ALT Executive Director Chuck Allott. Photo courtesy of ALT.

On Thursday, the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) named local attorney Chuck Allott as their new executive director, according to a message from ALT board chair Linda Ujifusa sent to local media. Here's how the Chair described their new ED:

Chuck is an attorney who has a long history of public service and working to conserve Aquidneck Island. He was one of the founders of ALT and since 1990, has been active on virtually all of ALT's committees, as well as the Board of Trustees. Chuck has specialized in real estate and municipal law in private practice, and has been an assistant town solicitor, a town councilperson, and a law school adjunct professor. Chuck stepped in as interim Executive Director on December 14, 2012, and has been working closely with our talented and experienced staff to make sure all ALT's important work proceeds uninterrupted. The Board's unanimous vote in favor of Chuck speaks volumes about our confidence that we have selected an outstanding Executive Director.

In order to ensure an effective, fair and transparent national search and hiring process, the Board consulted with stakeholders, professional strategic planning and executive search experts, as well as former ALT Executive Director, Ted Clement. This process allowed ALT to choose from among a number of extremely well-qualified candidates from across the country. A hiring subcommittee consisting of individuals with a broad range of expertise (e.g., academic/scientific, financial, communications, legal, business) then undertook in-depth credential reviews and personal interviews. A final luncheon where top candidates gave a prepared speech and answered questions before a room full of ALT supporters completed our interview process. While all the finalists were very impressive, Chuck was selected because of a broad consensus that he could best lead ALT to conserve the next 2,000 acres and steward our conserved properties, as well as maintain and build positive partnerships with ALT stakeholders. In sum, the Board selected Chuck because he would make sure that ALT continues to pursue successfully its mission of, "Preserving Aquidneck Island's open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community."

Editorial note: Written from a press release.