Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, Chief Operating Officer, Mount Desert Island, Maine
About Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve
Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve has a history shaped over more than a century by insightful and public-spirited people who cherished the landscape design and natural beauty of Mount Desert Island. The nonprofit Land & Garden Preserve offers serenity across 1,400 acres of astonishingly beautiful natural lands, trails, carriage roads, and three breathtaking historic pleasure gardens adjacent to Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine, between Seal Harbor and Northeast Harbor. Visitors enjoy our lands by walking a vast network of trails and carriage roads. We steward three top-tier public gardens of wildly different character: The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, Thuya Garden, and the Asticou Azalea Garden. Each is a horticultural work of art that reinforces a strong sense of place and contributes to the special wonder of coastal Maine. Our people are among our greatest assets. We proudly employ a dedicated team of talented gardeners and craftspeople with a passion for our mission to conserve and share the beauty of our historic lands and gardens.
The Preserve exists for those who want to connect with nature, to be inspired and restored, and to contribute to the conservation and sustainability of some of the most beautiful, historic public lands and gardens in New England. Through stewardship, openness, and tremendous care, the Preserve nurtures the essential interconnections between humanity and nature.
The Preserve was born from a deep love for the land and a desire to share it with others. We welcome members and visitors of all ages who seek to experience breathtaking natural beauty and who share a strong commitment to the environment, just like the people who work here. The Preserve and its people are rooted in a deep culture of respect – for humankind and its connection to nature, for stewardship and environmental integrity, for history and legacy, and for the artful power of fine horticulture.
The Preserve represents several dualities: its historic gardens are a step back in time, yet it maintains a keen focus on botanical innovation, horticultural excellence, ecological health, and best practices in environmental sustainability. We balance faithful historic preservation with forward-thinking approaches, and careful stewardship with public openness. The Preserve offers an invitation to wonder, think, learn, and discover. There is magic here. There is history, and there is joy, all ready to be experienced and interpreted anew with each visit.
For more information about the Preserve, please visit: www.gardenpreserve.org
The Opportunity
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a new critical leadership role responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective operations of the organization. Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will be a key strategic partner, overseeing daily operations, cross-departmental collaboration, and long-term planning and project delivery to support the organization’s mission.
This role offers an opportunity to drive operational excellence, enhance organizational efficiency, and implement strategic initiatives that will have a lasting impact. The COO will oversee capital project planning and execution, human resources, IT, and risk management, ensuring smooth internal operations while supporting a high-quality experience for staff and visitors.
As the organization continues to grow and evolve, the COO will play a vital role in developing sustainable staffing models, overseeing infrastructure projects, and ensuring alignment with strategic plans. This is an exciting opportunity for a mission-driven leader who thrives in a dynamic, multifaceted environment and is passionate about operational effectiveness, organizational growth, and impact.
Contact
Liz Lombard and Angie Sessoms of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials via the Talent Profile or to Angie directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
About DSG | Koya
DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world.
DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm’s website.