The Coastal Land Trust has selected Kenneth Lingerfelt as its new director of land protection.
Lingerfelt, who has been the Coastal Land Trust’s GIS specialist and land stewardship associate, joined the organization in January 2022.
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“Kenneth is thoughtful and creative, organized, and efficient, and a pleasure to work with daily. I am thrilled we were fortunate enough to have Kenneth already a part of our staff,” Executive Director Harrison Marks said in the announcement.
Lingerfelt has worked closely with the organization’s longtime Director of Land Protection Janice Allen, helping prepare land protection plans and grant proposals, the group said. Allen now assumes the senior advisor for land protection role and will continue with the Coastal Land Trust at least through the end of this year.
“This extended transitory period provides time for Allen to share more of the knowledge and wisdom gained over her 26-year career at the Coastal Land Trust, providing assurance the organization’s on-going land protection work will continue unabated,” according to the announcement.
The organization described Lingerfelt’s youth experiences, when he would explore North Carolina’s “wild spaces,” as having informed his career dedicated to conservation.
“Lingerfelt’s knowledge of landscape scale issues of the NC coastal plain, his understanding of the opportunities and threats to land conservation in the region, and his known qualities of teamwork, integrity, leadership, and diligence made him the top choice to fill this critical position,” Coastal Land Trust officials said.
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Prior to joining the Coastal Land Trust, Lingerfelt worked with organizations including Trout Unlimited, the National Park Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. During his time with the commission, he was recognized as Technician of the Year in 2018 for his work leading a field research team assessing the health of major cold-water drainages in western North Carolina.
Lingerfelt grew up in Asheville, attended the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he competed for the university’s D1 soccer program and received his Bachelor of Science in ecology and field biology in 2014.
Allen had recommended Lingerfelt for the new role.
“Kenneth has impressed everyone on staff with his knowledge, drive, and passion for land conservation. I have full confidence in Kenneth’s ability to excel as the new Director of Land Protection and look forward to working with him during this transition,” she said.
Lingerfelt’s current manager, Jesica Blake also endorsed the selection saying, “Everything Kenneth has done over the past two years has been done extraordinarily well. He has the intelligence, drive, and interpersonal skills to take on this leadership role.”
