Ernie McLaney Chapter President
"Positive change happens when neighbors, scientists, local businesses, and conservation groups work towards a common goal. A diverse network of partners creates multiple layers of strength, and that collective resilience is what turns good intentions into lasting change for the overlapping places wildlife and people call home."
Bio
Ernie McLaney’s career is defined by results oriented leadership skills:
• Pioneering Program Development: Launching first-of-their-kind academic and sustainability programs.
• Strategic Organizational Scaling: Leading volunteers to statewide "Chapter of the Year" recognition.
• Regional Advocacy & Designation: Navigating complex governance to secure record-breaking municipal and coastal conservation designations.
• Stakeholder Mobilization: Activating diverse networks of citizen scientists and community leaders to achieve measurable ecological impact.
Ernie McLaney is a respected conservation leader with a fifty-year legacy of advancing environmental stewardship across North Carolina. His leadership is defined by strategic organizational development and grassroots mobilization. As the inaugural director of the Center for Sustainability at Central Piedmont Community College, he contributed to the state’s first Sustainability Technologies degree program.
Ernie’s capacity for scaling impact is evident in his roles as a founding board member of Sustain Charlotte and president of the Charlotte Wildlife Stewards, which was named NCWF’s “Chapter of the Year” under his tenure. His advocacy secured Charlotte’s status as the largest Community Wildlife Habitat in the tri-state area. He duplicated that process establishing St. James as the state's first coastal certified community habitat designation. A recipient of the Governor’s Conservation Award, Ernie has consistently transformed local initiatives into regional benchmarks for biodiversity. By empowering citizen scientists and fostering resilient community networks, he turns individual stewardship into collective action.
Contact
Our coastal region needs protecting. I invite you to join our team and be part of the solution.