we wouldn't see this summer's activities, which they would label as their FY21 results, before early 2022.
So, without belaboring the discussion with questions of motivation or propriety, my colleague has very correctly pointed out that, even if the same March 1st to February 28th fiscal year is maintained, there is no reason it should take a nonprofit almost a year to finalize their tax submittals and audited statements. My colleague insists that, barring "unusual" accounting and expense allocation practices, a reformed YF should be able to report out its tax submittals and audited statements within sixty days of the end of their fiscal year and the implementation of such an efficiency driving schedule would be low hanging fruit that could be accomplished very soon after Ms Diekmann assumes control. And, it would help instill financial discipline, discourage financial mischief, and build trust that the nonprofit had truly been reformed.
Again, my colleague insisted this recommendation be made public as soon as possible.
The article by Diekmann was well written, but what is being done for the wolves? Other Yellowstone animals were mentioned as well and not a word about how they would be cared for. As well as the financial reporting being necessary, I would submit that the care of the animals and the interaction with the Park Authorities should be a strong part of the foundations reports.
HUMP--- I tend to nearly always agree with your points, which appear to be well researched, but my goddess, man... if I want to understand Russian aristocracy historically, I don't really want to read all of War & Peace to get there. Ya know?
I'm sorry, Rick. I sometimes try to use the comment section to provide information to a wider variety of folks with different interests at differing levels of focus. Sometimes I feel the need to provide some of them with greater detail and sometimes I repeat myself to try to ensure it gets through. I'm sorry my communications get long. I've gotten your message about that. However, during this period in which we're waiting for the inauguration of a new administration, while some are still having to deal with the damage done by the old administration, it's a way to provide as much information on a specific topic as possible in a single place.