{"id":180446,"date":"2026-04-30T18:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/180446\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T18:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:00:05","slug":"longtime-lake-erie-nature-science-center-executive-director-resigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/180446\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Lake Erie Nature & Science Center executive director resigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — Lake Erie Nature & Science Center <\/a>Executive Director Catherine Timko is leaving the center May 21 to accept a position as president and CEO of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition<\/a> in Akron.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am filled with gratitude for my time at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center (LENSC) and for the people and partners near and far who are part of the community,\u201d Timko said in a news release. <\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we have provided connections to nature for thousands of children and families and have advanced the organization\u2019s value, reach and foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timko expressed gratitude to the center\u2019s \u201centhusiastic employees,\u201d loyal volunteers and experienced board of directors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have great confidence in how well this organization will continue to build on its expertise, quality and success,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Timko joined LENSC in January 2010 and completed a $4 million campaign to bolster the endowment fund, upgrade the permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility, upgrade the state-of-the-art Schuele Planetarium and undertake a $1.9 million outdoor Wildlife Gardens improvement project.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Nature Center has benefited from her leadership, experience and dedication to the mission,\u201d said LENSC Board President Zach Stephens.<\/p>\n

The LENSC Board of Directors has launched a search for a new executive director.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition (OECC) issued a statement welcoming Timko.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a well-proven leader with an extensive background in nonprofit organizations and a particular passion for the mission of OECC and continuing its legacy of successful development of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, Towpath Trail and related public parks and spaces,\u201d Bret Treier, OECC board chair, said in a press release.<\/p>\n

The OECC manages public areas in Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, according to the coalition\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am honored by the opportunity to lead this impactful organization into its next chapter,\u201d Timko said of her new employer.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining LENSC, Timko served as Ohio, division and regional development director for The Trust for Public Land for more than eight years, following several years in a development role with San Hywet Hall and Garden in Akron.<\/p>\n

She succeeds Dan Rice at OECC. Rice is retiring after 32 years of leadership at the coalition.<\/p>\n

Read more from the West Shore Sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — Lake Erie Nature & Science Center Executive Director Catherine Timko is leaving the center…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":["post-180446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}