"I’m also inspired by people who are good souls. Sometimes a good soul is someone that you just walk by and share a smile — and they’ve given you a gift with that smile. We need more people like that in the world." – Brenda Brooks
Brenda is an avid hiker, a planter and mother who lives in Fort Myers, Fla. She has served as the executive director for the CREW Land & Water Trust since 2008 after coming on board as the environmental education specialist three years earlier. Her vision and energy helped move the CREW Trust forward through the purchase of additional lands in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. Brenda helped establish expanded education and outreach programs, improve and expand the trail systems, and raise awareness on water issues in Southwest Florida. She has a master’s degree in environmental science from Florida Gulf Coast University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and geography from Stetson University.
Amanda Inscore/The News-Press - USA Today Network-Florida
Brenda Brooks is the Executive Director of CREW Land & Water Trust. She is shown at the CREW Marsh Trails on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
Who or what inspires you?
Nature and the outdoors. As a child, I didn’t have that connection, so I didn’t know that it was missing. Now, nature is my happy place, my cathedral; it’s where I go to center myself and meditate and feel connected.
I’m also inspired by people who are good souls. Sometimes a good soul is someone that you just walk by and share a smile — and they’ve given you a gift with that smile. We need more people like that in the world and, thankfully, in the nonprofit world, we have so many of those good souls who give so generously of their time and talents.
What is one quality that sets you apart from others in your field?
Perseverance. To the detriment of my own self because I don’t know how to give up — I just have this innate need to keep going and going. Sometimes, though, that leads me down an alternate path but, when I figure it out and get on the right path, I do not stop. A lot of nonprofit leaders share the same qualities — we are passionate, we collaborate, we think outside the box and we tend to be comfortable with being uncomfortable until we figure things out.
Who mentored you or helped pave the way for you in your current position?
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I think it took a village to get me on my way. I learned and continue to learn from everyone. Being an executive director takes many different skills, so it only makes sense to have multiple mentors. Ellen Lindblad, who held this position before me, our staff, our volunteers — they have all been my mentors.
Also, my partner in life, Rick — he’s always believed in me. He wasn’t the one who got me connected in this field, but he is the one who has always said you can do this.
Was there ever a time in your career that you thought, “I can’t do this?” If so, what changed or what helped you push past that point?
When Jim Goodwin retired. If I had a mentor at CREW, it would have been Jim Goodwin. He had this passionate connection, and he did things so well and so right. I didn’t know if anyone would be able to do things the way he did. That left me with this space when he retired where I felt unsure and questioned how we do this. Not only did he retire, but he passed away shortly after that, and that made the void even larger.
I think … he taught me to realize the scope of time. We look at things in such a now, such an egocentric way. Some goals are not immediate — and they take many, many years to accomplish. In 2005-2006 when I first started, Jim and I talked about opening up Flint Pen Strand (Trail) — and it took over a decade to open it up. He had a connection to the land, and he had a viewpoint that went beyond the immediate future, and that’s important in nonprofits.
Amanda Inscore/The News-Press - USA Today Network-Florida
Brenda Brooks is the Executive Director of CREW Land & Water Trust. She is shown at the CREW Marsh Trails on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you in both your professional and personal life?
It has changed everything we do and how we have done it for years. We’ve had to adapt, and we are still figuring out how to make those adaptations work as the situation unfolds. There is no answer, there is no date — there is no expiration. This is the collaborative approach that I appreciate in the nonprofit sector — people are willing to share what has worked for their organizations.
Personally — I’m not a super social person, but I miss people. I guess I’m more social than I thought. Prior to the pandemic, I worked from home just a little bit, and I still do. But I prefer to work in the office. I’m lucky that I can do that, because the office is so remote and very few people come out there. The biggest thing was not seeing my daughter, Elan.
How can you help the next generation achieve what you have achieved — or more?
Share our experiences and make ourselves available as mentors. Don’t keep the secret recipes to yourself. Remember, nonprofits are not about us. The CREW Trust was here 16 years before I started and will be here years after I’m gone. The key to success in the nonprofit world is to put ego aside and look at the big picture.
What do you see, or hope to see, as the future for women in your field or in other positions of power?
I’d like to see a future where there are no glass ceilings. I hope to see more women embracing feminine qualities whether they be empathy, connection or compassion. I think women tend to have more empathy and compassion and make connections. Those connections are so important — to people, to our mission, to ourselves.