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January 28. 2013 1:22AM
Birthplace: Cambridge, Mass.
Family: Wife, Elizabeth; son, Dylan, 4; and a new baby, Bridger Alden, born Jan. 22
High school: Silver Lake High School, Kingston, Mass.
College/post-grad degrees: New England College, B.A., psychology and communications minor
Current job: Executive director, Russell Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation with a mission of land protection and a primary focus on working lands (farm and forest)
Volunteer activities: assistant supervisor at Hillsborough County Conservation District; treasurer, executive committee, representative at Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission; board member at Sustainable SNHPC Foundation and at We Are One Farmers Market; coverts volunteer at University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. In the past, served on Zoning Board of Adjustments, Open Space Committee, Agricultural Commission, Safe Routes to School, John Stark Scenic Byway and Weare Center Committee.
Most admired person (outside your family): I admire several people for different attributes and most admire people's perspectives and actions. A quote from Calvin Coolidge stands out with me and sits above my desk: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Key current professional challenge: Gaining meaningful and impactful financial support for the protection of New Hampshire's most treasured lands; at a minimum to secure enough state support to provide the required match for federal funds (every year New Hampshire's returns federal conservation funds at a rate and dollar amount much higher then all our New England neighbors who have state funds allocated for the required match).
Last major achievement: Securing county and state approval to designate 104,000 acres of land in Hillsborough County as federal recognized Farmland of Local Importance.
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Meet 40 who are making a difference
WEARE - Ian McSweeney sees protecting land as an investment in his children's future, and through the Russell Foundation, he works to help others reach a common goal of conservation.
McSweeney, 36, is the executive director of the Russell Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Gordon and Barbara Russell that is tasked with assisting private landowners, organizations and municipalities to work through the complicated process of preserving open space through purchases and easements. From raising funds to navigating the legal negotiations associated with land conservation, McSweeney offers advice and assistance.
"I really have a passion for the working landscape," said McSweeney. "The farm and forest are very important to our way of life in New Hampshire, but there's not a system of support to help landowners who have working land to expand the viability of their farms and forests."
Though he knew in college that his purpose in life was giving back and helping others, McSweeney didn't realize until he was older that his mission would draw him to the land. He studied psychology and was heading toward a career in social work but instead found himself working in real estate.
It was through McSweeney's experience working with landowners and builders that he realized that there is a disconnect between conservation and development - a lack of understanding that the two interests aren't mutually exclusive. But there are few people around to help developers and conservationists see the benefits of working in partnership and exploring how those partnerships could work. In 2005, McSweeney joined the Russell Foundation to assist the organization in building those bridges between developers and conservationists.
Since his time at the foundation, McSweeney has helped to raise more than $6.2 million which has been used to set aside more than 4,000 acres of conservation land in southern New Hampshire. McSweeney said he sees his work as an investment in his children's future and in the preservation of a way of life that makes New Hampshire the place he wants to raise his family.
"There's no greater satisfaction than taking the proverbial Sunday drive and knowing that I've personally taken a role in protecting the land around us for the future," said McSweeney. "It's very important to me."
Ian McSweeney sees land protection as a future investment
Ian Brooks McSweeney, 36
Home: WeareBirthplace: Cambridge, Mass.
Family: Wife, Elizabeth; son, Dylan, 4; and a new baby, Bridger Alden, born Jan. 22
High school: Silver Lake High School, Kingston, Mass.
College/post-grad degrees: New England College, B.A., psychology and communications minor
Current job: Executive director, Russell Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation with a mission of land protection and a primary focus on working lands (farm and forest)
Volunteer activities: assistant supervisor at Hillsborough County Conservation District; treasurer, executive committee, representative at Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission; board member at Sustainable SNHPC Foundation and at We Are One Farmers Market; coverts volunteer at University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. In the past, served on Zoning Board of Adjustments, Open Space Committee, Agricultural Commission, Safe Routes to School, John Stark Scenic Byway and Weare Center Committee.
Most admired person (outside your family): I admire several people for different attributes and most admire people's perspectives and actions. A quote from Calvin Coolidge stands out with me and sits above my desk: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Key current professional challenge: Gaining meaningful and impactful financial support for the protection of New Hampshire's most treasured lands; at a minimum to secure enough state support to provide the required match for federal funds (every year New Hampshire's returns federal conservation funds at a rate and dollar amount much higher then all our New England neighbors who have state funds allocated for the required match).
Last major achievement: Securing county and state approval to designate 104,000 acres of land in Hillsborough County as federal recognized Farmland of Local Importance.
Meet 40 who are making a difference
McSweeney, 36, is the executive director of the Russell Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Gordon and Barbara Russell that is tasked with assisting private landowners, organizations and municipalities to work through the complicated process of preserving open space through purchases and easements. From raising funds to navigating the legal negotiations associated with land conservation, McSweeney offers advice and assistance.
"I really have a passion for the working landscape," said McSweeney. "The farm and forest are very important to our way of life in New Hampshire, but there's not a system of support to help landowners who have working land to expand the viability of their farms and forests."
Though he knew in college that his purpose in life was giving back and helping others, McSweeney didn't realize until he was older that his mission would draw him to the land. He studied psychology and was heading toward a career in social work but instead found himself working in real estate.
It was through McSweeney's experience working with landowners and builders that he realized that there is a disconnect between conservation and development - a lack of understanding that the two interests aren't mutually exclusive. But there are few people around to help developers and conservationists see the benefits of working in partnership and exploring how those partnerships could work. In 2005, McSweeney joined the Russell Foundation to assist the organization in building those bridges between developers and conservationists.
Since his time at the foundation, McSweeney has helped to raise more than $6.2 million which has been used to set aside more than 4,000 acres of conservation land in southern New Hampshire. McSweeney said he sees his work as an investment in his children's future and in the preservation of a way of life that makes New Hampshire the place he wants to raise his family.
"There's no greater satisfaction than taking the proverbial Sunday drive and knowing that I've personally taken a role in protecting the land around us for the future," said McSweeney. "It's very important to me."
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