Williams departs Open Land Trust after nine years
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The Open Land Trust is searching for its next executive director following the departure of Kristin Williams, who left the Beaufort-based conservation organization after nearly nine years to become president of the Nemours Wildlife Foundation.
Williams’ final day with the Open Land Trust was July 31. The organization’s Board of Directors has formed a search committee and is accepting applications for her replacement as the land trust continues conservation projects across the southern Lowcountry.
“There are some emails that are easy to write, and then there are ones like this,” Williams wrote in a message announcing her departure to Open Land Trust supporters.
Williams said the opportunity to lead Nemours Wildlife Foundation represented the right next step for her, but described leaving the Open Land Trust as difficult after nearly a decade with the organization.
“The Open Land Trust is so much more than an organization to me. It is family,” Williams wrote.
Williams joined the Open Land Trust as director of stewardship after moving to Beaufort from the Bahamas, where she had spent 10 years as executive director of Friends of the Environment. She later took over leadership of the Beaufort organization, serving as executive director since 2018.
During Williams’ tenure, the Open Land Trust expanded its conservation footprint significantly. According to Williams, the organization protected more than 15,000 additional acres, expanded its work across seven counties, added staff and programs and strengthened partnerships throughout the region.
Today, the Open Land Trust says it has permanently protected more than 38,000 acres across seven Lowcountry counties.
Founded in 1971, the organization is South Carolina’s first and oldest land trust. Its conservation work includes farms, forests, marshes, wildlife habitat, historic landscapes and properties tied to the cultural heritage and rural character of Lowcountry communities.
Williams’ departure comes as the organization continues several significant projects, including work on St. Helena Island.
This spring, the Open Land Trust helped secure just less than 10 acres at the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Polowana Road in the Corners Community, an area identified for community-serving commercial development.
The property, described by the organization as the last large undeveloped tract within the Corners Community, had been poised for sale to a national retailer before St. Helena residents, nonprofits and community organizations began working toward an alternative.
The Open Land Trust is temporarily holding the property while a community-led feasibility study and public engagement process examines its future. No permanent decision has been made about the property.
Williams said other projects involving wildlife habitat, local family farms, public access to nature and new community initiatives also remain underway despite the leadership change.
“As we begin the search for our next Executive Director, our work will not stop,” Open Land Trust Board President Charley Webb wrote in an August message to supporters. “Protecting and conserving Lowcountry land forever remains our highest priority.”
Webb thanked Williams on behalf of the organization’s board and staff for her leadership and said the organization was excited for her move to Nemours.
“It has been our privilege and pleasure to share in her amazing energy, leadership, and commitment,” Webb wrote.
The Open Land Trust is seeking what it describes as an experienced, community-minded leader to oversee the organization’s conservation work and operations.
The executive director serves as the organization’s chief executive and is responsible for strategic leadership, financial oversight, fundraising, community programs, advocacy and the organization’s public presence.
The position also requires working with landowners, donors, elected officials, government agencies and conservation partners throughout the land trust’s seven-county service area.
The organization is specifically seeking candidates with senior nonprofit leadership experience and demonstrated fundraising and financial management skills. Familiarity with conservation easements, land trust operations or real estate transactions is strongly preferred.
The full-time position is based in Beaufort and requires regular work in the office as well as travel throughout the seven-county service area. The advertised salary range is $95,000 to $130,000 annually, depending on experience.
Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until it is filled.
Although Williams has left the organization, she said her new position will allow her to remain involved in conservation efforts in the Lowcountry and continue working with the Open Land Trust and other regional partners.
“Although I’m leaving this role, I’m not leaving this work,” Williams wrote.
She said the shared goals of Nemours Wildlife Foundation and the Open Land Trust could also create additional opportunities for collaboration.
Williams said she leaves the organization confident in both its staff and its future.
“That community is the reason this land trust is stronger than ever,” she wrote, “and it’s the reason I know its best days are still ahead.”
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.