The Friends of the Lower Blue River has named a new executive director, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

Summit County resident Rachel Ruiz will become the nonprofit’s executive director effective March 1, replacing Jonathan Knopf, who has served as the Friends of the Lower Blue River executive director since 2018.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a master’s degree from Brown University, Ruiz has spent most of her career in the health care industry and is highly experienced in the nonprofit sector, the release states. She has lived in Summit County since 2020 and is an avid sailor and snowboarder.

The Friends of the Lower Blue River is a volunteer group of dues paying residents from Summit and Ground counties who share concern for maintaining the rural character, quality of life and environment of the Lower Blue River Valley, the release states.