Nomination Statement for Western At-Large Region Candidate
Jill Boullion

I am honored to be nominated for the Western At-Large position on the Terrafirma Members Committee. I love being part of the national land trust community and see this as an opportunity to make a different kind of impact than my day-to-day land conservation work. I have especially enjoyed being an active Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Ambassador and working to advance important legislation that protects and funds conservation. Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC), where I have served as Executive Director since 2016, has been a Terrafirma member since 2013. We are in a fast-growing area where urban and suburban development is quickly overcoming the rural landscape. The 64 preserves, on 14,000+ acres, that we protect are increasingly at risk for violations and encroachments of different kinds. I have experience navigating and negotiating a wide variety of conservation values threats. When the opportunity came around for me to get more involved with this vital part of the land conservation business, I was delighted to be considered.

My background and perspective will be different than most who have served on the Members Committee. Before leading BLC, I was Executive Director of the Greens Bayou Coalition in Harris County, TX and worked on quality-of-life issues such as flood mitigation, parks and trails development, and engagement of a historically underserved community. I will bring my training and certification as a Professional Community & Economic Developer to my role on the members committee. I continually seek out opportunities to be collaborative and find win-win solutions that elevate the community. An important focus in my seven years leading BLC has been developing systems, processes, and policies that will create a sustainable foundation for the organization, so it is not dependent on any single employee or board member to be successful.  I believe membership in Terrafirma is a vital part of this continuity for all land trusts and plan to advocate for other land trusts to become Terrafirma members. I am looking forward to actively engaging in Terrafirma, and using my skills and knowledge to strengthen the land conservation community for the important work that we do.