Tracy Zschau, vice president for land protection at the Vermont Land Trust, will take on the additional duties of interim president of the organization, its board of trustees announced.
Zschau, a 25-year employee of the trust, will serve as interim president until new leadership has been established. She succeeds Nick Richardson, who served as the organization's president and CEO from 2017 to 2023.
“Tracy has a long-standing commitment to and deep expertise in land conservation,” said board chair Cherie Morse. “She, along with the rest of the leadership team, is well trusted by our partners, landowners, staff and trustees. We are grateful for this steady leadership at a time when so much opportunity and need is on the horizon.”
Zschau holds undergraduate degrees from Sterling College and Colby College and a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Maine, Orono. She serves on the St Johnsbury Selectboard and on the board of Passumpsic Savings Bank.
“I have served VLT alongside many colleagues and friends for much of my career,” said Zschau. “To serve in a new way, at this time, feels deeply meaningful. The work of the organization expands every day as Vermont grapples with a changing climate, new development pressures and a history of exclusion and injustice on the land. We’re learning and evolving to meet this moment, alongside partners old and new.”