The Land Trust Alliance has announced the formation of its new commission to oversee land trust accreditation. The "Land Trust Accreditation Commission: An Independent Program of the Land Trust Alliance" will consist of 13 members.
This is the next step in the LTA's promise to Congress to set accreditation standards across the country to cut down on conservation easement tax abuses.
Those named are:
CHAIR
Larry Kueter (CO)
Counsel, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
Attorney, Isaacson Rosenbaum PC
Board Member, Land Trust Alliance
VICE CHAIR
David MacDonald (ME)
Director of Land Protection
Maine Coast Heritage Trust
SECRETARY
Ann Taylor Schwing (CA)
Attorney, McDonough Holland & Allen PC
Board Member
Land Trust of Napa County
TREASURER
Katherine Imhoff (VA)
Chairwoman, Virginia Outdoors Foundation
Vice President for Planning and Facilities, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
COMMISSIONERS
Elizabeth Crane (GA)
Program Manager
Forest Legacy, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
David Hartwell (MN)President, Bellcomb Technologies Inc.
Board Member, Land Trust Alliance
Lucinda Hunt-Stowell (CT)
Board Member, Southbury Land Trust
Chairwoman, Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust
Jennifer Lorenz (TX)
Executive Director, Legacy Land Trust
Marc Smiley (OR)
Marc Smiley Organizational Development
Board Member, Columbia Land Trust
Peter Stein (NH)
Partner, Lyme Timber and LTC Conservation Advisory Services
Henry Tepper (NY)
New York State Director
The Nature Conservancy
Wesley Ward (MA)
Director of Land Conservation
The Trustees of Reservations
Michael Whitfield (ID)
Executive Director
Teton Regional Land Trust