Leadership Transition
We’d like to share this article re: the leadership transition at The Landmark Trust USA that appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer on July 15, 2018.
Leadership transition at Landmark Trust
Posted Sunday, July 15, 2018 7:18 pm
DUMMERSTON — The Landmark Trust USA, a nonprofit educational organization responsible for the restoration of Rudyard Kipling’s Naulakha and other historic properties, has launched a national search for an executive director to guide and manage the next phase of growth.
Tristam B. Johnson Jr. of Newfane has served Landmark as interim executive director since 2013. With guidance from the Board of Directors, Johnson streamlined the organizational structure, improved financial accountability, and implemented a business-minded approach for long-term success of the organization’s historic vacation properties and the affiliated Scott Farm in Dummerston.
“Tristam’s achievements with The Landmark Trust USA have helped position the organization for growth,” said current board president Gregory Farmer. “He has helped to advance the organization’s educational mission by reconnecting with the community and sponsoring programs such as the Rudyard Kipling Young Writer’s Award.”
Johnson also served as the president of Scott Farm, the 571-acre farm and heirloom orchard in Dummerston. “I am proud of what the farm has accomplished during my tenure,” Johnson stated. “We’ve focused on a more organized approach to maintenance and planning, including an expanded Farm Market, improved housing for temporary workers, and better relationships with our neighbors.”
With the accomplishment of these goals, The Landmark Trust USA is in a stronger position to promote and maintain its five historic vacation properties. The Scott Farm has also expanded to offer a greater variety of heirloom apples and farm products.
The Board of Directors is working with TSNE MissionWorks of Boston on the search for the next executive director.
The Landmark Trust USA began in 1991 as the U.S. branch of The Landmark Trust UK, an organization that owns and maintains 200 historic buildings in England and Europe. The UK organization expanded into the U.S. specifically to acquire and restore Naulakha, Rudyard Kipling’s home in Dummerston. It was here that Kipling wrote some of his most celebrated literature, including “The Jungle Books,” several of the “Just So” stories, and “Captains Courageous.”
The Landmark Trust UK, founded 50 years ago, developed the model of management in which historic buildings are restored and then rented out as short-stay vacation rentals to support the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of those buildings. The Landmark Trust USA is now an independent entity with headquarters at Scott Farm in Dummerston.