ACRES Land Trust Announces Leadership Transition After 20 Years

Jason Kissel, executive director of ACRES Land Trust since 2006, will step down on July 31 after 20 years of service, the organization announced. ACRES Land Trust is a member-supported nonprofit that owns and protects natural and working lands across 27 counties in northeast Indiana, southern Michigan, and northwest Ohio.

Kissel has accepted a new role as executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center at Goshen College, a position that combines his career in land conservation with his work as an ordained minister.

“I’ve always said the only thing that could ever pull me away from ACRES would be an opportunity that brought both of my callings together,” Kissel said. “I’ve found that opportunity. Stepping away was an incredibly tough choice, but I know it’s the right next step for me, and for ACRES.”

Over the course of Kissel’s 20 years as executive director, ACRES has grown from a small circle of conservation advocates into a broad community organization supported by more than 2,200 members. The total acreage protected by ACRES has more than doubled to over 8,700 acres. The organization has also strengthened its long-term financial foundation through endowment growth and other commitments designed to honor ACRES’ promise to protect these lands forever.

The ACRES Board of Directors has begun the search for the organization’s next executive director. The work of protecting land continues uninterrupted under the leadership of the board and the experienced ACRES staff team.