Last Stand Hires First Executive Director
We’re proud to share big news: Last Stand has hired our first Executive Director, Jordan Mannix-Lachner.
For nearly four decades, Last Stand has been powered by volunteers standing up for clean water, healthy ecosystems, and a livable future in the Keys. We’re proud of the impact we’ve made - but the challenges before us are more urgent and complex than ever.
The pressures we’ve long confronted - overdevelopment, declining water quality, and overburdened infrastructure - haven’t gone away. In fact, they’ve intensified, compounded by new threats that further strain the natural systems and communities that make the Keys so extraordinary.
That’s why we’re stepping up. We’re thrilled to announce a major milestone in our history: the hiring of our first full-time Executive Director. This marks a new era for Last Stand—one defined by greater capacity, stronger coordination, and a deeper commitment to protecting the future of the Florida Keys.
Jordan is a native of the Keys and a passionate advocate for the people and places that make this island chain special. With a background in land use, environmental policy, and community engagement, she brings the skills and the commitment to lead this next chapter.
We’re excited about what’s ahead—and we invite you to be part of it.
A Message from our Executive Director
Hi everyone,
I’m honored and excited to step into the role of Executive Director at Last Stand.
The Florida Keys contain some of the most important and threatened ecosystems on Earth. But the very things that make the Keys valuable are exactly what make them vulnerable. Insufficient land use policies and long-term planning efforts have not been enough to protect our natural resources and quality of life. We can see it with our own eyes: in gridlocked commutes, spinning fish, and in our friends and families are being priced out.
The challenges we’re facing are serious and complex, and it can feel like the future has already been sealed - that there’s nothing we can do. But every day, right here in our own backyard, decisions are being made about land use, infrastructure, and the environment that will affect us now and in the future.
Too often, those decisions treat the Keys as a commodity instead of a community or a natural resource worth protecting. But when we organize and mobilize, we can shift the balance. We can demand stronger development standards, speak out when development interests threaten the public good, and push for policies that recognize the value of this place beyond what can be built or sold.
That’s what Last Stand has done for almost 40 years, and I’m honored to help carry that work forward as we scale up to meet the challenges of this moment. The solutions aren’t simple, but we also have a community that cares deeply – and I look forward to what we can accomplish together.
With gratitude,
Jordan Mannix-Lachner