About UsAbout Us

Board of Directors

Members of the Land Trust Alliance’s Board of Directors are passionate land conservationists who collectively govern the Alliance, setting its course and providing expert guidance. Current and past members include working ranchers, legal professionals and healthcare experts. Their volunteer service is invaluable, and the Alliance is immensely grateful for their donated time and talent.

Lise H. Aangeenbrug

For the past 30 years, Lise has served the outdoors and the outdoor industry, whether she has worked to protect lands and wildlife habitat, to build parks and trails, to connect communities to outdoor infrastructure or to grow and ensure the vitality of the outdoor gear and apparel industry. She currently serves as the executive director of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the trade group that represents 1,300 retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and other businesses in the outdoor recreation industry. OIA does work on behalf of its member companies in the areas of state and federal policy for trade, public lands and climate. Prior to her leadership of OIA, Lise served as the executive director of the Outdoor Foundation, OIA’s charitable arm that works to inspire the outdoor habit through community investments and research. 

Lise previously served as the National Park Foundation’s second-in-command. She played a primary role in managing the organization and in helping the foundation in its initiatives to ensure the strongest second century possible for America’s national parks, including fundraising toward the $350 million Centennial Campaign for America's National Parks.

In the 1990s, Lise helped establish the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Trust Fund– a constitutionally chartered public fund–and later served as the executive director, shepherding more than $600 million in investments for the protection of 1 million acres of land for people and wildlife, transforming school playgrounds into green and inviting nature play spaces, constructing community parks, protecting 1000 miles of river corridor, and building 900 miles of trails. Under Lise’s leadership, GOCO launched a first-of-its-kind collective impact model for engaging diverse youth and community organizations in making the outdoors come alive for children — from their backyards to the backcountry.

Lise began her career in natural resources as a field biologist in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and held positions with the Colorado Conservation Trust, California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Department of the Interior as a presidential management fellow, the National Audubon Society, and the National Association of State Foresters. She earned her master's degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and her bachelor's from St. Lawrence University.  Lise is a board member of the Resources Legacy Fund, Land Trust Alliance and Global Dental Relief and serves on the advisory committee for the Salazar Center for North American Conservation. She also serves annually as a trip leader for Global Dental Relief to its clinic site in Kenya. 

Alan M. Bell

Alan Bell is a partner at the law firm of Charity & Associates, P.C. and practices in the area of project finance, specializing in municipal finance and real estate finance and development. He has served as owner’s counsel, underwriter's counsel, bond counsel, borrower's counsel, credit enhancer's counsel and legislative counsel in a wide variety of real estate developments and public financings, including general obligation bonds, traditional revenue bonds and various conduit financings such as airport bonds, stadium bonds, §501(c)(3) bonds, multifamily housing bonds, and single-family mortgage bonds. Mr. Bell has provided representation on projects totaling over $10 billion.

He is also the Founder and President of The Elements Group, a firm focused on the development of nature-inspired modern homes, residential communities and living solutions. He also founded The Elements Community Initiative, the charitable arm of The Elements Group, focused on the development of innovative community projects that encourage the experience of nature and open space by urban and inner-city families.

He is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the Project Management Institute. He is also the Chairman of the Chicago Open Space Legacy Fund and a board member of Openlands, the Chicago Park District Advisory Council Oversight Committee, and the Black Ensemble Theater.  Mr. Bell also serves on the Governing Board of Uplift Community High School, in Chicago, Illinois.

He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance, from the University of Notre Dame in 1986.  He received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1989.  While in law school, Mr. Bell served as Executive Articles Editor of the Journal of Legislation.  He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1991.  Mr. Bell received his Certificate in Project Management from New York University in 2003.

Jameson S. French, Chair

Jameson French is the CEO of Northland Forest Products, Inc., a hardwood lumber processor, exporter and distributor, headquartered in New Hampshire, but with operations in Virginia. The French family has been in the hardwood industry since the late 19th century. He is also President of Meadowsend Timberlands, LLC, which is the family land management company.

Mr. French is a past Chair of the D.C.-based Hardwood Federation, and continues as the chair of their policy committee. He is currently chairman of Friends Forever International, a board member of the American Forest Foundation and Vice Chair of the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund. He is also current Chair of the Tuckernuck Land Trust. He is past Chair of the Quebec Labrador Foundation and the Foundation for Seacoast Health.

