Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Lafayette Degree & Major(s): Bachelor of Arts, English; Minor in French
Graduate Degree: Master of Arts, Environmental Law, Vermont Law School; Master of Arts, Global Communication and Civil Society, American University of Paris
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Title: Vice President of Land Protection
Employer: Allegheny Land Trust
Describe what your employer/organization does: Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) is a 501c3 land conservation nonprofit that has helped local people save local land in the Pittsburgh region since 1993. ALT’s lands contribute to the well-being of surrounding communities by conserving close-to-home green space such as forested parks with trails, scenic locations, farmland, and community gardens which, in turn, enhances property value, protects habitat and scenic beauty, and helps to address air and water quality, mitigate flooding, and provide access to outdoor education and recreation.
Please provide a brief overview of your role: I strategize and oversee our land protection efforts including fee-title purchase of property and helping private landowners put conservation easements on their property. This includes strategizing priorities for the land trust and forming partnerships that help bring the projects to fruition.
What gets you excited to go to work each day? While I’m motivated by knowing the work I do helps positively contribute to the surrounding community, it’s the people that I work with – colleagues, landowners, community members, partners, etc. that make it enjoyable. I’ve always been able to find the first, but the latter has taken more trial and error. One project I’ve really enjoyed is protecting the land of a 5th-generation farmer, knowing it won’t become another housing development. There’s instant satisfaction in evaluating how much water it retains and filters and its potential for carbon sequestration. The best part, though, is hearing stories about what the property means to the landowner; that when he was a kid, he’d pack a lunch, and ride horses through the fields and forest with the neighboring kids until they were called home for dinner time. It’s knowing I can help preserve a part of someone’s favorite memories, forever.
What keeps you up at night as you think about the opportunities (or challenges) related to your work? As far as opportunities, the sky is the limit! At the most basic level, our water and air, necessities for life, could be clean. In cities, everyone could be guaranteed the health benefits and respite of being within a walkable distance of a green space. We could protect land and restore beautiful wildways stretching from Acadia National Park to the Everglades where species can migrate to more suitable habitats as local climates change and where we too have protection from weather extremes. In today’s world, all these things we take for granted are being directly threatened daily. It makes staying informed and doing the work more urgent.
What key strengths are necessary to be successful in entering this career field? To be successful in land protection, you need to be grounded and passionate about the work. Depending on whether you’re the sole employee of a land trust or work with a team of 100 people, you’ll need different skillsets. As a sole employee, you have to be more of a ‘jack of all trades’ and will need to have people skills, whereas if you’re at a large land trust, you may just need a specific skill like land use law, GIS expertise, finance, or ecological expertise.
Is education beyond a Lafayette degree required to pursue this path? No. I know people in the field with PhDs and one of the most talented people I know doesn’t have a college degree. It’s not a field that requires a particular degree, but it does often, at a minimum, require relevant experience – volunteering, internships, entry level jobs, etc. because the jobs are in high demand.
How did your Lafayette experience equip you for success in your career field, especially as an early career professional? I actually started as a biology major and then changed to an English major. A few of my professors mentioned the possibility of creating more of a scientific writing track, which helped me follow a path that was more aligned with my interests. In a sense, Lafayette helped me hone my strengths.
What specific experiences during your time at Lafayette made the greatest impact on your professional path? The courses that Professor Lisa DeTora taught really helped me explore my passion for environmental writing, read more environmental writers, and consider how science is represented across different fields. It helped me pursue a path in environmental communications that I don’t think I would have discovered without her course offerings.
As it relates to career exploration and development, what is one thing that you know now that you wish you could go back in time and tell your student self? Nerd. Out. You don’t get unlimited time to explore your passions, with experts at your fingertips and other people who are equally interested in the same thing as you, forever.
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing your career field? Join relevant clubs at Lafayette or in the community, volunteer, take an internship in the field if you can. Even with the best degree, demonstrating that you’re passionate about the field is essential.
What strategies, tools, or other efforts do you utilize to find “balance” or reduce your career-related stress? With two kids under two, raising little people helps keep things in perspective and makes any career-related stress feel less extreme. Aside from that, yoga and hiking.
How do you enjoy spending your free time when not at work? Most of my free time is spent with my family (my husband is also a Lafayette graduate). I love seeing the world through my daughters’ eyes.
What was your favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus when you were a student? My favorite thing about Lafayette is that it’s an arboretum – my favorite trees on campus were the Japanese Maples.
Would you like to connect with Sarah to learn more about her career path?
Ms. Fugett is happy to connect with students via LinkedIn.
