After more than a decade leading Development Seed, Ian Schuler is taking a planned sabbatical through September.

During that time, Joe Flasher is stepping in as Acting CEO. Joe isn’t new to Development Seed—he helped shape the organization in its earlier days before spending nearly a decade at Amazon Web Services working on open data and environmental equity. His return feels less like a handoff and more like a continuation.

If you’ve already seen Ian's and Joe’s posts on LinkedIn, you’ve heard this news in their own words.

A note on Ian

Development Seed has always been a reflection of the people who make it up. Ian has played a central role in shaping that—building a team that spans disciplines, perspectives, and ways of working, and creating space for people to explore ideas beyond their immediate projects.

This sabbatical is part of that same philosophy. Time to step back, follow curiosity, and come back with new energy.

Joe, rejoining

Joe’s return lands at a moment when our work is expanding in scope but staying grounded in the same principles: open tools, strong partnerships, and making complex Earth data more usable.

Many of our partners already know Joe from his work over the past decade. For others, this will be a first introduction. Either way, he steps into a team that knows how to keep moving.

If you’re working with Development Seed—or have been meaning to—this is a good time to reach out.