Shepherd leaves CACS with strong start in 2010

• Director accomplished much in four short months

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

An avid outdoor woman who loved to hike and take advantage of wilderness opportunities, Terry Shepherd arrived in Homer in October, just in time to get a few hikes in before winter snow offered up snowshoe outings. She had been hired as the new executive director for the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, and told co-workers she was looking forward to futures outings on Kachemak Bay.
“She was really looking forward to watching our programs in action and being part of it,” said CACS board member Michael Allen. “The real outdoor activities start in April, but she was able to go to the Peterson Bay Field Station. She was the first one in the boat.”
The apparently healthy 45-year-old Shepherd became the first local death attributed to the H1N1 virus. She died Feb. 10, after a case of pneumonia rapidly progressed, complicating the flu.
A memorial service is planned for 5 p.m. Feb. 27, at CACS Headquarters, 708 Smokey Bay Way. The community is invited to share memories and food.
Shepherd came to Homer from Moab, Utah, starting with CACS on Oct. 1. And while many in the community were still getting to know her, she lost no time impressing those who first got the chance to interact with her.
“She accomplished a lot in a short amount of time,” Allen said. “She re-designed our Web site, restructured the fund-accounting system and led the board through a strategic planning process for the next five years. We actually have a road map to lead us into the future.”
Prior to moving to Alaska, Shepherd worked as director of the Red Rock Forest, an advocacy group protecting the forest lands around Moab.
“She really wanted to become a lot more involved in environmental education, which is a very important thing in terms of the future,” Allen said.
With a strong environmental education staff, the board felt it beneficial to take the nonprofit to a new level that tapped into another side of Shepherd’s strengths.
“We felt we were weak in management skills, and Terry had a strong background in management,” he said. “She had an ability to lead teams of people in pursuit of a vision.”
Shepherd held an undergraduate degree in environmental studies, along with two master’s degrees. Her postgraduate degree from the University of Montana was in environmental policy, while her master’s degree from Colorado State University was in political science. Shepherd’s 20-year career included a history of studying and implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, environmental compliance issues, water/in-stream flow issues and land-use policy. Her background also included forest planning with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in the mid-1990s.
Terry and her husband, Harold, had visited Alaska, including a sojourn to Homer that left them impressed with the area. Once Terry was hired at CACS, the couple chose a house on Crossman Ridge for its remoteness.
Staff at CACS said they were “shocked and saddened” by Shepherd’s sudden death, particularly since she was such an otherwise healthy person.
“One thing we are learning is that, if you haven’t had a lot of exposure to the flu, then you don’t have the ability to fight it as well,” Allen said.

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Posted by Newsroom on Feb 17th, 2010 and filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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