Senior Staff Changes

After 21 years of service as CNLM’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and also as Co-Executive Director for the last five, Melanie Barranco is retiring. She is looking forward to spending more time travelling with her husband and visiting with family.  Melanie expressed sincere appreciation for the support she received from the Board and the opportunity to provide leadership and service to the organization, indicating that she will most especially miss working with the professional and dedicated staff at CNLM.

To fill CNLM’s essential CFO position, Heather Thomson is stepping into that role effective October 4, 2025. Bringing a strong background in strategic financial leadership and accounting expertise, Heather is also an experienced CFO and CPA. She has been working for the last several months alongside Melanie to be introduced to CNLM’s policies, practices, and the nuances of managing individual endowments for conservation purposes. More information about Heather’s background is available on our Senior staff webpage.

CNLM Board and staff have expressed their sincere appreciation to Melanie for her many years of professional and dedicated management of CNLM’s financial resources.