Land Bank Names Rachael Freeman As Its New Executive Director

The Nantucket Land Bank Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to name Rachael Freeman as its new executive director, hiring the candidate with more than a decade of experience working at the Land Bank.

Freeman, who has served as the interim executive director since Jesse Bell stepped down from the job in August, was one of two finalists for the position. The other candidate was John Winter, the executive director of the New Canaan Land Trust in Connecticut.

Both Freeman and Winter were interviewed by the members of the Land Bank Commission during a public meeting on Thursday, but as their deliberations began, it was clear the commissioners believed Freeman was the strongest candidate for the job.

"I'm very comfortable with Rachael running the show," said Commissioner John Stackpole. "She has surprised me considerably since she came over. She's brought three or four items to fruition that we've been working on for years. She's done a tremendous job. She has gotten to talk to people directly rather
than through lawyers. There are specific instances that we know about but we can't discuss. My vote is for Rachael. She's done a tremendous job. We don’t need to train someone to start over again. We have so much going on; we really need to keep things moving instead of becoming teachers."

Freeman has worked at the Land Bank for the past 10 years. Before being appointed as interim executive director, she served as its director of operational resources, director of environmental and agricultural resources, and environmental coordinator. Previously, Freeman worked as the owner and manager of Laurentide Environmental Consulting and as a research supervisor at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. She has a master's degree in plant biology from the University of New Hampshire and a bachelor's degree in biology from Western State College of Colorado.

"I think the question is always how do we work with the greatest community needs How does the land bank continue to work with housing? How does the Land Bank continue to keep their finger on the pulse of what the community needs are? Are the community needs additional playing fields? Are they additional playgrounds? What within our act can we do that would benefit the island?" Freeman said to the Commission on Thursday. "I think acquisition is, likely, over time, to become more selective and targeted, and perhaps we end up being more of a project-based organization going forward. I don't know that, but there are definitely acquisitions that remain that are very important to the conservation of the island. But the larger parcels and the myriad of acquisition opportunities are, I would say, lessening across the island. So, I can see us moving more towards a project format. But again, knowing that our direction should be really driven by the fact that we're funded by public dollars within the constraints of our act, of course, agriculture, recreation, outdoor recreation and conservation, and the commission's wishes."

The Nantucket Islands Land Bank was established by an act of the state legislature in 1983, the first program of its kind in the United States, with a mission to acquire land for open space, agriculture, and recreational uses through a 2 percent tax on real estate transfers. Over the past 40 years, it has acquired more than 3,400 acres of land that is now open to the public.

Since the pandemic and the ensuing real estate boom on Nantucket, the Land Bank's revenues have surged, and it has gone on a spree of acquisitions, the most recent of which was its largest ever: the $26 million purchase of a beach compound on the north shore.

Following Bell's resignation as executive director in August, the Land Bank initiated a search process that was led by The Executive Suite, a Hyannis-based firm that was hired by the commission in September. Freeman and Winter were chosen from 15 candidates who submitted applications during the search process.

"While working with Rachael, she’s always been great, but what we’ve been able to experience with her in that role has been above and beyond my expectations," said Land Bank Commission chair Kristina Jelleme. "For the best of the Land Bank and where we’re going, it makes sense that she can continue to follow through."

Freeman's new contract and salary will be finalized at the Land Bank Commission's January 14th meeting.