First woman president transformed the environmental mission
The Patriot Ledger
BOSTON Environmental conservationists, outdoor enthusiasts and families across the state were saddened to learn Thursday of the untimely passing of Barbara J. Erickson, the vibrant and accomplished president and CEO of The Trustees of Reservations.
Surrounded by her family, Erickson, 42, died from a rare cancer of the appendix at home on Friday, Jan. 15 after four years of treatment. She lived in Newton and Chatham.
Erickson, outgoing and creative, transformed the mission of the nonprofit land conservation and historic preservation organization after she became it s first woman president in 2012. Ambition, tenacity, and audacious thinking defined Barbara’s presidency, Peter Coffin, chair of the Trustees board of directors said in a message to members.
Barbara J. Erickson, âcatalyst for the conservation movement,â dies at 42
By Bryan Marquard Globe Staff,Updated January 23, 2021, 4:55 p.m.
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Barbara Erickson, at a pond at Francis William Bird Park in Walpole.Handout
While leading one of the stateâs most important environmental organizations, Barbara J. Erickson looked back with reverence and ahead with anticipation.
âWe are always passing the baton to the next generation,â she said at the Trustees of Reservations annual meeting in 2019.
Ms. Erickson, who was 42 when she died of cancer on Jan. 15, played a key role statewide among those who preserve the open space jewels of the past and unearth new gems for the future.
Barbara Erickson, CEO of The Trustees of Reservations, dies at 42
Updated Jan 23, 2021;
This article first appeared on the Boston Business Journal’s
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Barbara Erickson, president and CEO of Boston-based land trust The Trustees of Reservations, has died at age 42 after a four-year battle of a rare form of appendix cancer.
Erickson was the fourth leader, and the first woman, to helm the historic land conservation nonprofit, which landscape architect Charles Eliot founded in 1891. Since becoming CEO in 2012, Erickson oversaw a $10 million growth of the organization’s budget, a doubling of visitors to 2 million and nine new locations to The Trustees’ portfolio of 120 properties, including deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Naumkeag in Stockbridge and Crane Estate in Ipswich.