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Coalition for Buzzards Bay Executive Director to Attend Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
July 27, 2005 CONTACT: John K. Bullard, President, Board of Directors at 508-548-8404 Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director at 508-981-9342 NEW BEDFORD, MA—Coalition for Buzzards Bay Executive Director Mark Rasmussen has been accepted to the Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Rasmussen will be on a temporary sabbatical from his daily work at The Coalition for Buzzards Bay and will return to his position as Executive Director upon completion of the Masters Degree. Rasmussen has been Executive Director of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay since 1998. In his time as Director, the Coalition has grown to become the largest environmental organization in southeastern Massachusetts with 4,200 members and a full-time staff of 10 and has established itself as a leader on issues ranging from watershed land conservation to oil spill prevention. Prior to joining the Coalition as Executive Director, Mark was Regional Planner at the Buzzards Bay Project National Estuary Program where his work focused on land use planning and conservation. He is the Founder and Past President of the Fairhaven-Acushnet Land Preservation Trust and until recently was an elected member of the Fairhaven Planning Board. Mark graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies and has also worked as a Guest Student at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Harvard Mid-Career MPA program is focused on “creating nonprofit and public sector leaders that are skilled analysts, highly-competent managers, and effective advocates”. The one-year program is for professionals with 7+ years of work experience in a management role. Rasmussen intends to pursue ‘Environment and Natural Resources’ as his Policy Area of Concentration while at the Kennedy School. Coalition for Buzzards Bay Board President John K. Bullard commented, “The Board is very excited that Mark will be doing this program. He has already proven himself to be a dynamic and effective leader and has put the Coalition in a position where we will continue to be a driving force for the protection of Buzzards Bay in his absence. Having done a number of programs at the Kennedy School, I know that Mark is in for an experience that will provide him intellectual stimulation, added technical skills and a network of similarly committed and talented colleagues that he will draw on for years to come. This excellent and challenging opportunity is a feather in Mark’s cap and that of the Coalition.” Rasmussen commented, “In my time at The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, my belief in our place-based, community-level approach to solving environmental problems has only grown stronger. We are not about serving abstract environmental values, we are about engaging people directly in protecting the river where they fish and the beach where they swim. I am excited about combining my practical experience on Buzzards Bay with the analytical, management and advocacy training that defines Harvard’s Mid-Career program. I also want to recognize and thank the Coalition for Buzzards Bay’s Board and staff for their support. The work of saving Buzzards Bay is in very capable hands.” During the next year, the Coalition’s Development Director John Vasconcellos and Marine Policy Specialist Ben Bryant will be responsible for day-to-day management of the organization and its programs aimed at protecting and restoring the Bay and its watershed. Also joining the Mid-Career MPA program at Harvard this coming year is Mattapoisett resident and Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) Executive Director Robbin Peach. The Massachusetts Environmental Trust is a grantmaking organization that protects and restores water resources and their related ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth. Since its inception, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust has awarded approximately $13 million in grants and settlement funds to more than 300 organizations. Ms. Peach will also be on a temporary leave of absence and will return to her role as MET Executive Director following completion of the MPA program.
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