Ijams Nature names new director

Amber Parker

Ijams Nature Center today announced the hiring of Amber Parker as executive director of the 300-acre greenspace and wildlife refuge in South Knoxville.

Parker will join the organization Feb. 20.

Parker has more than 20 years of professional experience in the environmental education field, most recently serving as executive director for Chincoteague Bay Field Station in Wallops Island, Virginia, where she cultivated partnerships with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, NASA and other educational institutions and conservation agencies.

“Amber is going to make an outstanding leader for our organization,” said Kim Bumpas, board chair for Ijams Nature Center. “Through our extensive interview process, we found the perfect candidate.”

Ijams Nature Center is an award-winning urban greenspace located less than four miles from downtown Knoxville. The nonprofit organization ensures the preservation and maintenance of wildlife habitat, natural areas and facilities, as well as oversees and expands educational and recreational programming.

“I am proud and excited to join the Ijams Nature Center organization,” Parker said. “I look forward to working with such a passionate group of individuals as we all pursue the same mission of preservation and conservation. East Tennessee is one of the most beautiful regions in the country, and I look forward to making it my home.”

Parker succeeds Ijams’ previous executive director, Paul James, who resigned in September of 2016. Bo Townsend will continue to serve as interim director until Parker’s arrival in February.

“We are so grateful for Bo’s unwavering support of this organization,” Bumpas said. “We appreciate his willingness to return as interim director and stay with us until the transition is complete.”

Parker also has experience in East Tennessee. She served as special programs coordinator and education director at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont from 2001-08. Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from North Carolina State University in 1994, as well as a master’s degree in environmental studies from Prescott College in Arizona in 2007.

Ijams Nature names interim leader

Rev. Bowman “Bo” Townsend will step in as the Ijam Nature Center’s interim executive director while officials search for a permanent leader.

Townsend, who spent the past 10 years as a rector at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas, returned to Knoxville in June.

Prior to that, he served as the longtime executive director of the South Knoxville nature preserve.

Former Ijams Nature Center Executive Director Paul James announced his resignation on Sept. 27 after 16 years with the organization. James served as the executive director for 12 years, and spent four years as development director.

“I have been proud to be the director of Ijams as it has grown significantly over the past decade into what it is today,” James said in a Sept. 27 release. “What I am most proud of has been the development of genuine and long-lasting relationships with many Ijams' donors and community members. Their support and friendship have nurtured the growth and spirit of Ijams and ensure its continued upward trajectory.”

During James’ tenure, the nature center added more than 160 acres of protected space. Ijams currently encompasses 300 acres of urban greenspace in South Knoxville.

Commish-BOE retreat to talk budget

Knox County commissioners and school board members will meet next Tuesday to talk about the mayor’s proposed spending plan.

The work session, which will be held at Ijams Nature Center on Island Home Avenue, is open to the public and starts at 5:30 p.m.

It will come a day after the commission plans to hold its own public meeting to talk about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Commission Chairman Brad Anders said the meeting stems from an agreement made earlier this year between the two boards that they would get together more often to talk about county finances.

He said this one focuses on the budget and gives each side a chance to fire off questions.

Anders and school board member Lynne Fugate will moderate.

The commission will vote on the budget on May 27.

School board members during the joint work session are expected to ask the commission to increase the mayor’s spending plan by additional $4.55 million, which they initially requested to cover a 1.8 percent raise for teachers.

Earlier this month, the mayor unveiled his proposed plan, a $730 million budget that gave the school board everything it asked for that would keep it revenue neutral. He said the additional $4.55 million would require dipping into the reserves, something he’s not going to do.

Expect the commission to stick by him. He’s got his six votes.