CAPE ELIZABETH – The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust has hired a new membership and development manager who says the job could not have come at a more eventful time.

“I’ve come in at the busiest time of the year,” said Willa Antczak, Waldoboro’s former planning and development manager, referring to the land trust’s annual fundraising events like Paint for Preservation or Tri for Preservation that will take place this summer.

“The upcoming events are a great opportunity for me to meet people and put a face to the name,” the 28-year-old Antczak said.

She joined the land trust in Cape Elizabeth this spring after resigning from her position in Waldoboro on May 16.

Antczak is living with family in Saco, but has plans to relocate to Portland by Aug. 1, she said. She looks forward to her new position where she will assist the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Christopher Franklin, the membership and development committee, and land trust’s special events ad hoc committees.

Franklin said Antczak will play a critical role in achieving the land trust’s mission of conserving and providing stewardship for lands cherished by the Cape Elizabeth community.

According to the land trust website, the organization has permanently protected more than 560 acres of land for public benefit since its inception in 1985.

As membership and development manager, Antczak will be responsible for administrative duties within the organization, outreach efforts, and overall development, which includes overseeing fundraising events like Paint for Preservation at Breakwater Farm on Sunday, July 13, and the Tri for Preservation at Crescent Beach State Park on Aug. 17.

“It’s a new position,” Antczak said. “I am still trying to figure out exactly what I will do on a day-to-day basis,” including some long-term goals of the position. Antczak said part of her responsibilities include enhancing the organization’s relationship with current and prospective members, donors, the media, and other conservation-related organizations in an effort to raise the money needed to achieve the land trust’s goals.

Franklin said while the membership and development manager duties are not new, the land trust has decided to dedicate more staff time to the position.

“She will be the main interface between the public and the organization,” Franklin said. “She will be working on marketing in terms of how we portray the work that we do to the public, and getting more people involved.”

Antczak has a master’s degree in urban planning, and her focus has been on natural resource management as planning and development director in Waldoboro for the last 10 months.

“I was looking to make a change and get some experience with fundraising in the nonprofit sector,” Antczak said, when asked what drew her to the position at the land trust. “I also wanted to work for a land trust where I could really explore conservation and land-use planning and stewardship.”

“I thought it would be a great place to work, and it is,” Antczak said. “We have a handful of incredibly dedicated volunteers.”

Antczak said she looks forward to overseeing both the annual Paint for Preservation and Tri for Preservation, after hearing positive feedback about both events. She will be responsible for implementing new fund-raising strategies, applying for grants, and coordinating the annual meeting.

She replaces Lisa Fourre, who worked for the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust for six years.

According to Franklin, Antczak’s position will take Fourre’s former role, which was mainly an administrative position, to the next level “in terms of how we engage our community.”

Franklin said Antczak will be overseeing the organization’s monthly electronic newsletter about upcoming events that members can sign up for on the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust website.

“She is a bright personality that has a lot of enthusiasm for her work,” Franklin said. “We think that is going to be contagious. She is very capable and has a strong background to understand the work we do and why we do it.”

According to Antczak, the position is only part time, but she said there is a possibility it could turn into a full-time position depending on the need.

What attracts her to working in Cape Elizabeth, she said, is that “CELT (Cape Elizabeth Land Trust) has a unique opportunity where Cape is so small and such a tight-knit community that they are really involved,” and although she is not entirely familiar with serving the town, she was excited to take on new challenges and meet new people.

“It’s amazing to work with an organization that has so many volunteers who are so involved,” Antczak said. “I have so many people who stop in every day and just want to talk. It feels like a real community, and at the same time Cape Elizabeth is beautiful.”

“The trails and the properties are spectacular,” she said. “I haven’t been out to all of them, but I hope to get out there for at least a quick walk over the summer.”