The importance of involvement

Jeanie Nelson knows well the vital role that government plays in conservation and for the environment.

As general counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton-Gore administration, she witnessed the many ways people influence the federal government. “I saw how much the conversation changed around an issue because people cared and lent their voices,” Nelson says. “Public awareness and opinion are important ways to influence action in DC.”

She learned the lesson well. Returning to Tennessee, she co-founded the Land Trust for Tennessee with Phil Bredesen, the former governor and mayor of Nashville, and emphasized building relationships with elected officials. Nelson knew that advocating for issues back home could strengthen the organization’s presence in the state, even influencing national policies. Those relationships were important during a unified, national push to make the enhanced tax incentive permanent.

That victory — along with the other wins Nelson has helped secure during her time as an Advocacy Ambassador, Leadership Council member and Land Trust Alliance board member — all goes back to her core belief of the importance of involvement.

Because even though she’s stepping down as the land trust’s CEO in May after 17 years, Nelson “will continue to be an Ambassador for conservation and the land trust movement. I encourage every land trust to have an Ambassador — for the good of our cause and for the strength of your own organization and for the energy and fun that comes from this work.”

Jeanie Nelson is CEO of the Land Trust for Tennessee.