Two senior positions endowed at The Trust for Public Land, one by Martha Wyckoff

The Trust for Public Land today announced it has created two new endowed positions among its senior staff.

One position, endowed by long-time board member Martha Wyckoff, is for the Chief Philanthropy Officer, a position held by Margie Kim (UCLA, B.A. 1982; M.S.W. 1985). The other, a Trust for Public Land Conservation Fellow, is held by Breece Robertson, Director of the organization’s Geographic Information System(GIS) operation.

Ms. Wyckoff said she created the Wyckoff Fellowship for the head of the philanthropy department because she realizes the importance of fund-raising.

“When I first joined the national Board of Directors in 1991, it became clear to me that private philanthropy would be important to achieving our mission of creating parks and protecting land for people. And over the years, that has been borne out so many times, as donors helped us at critical moments to do our work across the country.”

“Today, there are major questions about the future of public funding, particularly at the federal level, and that makes the need for private support more important than ever,” Ms. Wyckoff said. “More than ever, I believe in our mission of making sure everyone has a nearby park and endowing the Chief Philanthropy Officer as the Wyckoff Fellow is a way to recognize the need for private support, both now and in the years to come.”

Tom Reeve, Chairman of the Board of The Trust for Public Land, said endowing Ms. Robertson’s position was a similar statement.

“Breece has built our GIS team into a recognized national leader in using 21st century computer mapping tools to help protect land and create parks. Our GIS systems are used by park departments, planners, and conservation advocates across the country.”

Creation of an endowment for the position “recognizes that in the future, GIS will be absolutely critical to protecting land and making sure people in the United States have a park nearby, whether they live in a city, or a rural area,” Reeve said. “The work of Breece and our GIS team will literally be the road map for that future.”

Reeve added, “Together, these two new endowed positions show how conservation is changing… Private philanthropy is critical to protecting land and building parks, and GIS mapping tools are just as important. The way we do our work is changing, even as the mission of protecting land for people remains as important as when we were founded in 1972.”

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.