We’re excited to welcome Scott Braden back to SUWA, this time as our new executive director in Salt Lake City! Scott fell in love with Utah’s rivers and canyons as an outdoor educator and has gone on to devote his career to protecting public lands across the American West. He assumed his new role in early May and comes to us with two decades of experience in conservation advocacy, nonprofit management, and organizational leadership.
“At this pivotal moment for the redrock wilderness, I’m honored to step into this role,” Scott says. “The threats to Utah’s wilderness are relentless, coming from every direction—but SUWA’s ability to win protections and hold the line has never been more critical. Having started my career at SUWA and dedicated my life to defending wild places, returning as executive director is deeply meaningful to me. Working with SUWA’s stellar staff and the nationwide community of redrock activists, I’m eager to build on SUWA’s legacy, strengthen the organization, and position it for success in protecting Wild Utah for generations to come.”
Scott most recently served as co-founder and director of the Colorado Wildlands Project. There, he led efforts to protect Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Colorado, including a national monument campaign for the Dolores River canyon country, securing a variety of administrative protections, and establishing a collaborative stewardship program. He previously worked as a public lands advocate at Conservation Colorado and the Colorado Mountain Club.
Scott began his advocacy career at SUWA from 2007 to 2011, learning first-hand how to be a wilderness advocate, connect with passionate SUWA members, and navigate the halls of Congress out of the organization’s Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC offices. Prior to joining SUWA as a staff member, he was an outdoor educator in the Utah Program of the Colorado Outward Bound School. It was during that time that he first attended “Wilderness Week” and lobbied for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, SUWA’s signature federal legislation, as a redrock activist.
“We’re ecstatic to introduce Scott as our next executive director and to welcome him back to SUWA,” said SUWA Board Chair Tom Kenworthy. “He will be a fearless and enthusiastic champion of SUWA’s mission to protect the redrock wilderness at a critical time in our organization’s history.”
A months-long search for a new executive director was conducted by Kittelman and Associates, in partnership with SUWA’s all-volunteer Board of Directors, when former executive director Scott Groene retired in December. Groene led the organization from 2004 to 2024 after working on and off at the organization since 1987. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing the protection of iconic landscapes in Utah, including Bears Ears National Monument (2016) and nearly a million acres of congressionally designated wilderness in the Cedar Mountains (2006), the Zion-Mojave region of Washington County (2009), and Emery County (2019).
The “new” Scott has been busy getting to know the staff and board, our members, and our partners across Utah and in Washington, DC during his first few months. We encourage you to reach out and say hello to him (scottb@suwa.org or 801-428-3975) or stop by the Salt Lake City office.
The above article first appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of our Redrock Wilderness newsletter. Become a member to receive our print newsletter in your mailbox 3 times a year.
