Land Bank Names Two Finalists For Executive Director Job

The Nantucket Land Bank has named two finalists for the executive director position following a two-month search, and its elected commissioners will vote on Thursday to offer the job to their top candidate.

The two finalists are Rachael Freeman, who has served as the interim executive director since Jesse Bell stepped down from the job in August, and John Winter, the executive director of the New Canaan Land Trust in Connecticut.

Freeman and Winter were chosen from 15 candidates who submitted applications during the Land Bank's search process that was led by The Executive Suite, a Hyannis-based firm that was hired by the Land Bank in September. Seven of those applicants ultimately were interviewed by Zoom.

The Land Bank Commission will meet on Thursday at 2 p.m. to select its choice for the position.

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.

Freeman has worked at the Land Bank for the past 10 years. Prior to 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.

"The Land Bank's public purpose supports my connection to the Nantucket community and my core belief that access to nature positively impacts health and wellbeing," Freeman stated in her cover letter that was submitted with her application for the job. "For these reasons, I am extremely proud to work for, promote, and strive to advance this organization...Looking to the future, the Land Bank must have competent leadership that works closely with the Commission to meet community needs. The Land Bank Staff and Commission’s trust in the Executive Director is paramount to the organization’s success. I have demonstrated the capacity to actively listen to Staff and Commission priorities, while thinking creatively to accomplish their goals. I continuously strive to build trust and to do the right thing for the Land Bank Commission, the Land Bank staff and the community that supports us with their public dollars."

According to the search firm, Winter has been a land trust executive director for the past 20 years and currently serves as the executive director at the New Canaan Land Conservation Trust. He previously served as the director of social responsibility for Keurig Green Mountain in Waterbury, VT; as a community builder fellow for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Burlington, VT; and a senior research associate for sustainable roducts and practices program at INFORM, Inc., in New York, NY. He has also held several jobs as a tax consultant. Winter has a bachelor's degree in history and accounting from Muhlenberg College, and a master's in environmental management, natural resource economics and policy from Duke University.

"I am applying for his position because Nantucket is a beautiful and unique ecosystem and I would like to help conserve it," Winter said in his cover letter submitted with his application. "NILB (Nantucket Islands Land Bank) is doing work with which I am interested and familiar, having led land trusts of similar size and function. I believe I can hit the ground running and continue your fine work."

The Land Bank has been searching for a new executive director since August following the resignation of Jesse Bell, who departed the organization after nearly 17 years to take a job with the island law firm Cohen & Cohen.

In a press release sent out by commission chair Kristina Jelleme, she said the parties “mutually agreed to part ways” before thanking Bell for her years of service to the Land Bank and the many community projects and achievements she played a central role in.

Read more about the candidates and the search process by clicking here.