Nevette Previd, a familiar Vineyard Haven consultant who has created and produced numerous Island events including harvest and oyster festivals, has been named executive director of the Vineyard Trust.
The Trust announced the appointment in a press release Monday afternoon.
Ms. Previd will take over for acting executive director Sally Rorer, a board member for the Trust who assumed the role temporarily in June following the abrupt resignation of former executive director Funi Burdick.
An executive search had been under way, with a stated preference for an Island candidate.
Ms. Burdick was at the helm when altered documents were discovered in connection with applications for Community Preservation Act funds in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. A police investigation into the matter was later dropped. The state Attorney General charities division had previously flagged the Trust for noncompliance with certain required filings, a matter that apparently remains pending.
After a period in which the organization has been criticized for a lack of transparency, the arrival of a new, Island-based executive director marks a turning point for the nonprofit Trust, which is the owner and steward of 20 historic properties around the Island, including the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown, the Flying Horses and Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs, and Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury. The Trust also owns the Vineyard Gazette building.
“I’m honored to lead the Trust into a new chapter,” Ms. Previd said in the announcement. “The organization’s commitment to deepening its connection with the community is exciting. The landmark properties play such an important role in the story of Martha’s Vineyard.”
Strengthening governance, finance, property management, marketing and events are all part of the charge for the new executive director, the announcement said.
“Nevette is a positive and energetic leader,” Trust board chairman John Klein said in the announcement, further citing “her warmth, collegial style, practical approach to problem solving and passion for collaboration,” as valuable assets.
Ms. Previd is an Island business owner and mother who has played an active role in community organizing and events for the past 15 years. Among other things, she is the owner of Farm.Field.Sea, a culinary tourism company. Last month she produced the Martha’s Vineyard Oyster Festival on the campus of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Before moving to the Vineyard she had worked in London and New York, according to the announcement. She recently obtained her certificate in nonprofit leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, a program of Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College. She is co-chairman of Visit Vineyard Haven, a partnership of the Vineyard Haven Business Association and Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District.
She begins work at the Trust on Friday.
Reached by telephone Monday, Ms. Previd, said she was inspired by the determination of the board to make a fresh start.
“What I felt in this very short time . . . is such a commitment from the executive board of the Trust to just put their head and heart and feet into it,” she said. “It’s not just an exercise in PR — they have done so much work and John Klein, as the new board chairman, has completely immersed himself into this new chapter. They looked at me as a candidate because it’s a new chapter. That’s what it is.”
Comments (26)
Comments
Comment policy »