He is also a past chairman of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, The Forest Stewardship Council (U.S.), the Hardwood Manufacturers Associations, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation (New Mexico) and Strawbery Banke Museum (New Hampshire). He served the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation as trustee, treasurer and vice chair until June 2010.

Educated at Phillips Andover, Trinity College and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and is married to Priscilla Stevens French. They have three adult children.

Peter O. Hausmann

Peter Hausmann is the former chair of the Land Trust Alliance and currently serves as chair of the Natural Lands Trust, the largest regional land trust in the Delaware Valley. He is a former board member of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and was chair of its real estate committee for over a decade. Previously, Peter was on the board of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Green Space Alliance and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. He was a founding trustee of the Willistown Conservation Trust. He also is a principal in a not-for-profit organization that has successfully purchased and resold over $80 million of land to conservation buyers in the Willistown area.

Peter was a member of the Chester County Planning Commission and its chair for a number of years. He was instrumental in developing Chester County’s Comprehensive Plan, which was awarded the American Planning Association's Outstanding Planning Award.

Peter was the chair of Chester County Citizens to Save Open Space, which was responsible for mounting public support for Chester County's $50 million Open Space Bond initiative. President Bush Sr. awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award to Peter for his efforts in 1990. Peter has since served as an advisor to several other open space initiatives in recent years.

Peter was active in commercial real estate for over 30 years. He was involved in the development of two LEEDS certified "green" office buildings in the greater Philadelphia area. Peter graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. and has a M.B.A. from Rutgers University. He also served as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam.

Laura A. Johnson, Immediate Past Chair

Laura Johnson is a life-long conservationist with more than 30 years experience in nonprofit management. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge MA, and is taking a lead role in launching a new international land conservation network.

Laura is the immediate past president of Mass Audubon where she spent 14 years leading the country’s largest independent state Audubon organization. Prior to joining Mass Audubon, she worked for 16 years at The Nature Conservancy working both as a lawyer and in positions including Massachusetts state director and northeast region vice president.

Laura is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Land Trust Alliance. She is also an Overseer of WGBH, on the Board of Advisors of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), on the Board of Visitors of Mount Auburn Cemetery, and a Corporation member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Laura served for 8 years as a founding member of the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Stewardship Council.

Laura received a BA in history from Harvard, and a JD from NYU Law School. From 2013-2014 she was a Bullard Fellow at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University where she completed a study on private land conservation efforts around the world.

Douglas S. Land

Douglas S. Land is the founder and Managing Director of the Chesapeake Group, a New York based M&A boutique specializing in cross-border India-US transactions in the software and information services sectors. Prior to founding Chesapeake in 1987, he was the founding Principal at Economic Analysis Group, Ltd. in Washington D.C. and an Executive Vice President of Hambros Resource Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Hambros Bank, Ltd (London) .

Doug has been an active member of the Hudson Valley environmental community for more than 20 years. He currently serves on the board of several Hudson Valley land trusts including the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, the Orange County Land Trust and the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. He is also on the Advisory Board of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum and serves as a member of the Nominating Committee of the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference.

He has served on other nonprofit boards, including two terms as co-chair of the New York Region of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2012, along with two partners, Doug was a founder and is currently Chairman of the Board of the Action Network Fund, a leading nonprofit provider of technology tools for progressive grassroots organizations. The Action Network toolkit has been used successfully by a number of organizations including “The Women’s March” and progressive political campaigns.

Kathy Leavenworth

Kathy Leavenworth joined the Chagrin River Land Conservancy (CRLC) in 1997. Leavenworth became president of CRLC in 2000 and served in that capacity for four years. Under her leadership, the CRLC merged with seven other land trusts to become the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Ms. Leavenworth also serves on the Board of Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the National Council for the Land Trust Alliance and is President of Rescue Village the Geauga Humane Society. She served on the Geauga County Park District Foundation Board and the Ohio League of Conservation Voters.

Ms. Leavenworth decided over 40 years ago to focus her energies and activities on education and the environment. Ms. Leavenworth has served 35 years as an elected school board member in the West Geauga school system and was appointed in 2009 by Ohio Governor Strickland to serve on the State Board of Education. Ms. Leavenworth was instrumental in founding the West Geauga Educational Foundation, and instituting Facility and Technology Master Plans and District Wide Strategic Plans for the school district. She also served as a Regional President and State President of the Ohio School Boards Association. She has promoted and been an active participant as a volunteer lobbyist in both Columbus and Washington D.C. for public education, WLRC and the Land Trust Alliance. 

Cary F. Leptuck

Cary Leptuck currently serves, since 2006 as President, Board of Directors, of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust in Southeastern Pennsylvania – one of the founding organizations of the Alliance.  He also serves as a Commissioner of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission since 2008 where he is a member of the Executive and Program Evaluation Committees as well as the Joint Committee on Accreditation.

Now fully retired, Cary spent his entire professional career of forty years in health care management – primarily hospitals and health care delivery systems, both in the medical university and community settings. He spent over 25 years as President and CEO of Chestnut Hill HealthCare in Philadelphia before retiring the first time to his own consulting practice specializing in not-for-profit governance and quality improvement.

Concern for land conservation and community and regional planning issues led him to a position on the Board of the FPCCT in 2004 and the passion and commitment he has for these activities has only gotten stronger. Much experience with accreditation in health care then led him to his role at the Accreditation Commission where he also chaired the Ad-hoc Committee on Renewal Design.

Cary has served as chair of the Pennsylvania Hospital Association, the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council and several other organizations. He’s a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the Philadelphia College of Physicians in addition to a number of other societies and organizations. He’s a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and holds graduate degrees from Columbia University. He served six years in the US Air Force with the eventual rank of Captain.

Widowed since 2006, he is the father of four children and grandfather of eight. When time allows he still enjoys golf, flying, gardening and fishing in from his home Montauk, NY.

Jim Millstein 

Jim Millstein is the Co-Chairman of Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets business of Guggenheim Partners, a global investment and advisory firm. Prior to joining Guggenheim in 2018, Mr. Millstein was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Millstein & Co. Representative engagements include advice to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in connection with the management of its $75 billion of institutional indebtedness; to US Airways in connection with its acquisition of American Airlines out of Chapter 11; and Caesars in its Chapter 11 proceedings.

From 2009 to March 2011, Mr. Millstein was the Chief Restructuring Officer at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In that role, he was responsible for oversight and management of the Department's largest investments in the financial sector and was the principal architect of AIG’s restructuring and recapitalization. Prior to joining the Treasury, Mr. Millstein served as Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Corporate Restructuring at Lazard from 2000 to 2008.

Mr. Millstein is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches Federal Regulation of Financial Institutions; an adjunct professor of law at Columbia University School of Law where he teaches Sovereign, Municipal and Corporate Restructuring; a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy; and a Commissioner on the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study Reform of Chapter 11.

Mr. Millstein received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University.

William Mulligan, Treasurer/Secretary

William Mulligan is a Managing Partner director of Primus Capital, a Cleveland-based private equity firm. Prior to joining Primus, Mr. Mulligan served in various management and operating roles at McKinsey & Company, Deere and Company and First Chicago Corporation. Mr. Mulligan earned a BA in Economics from Denison University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Mr. Mulligan is a director of several Primus portfolio companies, TFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: TFSL), and Universal Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: UEIC). Mr. Mulligan also serves as a trustee of The Cleveland Clinic, Denison University, Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Transplant House of Cleveland.

George S. Olsen

George S. Olsen has been involved with the Montana Land Reliance (MLR) since its inception in 1978 and he has served on their board since 1979. Mr. Olsen served at the Secretary-Treasurer of the MLR board before taking over as Board President two years ago. As a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Olsen spent much of his professional career advising ranchers, farmers and large landowners. In 2012, he retired as a shareholder from Galusha, Higgins, & Galusha, PC.

Mr. Olsen is a member of the Montana Society of CPAs and serves as the Chair of their Legislation & Governmental Affairs Committee. He is also on the Elkhorn Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and the Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corporation Board of Directors. Mr. Olsen serves on the board of the Ruby Habitat Foundation, a 1,100 acre ranch dedicated to creating sustainable agriculture and preserving and enhancing the natural resourced and social and economic make up of Southwest Montana. He was also the past Treasurer of the United Way of Lewis and Clark County.

The Montana Land Reliance is one of the largest and most effective land trusts in the United States. During period that George has served on its board, MLR has protected 900,000 acres including 272,000 acres in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and 1559 miles of trout streams.

