Baltimore Woods Nature Center names Hartmann new executive director

MARCELLUS — Baltimore Woods Nature Center, a nonprofit environmental organization located in Marcellus, has appointed Mary Kate Hartmann as its new executive director.

Hartmann will formally begin her new position on May 6. The nature center says it started a search for a new leader in 2012 when the current executive director, Patty Weisse, announced her retirement after 14 years of service. Weisse will become emeritus director after May 6.

Baltimore Woods Nature Center, founded in 1966, is located at 4007 Bishop Hill Road in Marcellus. It says its mission is to promote environmental awareness and natural-resource stewardship among all people, especially children. The nature center operates and maintains more than 180 acres of habitat and six miles of trails.

Hartmann brings to Baltimore Woods experience in civic engagement, fund development, public relations, volunteer leadership, and event management, the nonprofit said.

Most recently, Hartmann was the director of development at the Landmark Theatre with prior experience in communications and fund development with the American Heart Association and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Le Moyne College.

Hartmann, a Central New York native, was among the honorees at last year’s 40 Under Forty program put on by Biz Eventz, a sister company of The Central New York Business Journal.

Reflecting on her role as executive director, Weisse said in a news release, “Baltimore Woods has given me abundant opportunities to learn and grow. Working to give people access to the natural world has been one of my greatest life’s privileges.”

During her tenure at Baltimore Woods, Weisse more than tripled the organization’s annual revenue and increased its asset base more than tenfold, the nonprofit said.

Baltimore Woods Nature Center generated nearly $442,000 in total revenue (and almost $460,000 in gross receipts) in 2011, according to its latest available tax return. The nonprofit had $1.04 million in total assets at the end of 2011.

In 2012, Weisse was awarded the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com