At Piedmont Wildlife Center, campers enjoy outdoor adventures year-round, and this summer, our Executive Director, Nick DiColandrea, set out on one of his own! He traveled to Newport Beach, California for the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Annual Summit, where more than 120 leaders from across the country gathered to share wisdom and resources, build meaningful connections, and dream big about the future of nature centers.
Setting out on the journey
What inspired him to go? For Nick, it was about charting a new path forward. He shares ”I wanted to learn what it takes to build something we’ve been dreaming about for years—our own Nature Center building!”
At the Summit, Nick connected with organizations that have already walked the paths we hope to follow. For example, how they built a strong Board of Directors, evaluate environmental education (EE) programs in fresh ways, and built nature centers of their own.
“It was refreshing to realize we’re not alone,” Nick reflected. “We may be unique here in the Triangle, but we have peers across the country with the same mission of protecting wildlife and getting kids outdoors. They just might be 4,000 miles away!”
Discoveries along the way
Like any good adventure, the Summit was full of discoveries. Nick came back with both practical steps and big ideas:
Strengthening our board. With our Board Chair, he’s working to develop our Board of Directors in a more robust way.
Laying the groundwork. He’s gathering the information needed to understand what it will take to make a future Nature Center possible.
Imagining new paths. From nature preschools to evaluating the impact of EE programs, he explored possibilities that could inspire PWC’s next chapter.
A chance to pause and reflect
The journey wasn’t just about learning from others—it was also about zooming out. “When you’re caught up in the day-to-day, you can lose sight of the forest in the trees,” Nick shared. “The Summit gave me perspective on where PWC has been and where it needs to go.”
The Journey ahead
Would Nick take this adventure again? Without hesitation. “Professional development like this is an investment in the future of PWC,” he said.
The Summit proved that while the journey ahead may be long, we won’t walk it alone. With a network of peers across the country and an incredibly generous community of supporters here in the Triangle, the adventure of building PWC’s future is just getting started!