Mr. Olsen has a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Montana and he lives in Helena, MT with his wife, Ellen Vogelsang.

Kristopher A. Pickler

Kris Pickler is Senior Counsel, Real Estate at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. in Mooresville, NC. He supports the legal aspects of real estate, construction, facility and energy matters for the Company.  His career at Lowe’s has included international expansion and M&A. Prior to joining Lowe’s, he worked as an attorney at Troutman Sanders, LLP in Raleigh, NC and Buist Moore Smythe McGee, P.A. in Charleston, SC, and as an environmental planner at the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Coastal Resource Management in Charleston, SC.

Mr. Pickler is a member of the Board of Directors for the Land Trust Alliance in Washington, D.C. and the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation in Charleston, SC. He is a former board member of the Davidson Lands Conservancy and the NC Coastal Land Trust; past volunteer of The Nature Conservancy North Carolina’s Charlotte Committee; past council member of the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment’s Alumni Council; volunteer survey director of the Center for Marine Conservation; former Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 484 Charleston Air Force Base with the Boy Scouts of America; and, National Trails Day Committee Volunteer of the Year - South Carolina in 1995.

He graduated from Marion High School, Marion, SC in 1990, was a delegate to Palmetto Boys State at The Citadel and earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science, with minors in Biology and Economics, from Francis Marion University in 1993. Mr. Pickler received his Master of Environmental Management from Duke University in 1999 and was one of four nationwide recipients of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Award for Excellence in Coastal and Marine Graduate Study in 1997.

While at Duke, he was also one of ten nationwide recipients of a legislative fellowship for national coastal and marine policy issues. As a Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow for U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (NH) and the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary in Washington, DC, he assisted the Senator, who was Chair of the C/J/S Subcommittee, on all federal appropriations for NOAA and other coastal agencies. During his time in the Senate, Mr. Pickler was selected as a Congressional Fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA, where he subsequently spent time in residence.

Mr. Pickler received his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002, serving as a research assistant for Prof. Joseph J. Kalo for Ocean & Coastal Law and Property Law. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2002. He has previously been a Council Member on the SC Bar’s Environment & Natural Resources Section, and currently serves on the SC Bar Association’s Diversity & In-House Counsel Committees, and is a member of the Charleston County Bar Association and the Urban Land Institute’s Carolina Trends Regional Council.

Michael A. Polemis

Michael Polemis has been engaged in conservation work since 1986, when he helped found the Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC), in New York’s Hudson Valley. He was on the Board from 1986, serving as Board Chair from 1995 until 2011, when he left the Board. Michael rejoined CLC’s Board in 2013 and currently serves as Governance Committee Chair. Columbia Land Conservancy has grown to become one of the most diverse and successful land trusts in the country. They have over 25,000 acres under easement and operate 10 public conservation areas comprising over 2,400 acres. They have developed an innovative match program, putting together 54 farmer and landowner matches that cover every imaginable type of farming from cut flowers, to beef, to hops. CLC, through its Community Assistance Program offers training, assistance and advice for local municipalities, and volunteer groups in planning, GIS work and establishing community trails. Michael joined the Land Trust Alliance National Council in 2011.

In addition to his interest in conservation, Michael is on the Board of the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. He is a Vice Chair of the Board and heads the museum’s collections committee.

In 2014, Michael retired after 41 years in the international shipping business, the last 28 years as President of Pro Bulk (USA) Inc.

Michael and his wife Barbara live in Old Chatham, New York. They have two married daughters living in New York and New Orleans. Michael is an avid fly-fisherman and upland game hunter and has two German Short Haired Pointers that keep him and his wife very busy.

Frederic C. Rich, Vice Chair

Frederic C. Rich is Of Counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, an international law firm based in New York, where he was a partner for many years. He is now a writer. His latest book, Getting to Green, about environmental politics, is forthcoming from W. W. Norton in April 2016.

Mr. Rich is the long-time Chairman of the Board of Scenic Hudson Land Trust, and also serves on the Board of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, both accredited. He chairs the Environmental Leaders Group in New York State, an informal coalition of environmental, land conservation, environmental justice and parks groups that work together on issues of policy and funding. He also is Chairman of the Foundation for Landscape Studies, and Vice Chair of The Battery Conservancy, Inc., which is spearheading the restoration and revitalization of the Battery at the tip of Manhattan.

