At its December 21st meeting Judge William Hart Rufe III stepped down as Chairman of the Board after leading the Conservancy for 35 years. Judge Rufe joined the Board of Heritage Conservancy (then the Bucks County Conservancy) in 1974 and was immediately elected Vice President. In 1975 he became President and in 1997 when the Conservancy revamped the structure of the organization he became Chairman of the Board. Under Judge Rufe's dedicated leadership the Conservancy grew from a small volunteer organization concerned about the rapidly disappearing open space in Bucks County into a strong and credible, regional land trust.

Judge Rufe has been intimately involved in every major decision the Conservancy has made, extending back to hiring the first employees, accepting the challenge of rescuing and restoring historic Aldie Mansion and other historic structures and overseeing the preservation of over 10,000 acres of farmland, scenic open space and wildlife habitat in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Clifford C. David Jr., the Conservancy's President declared, "Judge Rufe's impacts have been monumental and he remains the one individual who gave a fledgling conservation organization its initial credibility, leadership and vision for a bright future."  "Judge Rufe is a remarkable leader and an outstanding citizen and we will always be grateful for his dedicated service to the Conservancy," he added.

Judge Rufe will continue to serve on the Conservancy's Board, supporting the new Chairman Marvin L. Woodall and mentoring newer members of the Board.

Later in the meeting the Board of Director's elected Chalfont resident, Joy Styles as it newest member.   Ms. Styles, a branch manager for Abington Bank, served as Chair of  Heritage Conservancy's Business Membership Committee for ten years.  The Committee provides the planning for and implementation of increasing the business community's awareness and financial support of Heritage Conservancy's conservation mission.  It was under Joy's leadership that the Conservancy's business membership tripled from about 50 business members to over 150 business supporters. The Conservancy's new Chairman, Marvin L. Woodall noted, "On behalf of all the Directors, I'm pleased to welcome Joy to the Board.  Her enthusiasm for our mission and in-depth understanding of the business community will be strong assets to the Conservancy."

In addition to her work on behalf of the Conservancy, Joy is recognized in the community for volunteering numerous hours for multiple local not-for-profit organizations including the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce, NOVA, Aldie Foundation and the Chalfont Lions.

Ms. Styles began her three-year term on January 1, 2011.  Other changes to the Board that began on the first of the year were Christopher B. Chandor, Esquire beginning his term as Vice Chairman and Robert L. Russell beginning his term as Secretary.      

The Board completed the meeting by recognizing Jeffrey L. Marshall, Heritage Conservancy's VP of Resource Protection and Planning for his thirty years of service to the Conservancy in land protection and historic preservation.   As a planner and historic preservationist, Jeff is recognized as a leader in innovative conservation strategy throughout the United States.  Through his role as the open space consultant for numerous Bucks and Northampton County municipalities, Jeff has taken a leadership role in assisting them with the preservation of  thousands of acres. He also oversees the Conservancy's historic preservation efforts, working with municipalities, historical and architectural review boards and property owners.  To date, over 14,000 buildings in 28 municipalities have had survey work completed.  Jeff has also successfully nominated numerous properties and historic districts to the National Register of Historic Places.  

On behalf of the Board, Jeff was presented with an antique clock to commemorate their appreciation for his unwavering dedication.

 Jeff Marshall (center) receiving recognition from Marvin L. Woodall, Chairman (left) and Board Member Christine C. Figueroa (right)