PHOTO CREDIT: David Stuck
THE Irvine Nature Center’s Board of Trustees is pleased to INTRODUCE CeCe Carter as the neW Executive Director.
CeCe has worked in conservation with both global nonprofits and local partners, and those experiences have shaped her ability to build relationships, foster stewardship, and approach challenges with curiosity and care. As a Baltimore County native, CeCe is excited to bring her experience and acumen home to Irvine to help more families explore, learn, and grow together in nature.
With more than a decade of expertise leading mission-driven conservation organizations, including The Surfrider Foundation and the International Rhino Foundation, CeCe has a demonstrable capacity to build strong teams, deepen community partnerships, and secure transformational funding.
CeCe’s understanding of the region, and her passion for protecting the places that shaped her, gives her an authentic and meaningful connection to Irvine. And most importantly, she is deeply aligned with the mission of Irvine: inspiring people to explore, respect, and protect nature.
FOUR THINGS TO know ABOUT CeCe Carter
CeCe builds strong relationships — with people, nature, and ideas. She believes good things happen when folks talk openly, trust each other, and work together, whether it’s her team, community partners, volunteers or families walking the trails at Irvine.
She cares deeply about taking care of the land, the animals that live on it, and the people who call this area home. For CeCe, conservation means looking after the places we all depend on — and making sure they’re here for generations to come.
CeCe loves a good puzzle. She sees Irvine as both a piece of a bigger community puzzle and a place with problems worth solving — from how to reach more people to how to make programs stronger. She brings curiosity, teamwork, and down-to-earth problem-solving to everything she does.
CeCe is grounded in family, community, and place. As a mom and someone who values connection, CeCe finds energy in teaching her kids — and others — what it means to care for the world around them. She hopes more families can see Irvine as a place to explore, learn, and grow together.
