Our Team
Our Team
Our Team
Staff
Kate Sayles, Executive Director
Kate joined the Council in 2021 as the new Executive Director. In this role, she will continue the Council’s legacy of advocacy work for land conservation and land trusts at the statehouse, and look for new and unique ways to assist land trusts with capacity building and programming that highlight conservation successes across the state.
For the last decade, Kate worked for the Northern RI Conservation District (NRICD) as Agriculture and Forestry Program Manager. In this position, she helped private landowners and small nonprofits solve conservation issues by utilizing funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), writing grants, creating partnerships and focusing on regional collaborations. Over the years, Kate wore many hats including farm manager at Snake Den Farm, facilitator of the Forestry for RI Birds Program (through the RI Resource Conservation & Development Council), and compost trainer/enthusiast. She also assisted in easement programs and land conservation deals through NRCS and Forest Legacy. Kate is the co-coordinator of the RI Woodland Partnership and in 2019 she co-authored The Value of RI Forests report.
Kate grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from the University of RI with a B.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology in 2008.
Virginia Streeter, Program Coordinator
Victoria Antonucci, Development Associate
Board
The RI Land Trust Council is governed by a board with members elected to represent the geographic and organizational diversity of land trusts around the state.
The RI Land Trust Council is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE).
Name | Organization Affiliation* |
| Alex Chuman | Aquidneck Land Trust |
| Tyler Maikath | At large member |
| Bob Marshall | Prudence Conservancy (former board chair) |
| Joe Marion | Little Compton Agriculture Conservancy Trust (former trustee) |
| Barbara Rich | Smithfield Land Trust (Municipal) |
| Tom Rogers | Narragansett Land Conservation Trust (former chair) |
| Kristen Swanberg | Smithfield Land Trust (former trustee) |
| Carol Lynn Trocki | At large member |
| Shawen Williams | At large member |
| Jeremy Wintersteen | At large member |
*Note: Organization affiliation is listed to illustrate the Board Members’ connections to land conservation. Board Members do not represent these organizations on the Council.
Officers
President: Tom Rogers
Vice-President: Bob Marshall
Treasurer: Barbara Rich
Executive Director: Kate Sayles (non-voting board member)