Richmond, CA — The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) today announced the appointment of Emily Corwin as its new Executive Director. SFEI is a leading science organization dedicated to understanding and protecting the California's waters, providing the research that informs regional decisions on water quality, wetland restoration, and climate resilience. Emily has served as SFEI’s Interim Executive Director since the start of the year, succeeding Warner Chabot, who retired after more than eleven years of dedicated service.
Emily brings over two decades of experience spanning environmental science, civil and water resources engineering, organizational leadership, and nonprofit management. She brings a rare combination of technical credibility, collaborative partnership, and strategic leadership experience. Her career has focused on advancing nature-based solutions, green stormwater infrastructure, and climate resilience in the Bay Area. She has led multidisciplinary teams across the public, nonprofit, and consulting sectors, guided regional collaboratives, authored peer-reviewed publications and practice guidance, and worked closely with boards, funders, and agency partners to translate science into action. In her earlier career, Emily was the Director of Nature-Based Engineering Solutions at Conservation International, and then a Senior Environmental Engineer at the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District.
Emily joined SFEI in 2024 as Director of Strategic Initiatives, where she led work spanning science, engineering, partnerships, development, and communications. Since joining the organization, she has improved its visibility and potential for impact; increasing year-end giving, improving donor retention, building operational reserves, and producing its first Annual Impact Report, among other accomplishments. In her short amount of time as Interim Executive Director, she has also earned the trust and support of staff, board members, and partners.
“In addition to her deep respect for our scientific integrity, Emily brings exceptional strengths in cross-sector collaboration, strategic communications, and fundraising—qualities that will expand our impact and secure long-term support for our programs,” said Ann Hayden, SFEI Board Chair. “Over the past several months, Emily has provided exceptional, steady leadership as our Interim Executive Director. Above all, Emily shares our uncompromising commitment to safeguarding SFEI’s identity as an independent, non-advocacy scientific institute.”
SFEI partnered with Potrero Group to conduct the nation-wide executive search. Jena Kuznik, Senior Consultant at Potrero Group, commented on the successful outcome, “The search attracted an impressive group of candidates, and Emily Corwin stood out as the right leader for SFEI's next chapter. We're thrilled with this placement and the vision and collaborative approach she brings to the role.”
“I care deeply about the Bay, its ecosystems, and its communities, and about the people who have built SFEI's reputation for rigorous, trusted science,” said Emily. “I'm honored the Board is asking me to lead this organization into its next chapter. My focus is building on what's already strong here and making sure SFEI has the resources and resilience to keep doing its essential work for decades to come.”
About the San Francisco Estuary Institute
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is a leading nonprofit environmental research organization focused on advancing science that supports rebuilding and sustaining the chemical, physical, and biological health and the resilience of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary and beyond. Learn more at sfei.org.
About Potrero Group
Potrero Group is a leadership consulting firm supporting mission-driven leaders and organizations through strategy, facilitation, board recruitment and development, and executive search services. Learn more at potrerogroup.com.