The Wyndham Land Trust entered a new era in May as it welcomes its first Executive Director.

Lisa Hayden, a Putnam native, comes to the full-time role after 11 years working for the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), where she led outreach and education initiatives for family forest owners in Southern New England to support conserving and stewarding woodlands.

“I’m thrilled to join the Wyndham Land Trust team to serve this region where I grew up, and that I love so much,” said Hayden, who currently lives in Sturbridge. “Twelve years ago, my family worked with former President Dick Booth to protect 30 acres of our forest in Putnam, part of a farm and homestead in the Hayden family for five generations. My roots are in the Quiet Corner.”

Hayden’s recent responsibilities included managing grants and programs for a 21-town partnership in northwest Massachusetts, and she previously held communications and philanthropy roles at The Nature Conservancy. With a master’s degree in Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University, Hayden has served on the Board of The Last Green Valley, and earlier in her career covered local towns as a newspaper reporter for the Norwich Bulletin.

“We’re excited to hire our first executive director,” said President Mike St. Lawrence. “Lisa understands conservation and the importance of land preservation, but she also understands the character of the Quiet Corner region and the need to inspire people to join in our mission to protect this special place.

“We’ve been a volunteer-run organization for the last 50 years, but our rapid growth over the past decade prompted the Board to seek professional leadership to help manage the Land Trust and raise its profile in the community.”

“I look forward to working with the Board and learning from longtime volunteers, such as Andy Rzeznikiewicz, who have been instrumental in the Land Trust’s conservation successes,” said Hayden. “I’m so impressed by the achievements of WLT over the last 50 years, and their work protecting large blocks of connected lands for wildlife. I’m here to help carry on that momentum into the next 50.”