Sara McClure
- MPA (2010)
- Director of Major Gifts, The Nature Conservancy (Nebraska Chapter)
Additional Information
Alumni Update
I work for The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization, and I am responsible for raising funds for the Nebraska Chapter. Currently, I am raising funds (so far have raised nearly $1 million from Coca-Cola, John Deere, World Wildlife Fund, and McDonald’s Corp.) for a project that works with farmers to save at least two inches of irrigated water per year. The conservation interest is to see what happens to stream flows and ground water recharge when water is not pumped out for irrigation. Will the water savings from irrigation actually contribute to healthy streams and rivers? If this water savings turns out to be a really good thing for farmers and the environment, let’s move this to a policy issue or a widely adopted change in practice. My MPA degree taught me how to think about science, management, and funding and how to use my talents as a fundraiser. Without funding, this project would have remained only an idea.Alumni Fun Fact
My first social security-paying job was at Jack-in-the-Box fast food restaurant in Houston. I was the voice of the clown (where you ordered). I was 15 years old.
Additional Information
Alumni Update
I work for The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization, and I am responsible for raising funds for the Nebraska Chapter. Currently, I am raising funds (so far have raised nearly $1 million from Coca-Cola, John Deere, World Wildlife Fund, and McDonald’s Corp.) for a project that works with farmers to save at least two inches of irrigated water per year. The conservation interest is to see what happens to stream flows and ground water recharge when water is not pumped out for irrigation. Will the water savings from irrigation actually contribute to healthy streams and rivers? If this water savings turns out to be a really good thing for farmers and the environment, let’s move this to a policy issue or a widely adopted change in practice. My MPA degree taught me how to think about science, management, and funding and how to use my talents as a fundraiser. Without funding, this project would have remained only an idea.Alumni Fun Fact
My first social security-paying job was at Jack-in-the-Box fast food restaurant in Houston. I was the voice of the clown (where you ordered). I was 15 years old.