Executive Director

Search for the Executive Director

New England Forestry Foundation

Headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts

THE SEARCH

New England is one of the most forested regions in the country and a key part of one of the most intact temperate forests on earth. New England forests are mostly privately owned and form a backdrop to the region’s identity and way of life. What many do not recognize is the huge potential for these forests to help us avoid the worst of climate change and support rich biodiversity. At this critical moment, New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) is advancing bold forest-climate solutions and seeks a strategic and entrepreneurial leader to serve as its next Executive Director (ED), building on the organization’s strong trajectory of innovation and collaborative leadership throughout the region, and working toward real-world solutions for these complex challenges.

Founded in Massachusetts in 1944, New England Forestry Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and ecologically sound management of privately owned forestlands in New England through land protection, resource management, and one-on-one engagement with landowners. The nation’s sixth-largest land trust by acreage, NEFF strives to ensure that future generations can enjoy a beautiful and thriving New England through land conservation, Exemplary Forestry practices, and innovative natural climate solutions.

The incoming ED will join NEFF at a pivotal moment as the organization was recently awarded a $30 million, five-year award from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program, a ground-breaking initiative to incentivize climate-smart forestry at scale and build markets for low-carbon climate-smart forest products. This landmark program has enabled NEFF to take its emerging forest-climate solutions work to scale, and work directly with small private, large commercial, and Tribal landowners to implement forest management practices that significantly increase carbon sequestration, quantify the resulting carbon gains, and build markets for climate-smart forest products to pivot to a bioeconomy. The ED will build upon the momentum of this program and will actively participate in new, ever evolving fundraising efforts, further solidifying the organization’s position as an innovative leader in advancing nationally significant nature-based climate solutions.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED will be responsible for creating a strategic roadmap to advance NEFF’s critical leadership on Exemplary Forestry management, land conservation, and climate change solutions initiatives. Serving as the public face of the organization, the ED will advance NEFF’s advocacy efforts, sharing the organization’s successes and outcomes, and captivating a broad network of local and national stakeholders. NEFF has recruited exceptional staff, and the ED will be responsible for scaffolding efforts to develop and nurture employees while building an increasingly inclusive culture.

To better support the full scope of its work across New England, NEFF has recently restructured as a geographically distributed, predominantly remote team. The Executive Director must live in NEFF’s New England service area, with regular travel to NEFF’s Prouty Woods headquarters in Littleton, Massachusetts, and Greater Boston, with additional site visits throughout New England.

COMPENSATION

Compensation for this position will be competitive and negotiated in good faith, with the salary range estimated beginning at $200,000, commensurate with experience. New England Forestry Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees including health/dental/vision insurances, paid time off, parental leave, retirement plan with employer match and vesting, and a congenial and flexible working environment.

APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications (including resumes and one- to three-page letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/new-england-forestry-foundation/executive-director.

Kennedy Kearney-Fischer, Managing Associate

Afi Tettey-Fio, Senior Associate

Rachel Banderob, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller

New England Forestry Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. NEFF commits to respecting and learning from different perspectives, reflecting the diverse citizens and communities of New England. In hiring, mentoring, and managing staff, the organization seeks to maintain a diverse, supportive, friendly, and discrimination-free workplace.