Conservation People

Matt Schultz will be joining Pocono Heritage Land Trust as its new stewardship manager. Schultz grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania. After graduating college, he worked as a wildlife biologist throughout the Midwest, a land steward in Michigan, and a restoration ecologist in Oregon. Returning to the Keystone State, he is excited to explore, document, and protect the read more

Lancaster Farmland Trust is pleased to announce the promotion of Jeff Swinehart to chief operating officer, effective January 1, 2019. The promotion is part of a strategic transition in responsibilities and leadership of the organization over the next few years. In his 18-year tenure at Lancaster Farmland Trust, Swinehart has held several positions, most recently serving as read more

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is proud to welcome Tali MacArthur as the newest member of our watersheds team. A veteran program manager with deep experience in environmental and conservation fields, MacArthur will assume a leadership role in PEC’s sister entity, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), advancing its mission of education and read more

It’s the end of an impressive era. Karen Lutz, longtime Mid-Atlantic regional director for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is retiring after a storied career full of success and hard work. Lutz received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Partnership for the National Trail System in October. Lutz brought numerous improvements to the trail and the management read more

Jeff Swinehart, deputy director of Lancaster Farmland Trust, has been elected to serve on the Terrafirma Risk Retention Group Members' Committee. Swinehart will serve as the representative for land trusts in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Land Trust Alliance created Terrafirma as a read more

Natural Lands has announced that effective January 1, 2019, Oliver Bass will become its next president. Bass, currently vice president of communications and engagement, succeeds Molly Morrison, who will retire at the end of the year after a 14-year tenure in the role. “We undertook a rigorous, six-month, national search and selection process managed by the Boston-based firm read more

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership has named Brenda Sieglitz as its first manager effective November 26. The Partnership is a statewide coalition dedicated to restoring the health of Pennsylvania's waterways by planting trees. Several Pennsylvania land trusts, such as ClearWater Conservancy, Manada Conservancy, and North Branch Land Trusts, are partners. Other partners read more

On October 9, Natural Lands announced the addition of Drew VandenBrul to its board of trustees. VandenBrul is managing director with Grant Thornton LLP, an independent audit, tax, and advisory firm. He specializes in providing state and local tax consulting, compliance, and transaction planning across a variety of industries. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the read more

The Lancaster County Conservancy (LCC) announced that Fritz Schroeder will step into the role of director of marketing and development. Schroeder brings many strengths to the table, some of which are a deep connection to the Lancaster community, a passion for all things nature, and a strong commitment to clean water. Previously, Schroeder was LCC's director of urban greening, read more

Delaware Highlands Conservancy (DHC) has hired Trey Talley as its new land protection associate. Talley joins DHC from North Carolina after recently completing an AmeriCorps position at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy as its land protection and education associate. He will be assisting DHC with all of its land protection projects, including serving as the primary read more

Bill Gladden will join French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust as Executive Director on August 1. With more than 30 years of experience in land use, preservation, and management in the public and private sector, Gladden brings a wealth of experience to this role. He has been director of the Department of Open Space Preservation for Chester County since 2004, leading read more