Rich is an amateur gardener and composer. He has designed a large landscape garden in Garrison, New York and recently developed an "urban farm" on the green roof of New York's first LEED "Platinum" residential building. He composed the world's first "environmental oratorio," The Hudson Oratorio, which premiered and was recorded in 1996.

He received his A.B. from Princeton University, his J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law, and studied moral philosophy as a Keasbey Fellow at King's College, Cambridge.

Steven E. Rosenberg

Steve Rosenberg is Executive Director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust and Sr. Vice President of Scenic Hudson, Inc. Focused on New York City’s backyard in the Hudson Valley, the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, which in 2011 received the Land Trust Alliance’s highest “Land Trust Excellence Award,” has conserved more than 40,000 acres of natural and scenic areas and productive farmland and created more than three dozen parks and preserves along the Hudson River. Steve leads Scenic Hudson’s initiatives to execute a first-of-its-kind “NYC-Hudson Valley Foodshed Conservation Plan,” as well as the organization’s work to "build community" in the region's urban centers and make the Hudson Valley a model of how a region can respond to the challenge of climate change. Steve grew up in Miami, and was inspired to work to conserve land after he experienced south Florida’s rapid suburbanization in the 1960’s and 70’s. Before joining Scenic Hudson in 1990, Steve practiced real estate and land use law in Washington, DC. He graduated with honors from the George Washington University law school and received his B.A. in history and urban studies from Northwestern University.

Bruce Runnels

Bruce Runnels practiced law in Indiana for 10 years before going to work for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1985 as its first New Jersey State Director. During his 34 years with TNC, Bruce held a number of regional and executive positions and led organization-wide initiatives to frame TNC’s conservation approach and core values. Prior to retiring in May 2019, Bruce served as TNC’s Risk Officer, a position that applies the appropriate risk management discipline to safeguard TNC’s reputation, assets, mission and legal status. In that capacity, Bruce co-led TNC’s efforts to secure first-time accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2013. Bruce now serves as a Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Bruce lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, Katherine.

Thomas D. Saunders

Tom Saunders is president and CEO of the accredited Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects open space; conserves and restores rivers and streams; plants trees, gardens and green spaces; protects rare, threatened and endangered species; and preserves and shares Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Prior to his work at the conservancy, Tom was a land use attorney at Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison in San Francisco and Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue in Washington, D.C.; director of the Maryland Environmental Trust; and community development director of Gainesville, Florida. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University, a masters in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University and a law degree from Stanford University.

Roberto Serrallés

Roberto Serrallés is a sixth-generation rum maker based in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where his family business, Destilería Serrallés has been operating since 1865. As one of America’s oldest family owned and operated businesses, Destilería Serrallés has been producing exceptional rums for over 150 years. Its flagship brand Don Q is the leading premium rum brand on the island. Destilería Serralles is one of the largest employers on the south coast of Puerto Rico where the beverage manufacturing and distribution company employs close to 400 community members. Roberto’s duties for Destilería Serrallés include managing all aspects of business development and corporate relations for the company as well as overseeing new product development.

Roberto began working at Destilería Serrallés in 2004 after completing an MS in Environmental Studies and a PhD in Geography from the University of Oregon. His first project for the Distillery was to help design and implement a state-of-the-art wastewater to energy treatment facility that has helped turn Destilería Serrallés into one of the greener distilleries in the Caribbean. Roberto was honored with the Master Distiller and Rum Pioneer awards at the 2013 Golden Barrel rum awards ceremony in London for his contribution to the Rum industry and he was named Rum Expert of the year at the 2014 Madrid Rum Congress. He holds a BA and a MAT from Brown University. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fundación Luis A Ferre which manages the Museo de Arte de Ponce and is a member of the Board of Directors of Para La Naturaleza, the operational arm of the Puerto Rico Conservation Land Trust.

Julie R. Sharpe

Julie Sharpe is president of the Narrow River Land Trust in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, an all-volunteer, watershed-based land trust. Julie is passionate about watersheds, the carrying capacity of land, nonpoint source pollution and other water-land issues. Her home on the Narrow River estuary has led her to work with local conservation commissions and the Rhode Island Coastal Management Council on Water Quality ordinances and special area management plans. Recognizing the role land trusts play in coastal land management, Julie has served on several land trust boards: Narragansett Land Conservancy Trust, the Land Conservancy of North Kingstown (chair), and the Narrow River Land Trust (current chair). She was a founding member of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council and the Washington County Land Trust Coalition. She serves as an advisor to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Land Trust Excellence Committee and the National Council of the Land Trust Alliance.

