Ethan grew up in Flagstaff, exploring the canyon country of northern Arizona since childhood. Ethan left the Southwest to attend Swarthmore College before feeling the strong pull of deserts, mountains, and rivers that ultimately brought him back to Flagstaff. Ethan began his work at the Trust as a volunteer in 1999, and has served in various positions since that time. He became executive director in 2018. Ethan's strongest inspiration in conservation originates from the building of unlikely alliances, partnerships, and friendships with those not traditionally affiliated with the conservation movement.
If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse.
— Paul Hawken