The board of directors of Boxerwood Education Association has appointed Ben Eland as the nonprofit organization’s incoming executive director.
A Rockbridge resident, Eland will officially begin his new role on Nov.r 3. Eland succeeds Laurie Macrae, Boxerwood’s development coordinator who stepped in as interim director for the past several months.
“We had a number of strong applications,” noted BEA Board President Craig Vinecombe, “yet Ben distinguished himself both in his exceptional knowledge of Boxerwood and in his servant-leadership approach to this position.”
No stranger to Boxerwood, Eland previously worked for 12 years as its garden and facilities director. He returns to Boxerwood after serving as chaplain for another community non-profit, ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice.
Reflecting on the new opportunity, Eland said, “After a year and a half away from Boxerwood, it’s wonderful to return to a place that has always felt like home. I moved to Rockbridge County in 2009; I arrived on a Saturday and started volunteering at Boxerwood the following Wednesday, my connection to Boxerwood inseparable from my connection to Rockbridge County.”
He added, “It’s a connection that has shaped my relationship to the land and to my community, and my aspiration to be a steward of the Earth.”
A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and a former small business owner, Eland has a background in sustainable agriculture as well as experience in nonprofit management, community-building, and group facilitation.
Noting Boxerwood’s focus on environmental stewardship, he remarked, “Boxerwood’s mission has always been a North Star for me.”
Eland lives and farms in southern Rockbridge County with his wife Leah Green, an award-winning poet at Washington and Lee University, and their two daughters.
Eland’s appointment comes at an inflection point for the nonprofit, which this year celebrates its 25th year as an environmental education enterprise and woodland garden.
“On behalf of the board of directors, we are thrilled that Ben Eland has rejoined Boxerwood in his new role of executive director. His extensive experience with Boxerwood and his exceptional people skills make him the perfect choice for this time and place,” said Craig Vinecombe. “Welcome home, Ben.”