In the 1990s, Julie helped to establish the Rhode Island Natural History Survey to document and monitor the state’s biodiversity. She was a part of the vanguard that brought public radio to Rhode Island in 2002. In 2008, with the support of other family members, Julie launched an innovative effort through the Rhode Island Foundation called the Conservation Stewardship Collaborative to advance the stewardship of Rhode Island’s 100,000 acres of public and private conservation land. She has worked with the University of Rhode Island for 28 years on water quality monitoring with its program Watershed Watch.

Julie is lucky to have a partner in conservation — her husband Henry. They live in Saunderstown, Rhode Island; Teton Village, Wyoming; and Sorrento, Maine. Julie got her degree in Geological and Geophysical Sciences from Princeton University.

Gale D. Spears

Gale Spears joined the Land Trust Alliance Board in 2020. She is currently the board president for Solano Land Trust in northern California, where she is keenly interested in preserving the character of Solano County and the quality of life enjoyed by its residents. A former 4-H member, Gale’s deep commitment to conservation is in keeping farming and ranching families on their land through wise use of conservation easement and policy tools.

Gale is the communications manager for the City of Fairfield, California and a member of the Municipal Management Association of Northern California. She is a founding member of the Susan G. Komen Foundation/Sacramento Affiliate and Honorary Commander (Ret.) at Travis Air Force Base, where she presently serves on the Restoration Advisory Board. In addition to her land trust involvement, Gale is a community volunteer for veteran, youth and breast cancer causes.

Gale is a fellow of USC Marshall School of Business/Sierra Health Foundation Leadership Program, earned her MBA from University of Phoenix and completed her undergraduate studies in business and design at San Francisco State University.

When she takes a break from work, you will usually find her with family, traveling, at the ball park, golf course or gym, and ending the day in the garden sipping a glass of her favorite wine. 

Judith Stockdale

Judith Stockdale was executive director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a Chicago-based, private foundation whose mission is land conservation and artistic vitality in the Chicago region and the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Ms. Stockdale was previously the first executive director of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the nation’s first multi-state environmental endowment. Currently, Stockdale is an independent director of the Nuveen Funds, and a board member of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, as well as the Land Trust Alliance.

After positions as an economic analyst, a college geography instructor, and a natural resources planner, in 1978 Ms. Stockdale became executive director of Openlands, a land trust serving much of the greater Chicago region, initiating efforts to protect land in both urban and rural  locations. She assisted in creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor (the National Park Service’s first heritage corridor), Friends of the Chicago River, and Wetlands Research, Inc. In 1987, she became a senior staff associate of the Chicago Community Trust.

Her past volunteer service includes board membership of Forefront (Donors Forum), Brushwood Center (Friends of Ryerson Woods), and Environmental Careers Organization; member of the Resource Council of the National Zoological Park; president of the Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School; and, member of the Illinois Governor’s Science Advisory Council. Ms. Stockdale served as a commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission from 1985-1992, and as its vice chair from 1985-1987.

A native of the United Kingdom, she earned a Bachelor of Science in geography from Durham University (U.K.) and a Master of Forest Science from Yale University. Judith and her husband, Jonathan Boyer, live in Chicago. They have two grown daughters.

Darrell Wood

Darrell Wood, owner of Darrell Wood Ranches with properties in both Vina and Susanville, California, is most looking forward to helping individual land trusts protect America's ranches, farms and open spaces while on the board of the Alliance. Darrell is past chairman and a current board member of the Partnership of Rangeland Trusts, former chairman and a 14-year board member of California Rangeland Trust, former second vice president of the California Cattlemen’s Association and past president of the Lassen County Cattleman’s Association.

A sixth-generation cattleman, Darrell raises certified organic, grass-fed cattle on his ranch, supplying beef to Panorama Meats, made up of more than 50 family ranches from nine states that follow strict environmental stewardship protocols. He has received several awards, including the Grassland Stewardship Award in 1999 from the Society for Range Management Stewardship, the National Wetlands Conservation Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2006 and the National Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 2009.