Angela Anderson

Executive Director

Angela Anderson is a nationally recognized conservation leader and has served as Executive Director of the San Juan Preservation Trust since 2018. She provides visionary leadership for our work to conserve the natural beauty, vital ecosystems, and unique character of the San Juan Islands, guiding organizational strategy and inspiring the partnerships and support needed to achieve lasting conservation outcomes.  

As Executive Director, Angela serves as the Preservation Trust's primary public ambassador and chief relationship builder. She works closely with landowners, donors, conservation organizations, community leaders, and public agencies to advance the Preservation Trust's mission and expand our impact. Her leadership includes cultivating major philanthropic support, leading fundraising campaigns, and advancing strategic initiatives that strengthen SJPT's ability to protect and care for lands and waters throughout the archipelago.  

Angela is an active leader in the broader land conservation movement. She is a former board member of the Washington Association of Land Trusts and serves on the Leadership Council of the Land Trust Alliance, a national forum of leading land trust executives that provides strategic advice, promotes collaboration, and advances the effectiveness of private land conservation across the United States. Her selection reflects her experience and leadership within the land trust field.  

Prior to joining the Preservation Trust, Angela served as Kauai Island Director of the Hawaii Land Trust. An attorney, she also maintained a private law practice focused on Land Use, Estate Planning, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She earned her law degree from the University of Hawaiʻi's William S. Richardson School of Law, with graduate certificates in Environmental Law and Conflict Resolution, and her bachelor's degree from Columbia University, where she designed a dual concentration in Environmental Science and Economics. 

A native of Tacoma, Washington, Angela developed her lifelong connection to conservation through early experiences exploring the Pacific Northwest's forests and coastlines. She now lives on Orcas Island with her family.