The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council is pleased to announce that Kirsten Saenz Tobey will become the Council’s next Executive Director, effective August 24, 2026. Tobey brings two decades of executive leadership spanning social enterprise, conservation, organizational strategy, and community impact, along with a deep personal commitment to the Bay Area’s open spaces and trails. She was selected following a national search led by the Potrero Group.
Tobey joins the Ridge Trail Council from Save the Redwoods League, where she served as Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she guided the organization through a CEO transition, including a period as Interim CEO, and led implementation of a new landscape-scale conservation strategy. She introduced a participatory annual planning process that significantly improved cross-functional alignment and budgeting, and she oversaw people and culture, operations, IT, and facilities across the organization.
Before joining Save the Redwoods League, Tobey co-founded Revolution Foods, a mission-driven public benefit corporation dedicated to community food access. Over nearly two decades as an executive leader, she helped build the organization from a startup into a national social enterprise with hundreds of employees, serving over five hundred million healthy meals to children across the country. She and her co-founder raised more than $200 million in capital from impact investors, philanthropists, and private equity firms. Tobey served as a public spokesperson and thought leader, led cross-functional strategic planning, and guided the organization through major transformations, including a significant acquisition and substantial shifts in business model.
“Kirsten brings exactly the combination of strategic vision, entrepreneurial leadership, and genuine passion for conservation that this moment calls for,” said Taylor Jang, Board Chair of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. “Her track record of building mission-driven organizations, cultivating partnerships, and advancing equity makes her an ideal leader to carry the Ridge Trail forward as we pursue National Scenic Trail designation and deepen our reach across Bay Area communities. We are thrilled to welcome her.”
The board also expressed its deep appreciation to outgoing Executive Director Janet McBride, whose leadership has been instrumental in shaping the Ridge Trail Council into the organization it is today. Under McBride’s twenty-year tenure, the Council added over 100 miles to its trail network, strengthened its partnerships with public agencies and community organizations, expanded trail events and outings, and built capacity and a strong foundation for the next chapter of the organization’s growth.
“The Bay Area Ridge Trail is one of the region’s most extraordinary public resources, and I am honored to help lead its next chapter,” said Tobey. “This trail connects people of all backgrounds to the parks and open spaces that define the Bay Area’s identity. I am eager to work alongside the staff, board, volunteers, and partners to complete the trail, grow a diverse community of users and advocates, and ensure that everyone in the Bay Area has the opportunity to experience and champion this remarkable landscape.”
Tobey’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the Ridge Trail Council, as the organization pursues National Scenic Trail designation and works to close remaining gaps in the trail system while expanding access for all Bay Area communities. Her experience integrating equity and inclusion into organizational strategy, leading diverse stakeholders, and leveraging private funding for public benefit positions her well for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
A lifelong Bay Area resident, Tobey is an avid trail runner, hiker, and mountain biker with a personal connection to the open spaces the Ridge Trail traverses. She holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a BA with honors in Development Studies from Brown University. She is an Aspen Institute Catto Fellow and a recognized social entrepreneur, with affiliations including the Ashoka Fellowship and the Schwab Foundation.
About the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council is a nonprofit dedicated to completing, connecting, and sustaining a multi-use trail along the ridgelines encircling San Francisco Bay. Founded in 1987, the Ridge Trail links people, parks, and open spaces across nine Bay Area counties. Learn more at ridgetrail.org.
About Potrero Group
Potrero Group supports mission-driven leaders and organizations with strategic planning, facilitation, organizational development, and board and executive search services. Visit PotreroGroup.com for more information.
We're a membership organization built of trail