Today, we are sharing that our Co-Executive Directors Kathleen Kennedy and Kate Hotten are retiring from the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection in September 2026.
We are deeply proud of what Kathleen and Kate accomplished during their respective terms. CSDP’s success owes much to Kathleen’s nearly 20-year tenure as our Associate Director and, most recently, Co-Executive Director. In 2024, Kate joined Kathleen to provide leadership continuity following the retirement of CSDP’s founding Executive Director Carolyn Campbell.
From Kathleen: “Serving CSDP for nearly two decades has been an immense privilege. Together, we have turned grassroots passion into lasting change, and I am deeply grateful to our partners, donors, and team — past and present — who have stood with me to protect this irreplaceable landscape.”
From Kate: “I’m so grateful to have learned so much about, and experienced, this landscape, worked alongside Kathleen and the team, built relationships with so many of you, and helped strengthen CSDP for the future.”
We are confident in our future. CSDP has further strengthened its 28-year strong foundation through a period marked by political turmoil and ongoing development pressure. Kathleen and Kate’s leadership has been marked by:
- Active responses to mining threats, the Interstate 11 proposal, unchecked data center development, harmful anti-public lands legislation, rapid development, and much more;
- Contributions to several regional conservation policies that will guide land use decisions in Southern Arizona for decades to come;
- CSDP’s new Strategic Plan;
- An investment in transparency and how we communicate about our work, which resulted in reaching more of you than ever before;
- The first time in our history to raise more than half a million dollars in a single year, thanks to you.
Kathleen and Kate are leaving with deep appreciation for CSDP’s collective mission and vision, the CSDP team, Coalition members, many partners, supporters, and donors, and the Sonoran Desert we all work so hard to protect.
Today, CSDP launches a search for its next Executive Director. This is a newly designed Executive Director role that now oversees all aspects of CSDP’s business and strategy, reflecting CSDP’s evolution and staff development over the past several years.
From Christina McVie, CSDP Board Chair: “The Board and staff are grateful to Kathleen and Kate for significantly streamlining our operations, expanding our public outreach and capacity, and setting us up for an even better future.”
For the desert,
The CSDP team
CSDP’s Executive Director position is now open and the deadline to apply is August 16, 2026.
Media contact: admin@sonorandesert.org
Inquiries into the Executive Director position: hiring@sonorandesert.org