Matt Poppleton, executive director at YMCA Camp Widjiwagan in Ely since 2017, has been named executive director of the Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon.

He starts on Monday.

Matt Poppleton (Courtesy of Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon)

Poppleton, 50, will be the Osceola, Wis.-based organization’s second executive director. He takes over from Deb Ryun, who had been in the position since 2009.

“My first experiences with the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers were through introducing others to this amazing wild and scenic riverway,” Poppleton said Tuesday. “From canoe trips with Wilderness Inquiry, kayak tours with REI and partnering with organizations like Wild Rivers Conservancy, I’ve had a love for this riverway for many years. I am so excited to now be with Wild Rivers Conservancy connecting people to the river and protecting it.”

Prior to joining Widjiwagan, Poppleton served as the outdoors and outreach manager at REI in Bloomington, associate director of operations at Wilderness Inquiry and as the wilderness program director at Widjiwagan.

Poppleton’s experience and values align well with the Wild Rivers Conservancy’s mission, said Loralee DiLorenzo, a board member who served as the chairwoman of the search committee.

“Matt has a passion for the outdoors and a demonstrated record of leading successful outdoor and environmental organizations,” she said.

Poppleton has a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Hamline University in St. Paul and a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation/conservation from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.

He and his wife, Kristen, have two children.

The Wild Rivers Conservancy has more than 1,300 members, an annual budget of $1.4 million, and 13 full-time staff members and 13 part-time staff members. It serves as the nonprofit partner of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. It works with the National Park Service and different conservation partners on land conservation, water-quality protection and river corridor and watershed stewardship.

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