Lillian "Ebonie" Alexander of North Carolina’s Black Family Land Trust receives Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award
“Ebonie is a leader in a space where she had to be a true pioneer and innovator.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Land Trust Alliance, a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America, today presented Ebonie Alexander the distinguished Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award.
The award, presented during Rally 2022: The National Land Conservation Conference, honors those who have enriched the conservation community through their outstanding leadership, innovation and creativity in land conservation. Named for the conservationist who inspired the Alliance’s founding in 1982, the award ranks among the organization’s highest honors.
Ms. Alexander is the executive director of the Black Family Land Trust in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the first person of color to serve on the board of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and currently sits on the board of the Virginia United Land Trusts — a coalition of land trusts in Virginia — as well as American Farmland Trust.
“Ebonie is a leader in a space where she had to be a true pioneer and innovator,” said Andrew Bowman, the Alliance’s president and CEO. “Those qualities have allowed her to be the driving force behind innovative programs and state policy changes in support of landowners who have historically been overlooked. She has moved land conservation beyond its traditional boundaries. And with this award and fellowship, Ebonie will continue to inspire us.”
Alexander will serve as the Kingsbury Browne Fellow for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy for 2022-2023. Kingsbury Browne fellows engage in research, writing and mentoring, and facilitate a project that builds upon and shares their experience with the broader community.
“Ebonie Alexander is a remarkable and passionate leader in the vanguard of efforts to protect open space, working farms, and diverse cultural heritage for generations to come,” said Jim Levitt, director of the International Land Conservation Network at the Lincoln Institute. “We are very excited to get to know her, to work with her, and to share her insights with land trust colleagues from coastal Virginia to the Pacific highlands, and beyond.”
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents approximately 950 member land trusts supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices. More information about the Alliance is available at www.landtrustalliance.org.
About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide.