The Aquidneck Land Trust has appointed Laura Freedman their new Director of Development. Laura joins the ALT after working at the law firm of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, where she served as the Marketing Director since 2006. Prior to that, she spent 14 years at America House Communications in Newport as Vice President of Business Development.
Ms Freedman holds an MBA in International Marketing from the Thunderbird School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona, and a BA in French from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
She is a past president and current board member of Touro Synagogue, on the Board of Governors at Newport Hospital, and on the Community Advisory Board of the United Way of Rhode Island. Laura served two terms on the Board of Trustees at St. George’s School and is a current member of its Religious Life Committee.
The Aquidneck Land Trust was founded in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by a dedicated group of local residents to save the natural character, environmental health, and economic value of Aquidneck Island. On December 8, 1993, ALT secured its first conservation easement via a donation of the development rights to 2.4 acres of the historic estate of John J. Slocum on Bellevue Avenue in Newport.
Later in the 1990s, ALT set what was considered a near impossible goal: 2,000 conserved acres. This was considered very difficult due to the price of real estate, intense development pressures and the limited opportunities available on Aquidneck Island. In August 2000, after 10 years of conservation work, ALT had conserved about 500 acres. Then, in October 2008, ALT reached and surpassed the 2,000 conserved acre mark. Our committed supporters helped make this tangible and long-term accomplishment possible and will help ALT conserve the next 2,000 acres.
Today, ALT is overseen by more than 20 Trustees and guided by over 20 additional Advisory Board members, providing expertise in disciplines such as law, agriculture, finance, real estate, environmental protection, business and land conservation. Furthermore, a full-time staff manages the complex operations of land conservation, stewardship, outreach and fundraising.
