Oliver P. Bass

(he/him/his)

Oliver Bass has dedicated much of his career to conservation. Natural Lands named him president and CEO in 2019 following a 21-year tenure in communications, outreach, and development with the organization. Oliver’s decade as vice president of communications and engagement saw substantial growth in participation in public programs and volunteerism, elevation of the organization’s public profile, and the launch of initiatives to improve equitable access to green spaces in park-deprived communities of our region’s suburbs.

Since becoming president, Oliver has strengthened Natural Lands’ commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. He has also brought added focus to the role that saving land, caring for nature, and connecting people to the outdoors can play in helping to address the consequences of climate change.

Oliver grew up in rural east Texas and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Early in his career, he held fundraising positions with West Virginia Public Radio and WXPN-FM public radio in Philadelphia. He spent five years working in the performing arts community in Philadelphia prior to coming to Natural Lands.

“Growing up, I spent much of my youth outdoors,” he said. “The east Texas forests of yellow pine were my backyard and the large, wooded lot next to our house was my playground. My friends and I had the freedom to explore the nearby creeks, climb trees, build forts, and get dirty. Nature became a place of play, discovery, and joy. Natural Lands has afforded me the opportunity to invest my career in providing places where others can have the same chance to enjoy and benefit from nature.”

Oliver is a member of the Land Trust Alliance’s National Land Trust Leadership Council, vice president of WeConservePA’s Board of Directors, and serves on the executive committee of the PA Growing Greener Coalition.

Ask Oliver about: his awesome daughters.