North Florida Land Trust has announced that Melissa Long of Jacksonville Beach and Ryan Switzer of Jacksonville have joined its board of directors. Long and Switzer were both recommended to the board by a current member and elected unanimously at the Jan. 21 board meeting. Long and Switzer will both serve a three-year term.
“We look forward to having Melissa and Ryan on our team as we continue our mission to protect the natural resources, historic places and working lands in north Florida,” said Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT. “Melissa’s passion for improving water quality and Ryan’s background in commercial land acquisitions will bring new perspectives to our board and will help guide our decisions as we continue conserving environmentally-sensitive lands.”
Long serves as chief of the environmental quality division with the City of Jacksonville where she focuses on surface and groundwater, along with air, tanks, hazardous waste and petroleum cleanup. Long previously worked for the Department of Environmental Protection’s Northeast District where she was a water facilities administrator and worked with industrial and domestic wastewater facilities, drinking water, water quality issues and state lands and wetlands. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University.
Switzer is a licensed sales associate with Cantrell & Morgan, where he focuses on commercial retail properties throughout the Southeast. He works on both land acquisitions and shopping center acquisitions as well as representing both tenants and landlords. Switzer is also the co-founder and CEO of Beau Outfitters, a clothing, gift and accessories store located in San Marco. Switzer is a graduate of Auburn University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Both Long and Switzer’s positions on the board are new and grow the nonprofit land conservation organization’s board to 13 members. Long and Switzer will serve as members at large along with seven others. There is also a chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer who each serve for a term of three years.
