Charleston, SC - May 12, 2010: The Lowcountry Open Land Trust (LOLT), a 25 year old land conservation organization based in Charleston, is pleased to announce that Elizabeth McMillan Hagood has been selected to serve as Interim Executive Director while a Search Committee conducts a national search for a full time Executive Director.

The LOLT has as its mission the protection and voluntary conservation of the irreplaceable Lowcountry forests, farmland, open spaces, wetlands and wildlife habitat, thus helping to conserve our community's unique sense of place and quality of life. The LOLT protects over 81,000 acres of land through 227 donated easements, 14 properties owned in fee simple and 6 restricted deeds. It is the third largest private holder of conservation easements in South Carolina, behind The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited.

Mrs. Hagood has a MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and graduated from the Honors College at Davidson College. She was the first Executive Director of LOLT, serving from 1989-1994 and has been active in other community organizations, to include service as the Director of Land Protection for the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, and on the boards of the Historic Charleston Foundation, Woodberry Forest School, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, the Gaylord and the Dorothy Donnelley Board of Advisors, the Mayor's Green City Committee, the Charlestown Neighborhood Association and First Scots Presbyterian Kindergarten.

From 2002-2006, Hagood was the Chairman of the SC Department of Health & Environmental Control, with the Governor awarding her the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award in 2008. Mayor Riley awarded her the City of Charleston Stewardship Award in 2010.

Margaret Blackmer, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the LOLT stated: "We are very enthusiastic that Elizabeth Hagood has agreed to serve as acting Executive Director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. She has a distinguished career, including outstanding service in the conservation arena, and she will provide a dynamic bridge to our next permanent Executive Director."

As a nationally recognized leader in land protection and stewardship, LOLT is one of those organizations that often goes unnoticed but which provides a tremendous boost for our area in quality of life, low-carbon land use, wildlife protection, family farm protection, natural resource conservation and scenic view shed preservation.

LOLT will rely on Mrs. Hagood's management skills, knowledge of the conservation community, appreciation of the rules and regulations for enforcing conservation easements and fundraising abilities to insure that the assets it protects will be safeguarded in perpetuity.