S. Elwood York, Jr.

S. Elwood York, Jr. is CEO of Conservation Legacy, a national non-profit with the mission of engaging future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service.

Elwood is from Richmond, Virginia, and has been active in the conservation/ community corps world for many years. He has been a part of several national award-winning teams that address the needs of under-served youth by fostering civic engagement, research, and wilderness stewardship. Most recently, Elwood served as Labor and Employee Relations Specialist at the Environmental Protection Agency. From 2012-2016, he worked as the Wilderness Program Leader for the US Forest Service.

Elwood is a 30+ year veteran civil and criminal trial attorney. He served as the Director of Pretrial Services for Monroe County, FL, Interim Director of the D.C. Dept. of Corrections, Municipal Judge in Houston, and Principal Attorney General and Acting Director of the Bureau of Corrections for the Dept. of Justice in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Elwood has a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry from Howard University and a law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He is an alumnus of Camp Atwater, the oldest summer camp for African American children in the United States. He also served as the National Program Leader for the US Forest Service, managing 36 million acres of public lands.