Trotter named CEO of MUCC, McKeon promoted to deputy director

lschultz • June 8, 2023

The nation’s largest statewide conservation organization announced internal changes Monday to its leadership team.

Serving as executive director of Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) since early 2019, Amy Trotter will now be the organization’s chief executive officer. Though duties won’t change, MUCC President Tim Muir Jr. said this reflects and rewards the complexities of nonprofit operations.

“Amy has worked tirelessly for this organization for more than 15 years, and her fingerprints are throughout Michigan’s conservation and natural resources policy,” Muir Jr. said. “This title change reflects the work she does administratively, strategically and sustainably.”

Trotter joined MUCC in 2007 as a resource policy specialist. She continued working through the ranks until being named deputy director in 2015. Her role continued to expand into organizational growth and strategic planning for MUCC.

When former executive director Dan Eichinger left to take the Department of Natural Resources director job, Trotter was the natural next leader of the organization.

“I’m humbled to be recognized for the hard work it takes to continue MUCC’s tradition of conservation and policy excellence,” Trotter said. “As we look toward the future of MUCC, thinking outside the box will be critical, and this is a start.”

With Trotter’s title change, she also announced education director Shaun McKeon would be promoted to deputy director of the organization. 

McKeon joined MUCC in 2013 as camp director and an educator. After several years of growing and helping Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp reestablish itself as a premier outdoor camp, he was promoted to education director.

In this position, McKeon oversees the field and education teams at MUCC. More recently, he took on administrative roles such as grant writing,  hiring, billing, payroll and other human resources issues. 

Shaun also does what needs to be done when there is a job to do, and that’s one of his best attributes, Trotter said.

“Shaun has the Swiss army knife of talents — he has taken on the role of office manager, sounding board for me and a mentor for our staff all rolled into one. But his job is really the job of many; he puts in more miles and hours than anyone else,” Trotter said. “As deputy director, he will be in the position to help me navigate the challenges of managing a non-profit organization while helping guide our staff to reach their highest potential. ”

McKeon said he looks forward to growing in his new role at MUCC and helping all of its programs reach their full potential.

“After working at MUCC for over a decade, I am proud of the programs we have developed and the work we have done engaging youth and adults in the outdoors,” McKeon said. “I look forward to the new challenges of this role and am excited about the future.  Amy and the rest of our great team make an impact on natural resources for Michiganders every day.”

 

Recent Posts

May 2025 NRC Recap

By Justin Tomei • May 8, 2025
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met for their May meeting today at Lansing Community College West Campus. The commission voted to return antlered opportunities to the Independence and Liberty hunts at the May Natural Resources Commission meeting. The amendment to restore this opportunity passed after Commissioner Walters withdrew his amendment from April to only partially restore antlered opportunity during these hunts. MUCC testified for the complete restoration of antlered opportunity during these two hunts, per a member passed policy from our 2025 Annual Convention. The commission also voted on, and ultimately accepted, a proposal to allow archery antlerless take in the high snowfall zone in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, the commission also chose to leave on the table and postpone indefinitely the order to reopen the illegally partially closed coyote season. This prevents the order from dying after today's meeting and makes it eligible for action at a later date. This amendment will remain postponed until the June meeting at the earliest.  MUCC has created the Coyote Coalition to assist in unifying the voice of conservationists in support of Proposal G. To join the Coyote Coalition, visit https://www.mucc.org/coyotecoalition . The commission did adopt proposed fall turkey regulations unanimously. The June commission meeting is Thursday, June 12 in Bay City. To ensure our natural resources remain protected and managed thoughtfully and our outdoor heritage defended, join Michigan United Conservation Clubs today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC .

On The Ground: Volunteers at the Annual Jack Pine Planting Day

By Olivia Triltsch • May 8, 2025
In total, volunteers improved about 6 acres of habitat and planted around 6,000 trees in this stand to continue regeneration.

On the Ground Junior: Spring Event Recap

By Katelyn Helsel • May 7, 2025
Our student volunteers have been hard at work improving wildlife habitat on public lands! MUCC’s On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) program, a subset of the On the Ground program, is a fully funded field trip program that brings grade-school classrooms into the outdoors to improve fish and wildlife habitat in their local communities. Through activities like native plantings, brush pile building, and invasive species removal, students gain hands-on experience with conservation and positively impact the world around them. Students also participate in educational activities like predator-prey tag to teach them about population dynamics and other natural resources concepts. So far this spring season, MUCC welcomed 69 students, teachers, and chaperones who participated in multiple OTG Jr projects with more on the way! In total, they improved over 12 acres of wildlife habitat. Read on for a recap of each OTG Jr project and see what all our awesome student volunteers have been up to. 
More Posts