There’s very little that our executive director Richard Tucker likes more than seeing members of the Land Trust team develop and grow in (and sometimes even outgrow) their roles.
“We do our best to hire outstanding candidates and then help them shine,” said Richard. “Paula McNees, Blaise Sullivan, and Rebekah Korenowsky have done just that in the past few years and I’m excited to be able to reward their hard work and expand their roles with promotions entering 2021.”
Paula McNees with her grandson.
Paula McNees joined the Land Trust team as our Finance and Administrative Assistant in the fall of 2019. With more than 20 years of accounting experience, she was more than qualified for this initial role — something she’s proven in myriad ways.
Since joining us, Paula has overseen two successful no-findings audits with our outside auditor and also managed our recent re-accreditation process with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
“Because of the intricate real estate transactions we undertake to protect land, the multiple grant budgets managed in funding our projects and initiatives, and the accounting necessary for a wide variety of donations, financial management at a Land Trust can be very complex,” said Richard. “Paula’s experience, professionalism, and diligence are invaluable and I’m pleased that she’s beginning 2021 as the Land Trust’s Finance Manager.”
Blaise Sullivan models a flower crown she made to help us promote our 2020 TogetherFest virtual gala event.
Hired as our first-ever Conservation Assistant in spring of 2019, Blaise Sullivan stepped into a brand new role — one in which she’s worn multiple hats beautifully.
In the job, Blaise has been splitting her time assisting Sarah Spaeth with land protection projects and helping Erik Kingfisher and Carrie Clendaniel care for the land.
“For more than a year and a half, Blaise has been taking on increasing levels of responsibility on land protection projects and stewardship work across the organization,” said Richard. “I’m pleased that we’re able to recognize her hard work by promoting her to Conservation and Stewardship Coordinator. It’s especially great to see Blaise thrive because she contributed as a volunteer prior to being hired as a staff member at the Land Trust.”
Rebekah in 2019 greeting guests to ForeverFest. Photo by Robert Tognoli.
Rebekah Korenowksy joined the Land Trust in spring 2018 as our half-time Administrative Assistant. As she continued to shine in this role, her hours and responsibilities increased and Rebekah has served as our Engagement Coordinator for the past two years.
In 2020, when COVID-19 forced us to cancel our planned field experiences, Rebekah’s role expanded once again. Knowing we wanted to offer our community a virtual nature-based learning opportunity while people were following the Governor’s stay at home orders, Rebekah teamed up with educator Heather Harding, to envision, produce, and host our Nature in Your Neighborhood learning series.
“The popularity of Nature in Your Neighborhood and the new Discovering the Forest series, our Tidelands to Timberline natural history course, and our robust K-12 education program made it clear that our community has a passion for learning about the natural world,” said Richard. “That’s why I’m pleased that as of January 1, Rebekah became the Land Trust’s full-time Education and Engagement Manager.”
In this newly created role, Rebekah will continue designing and managing public education and engagement programs. And she’ll also ensure that our donors, volunteers, and community partners are connected to the Land Trust in meaningful ways, supported, and appreciated.
Please join us in congratulating Paula, Blaise, and Rebekah and thanking them for their extraordinary contributions.
If you’d like to join our team or know someone who might, job openings are posted on our website at www.saveland.org/jobs.
