The board of directors of The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) on June 7 announced the appointment of Katie Theoharides as president and CEO. She joins The Trustees from her role as head of US Offshore East division for the energy industry firm RWE. She also served as former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s energy and environmental affairs chief.

Theoharides brings a background in ecology and climate science to her longstanding career in environmental leadership and land conservation, key pillars of The Trustees’ mission.

The Trustees own a variety of properties across Massachusetts, including dozens of community gardens in Boston. The Erie Green, at 72 Erie Street, and the Lydon Community Green at 57 Msgr. Lydon Way in Dorchester are just two of the 56 local gardens across eight neighborhoods.

“At her core she is an environmentalist who cares for land conservation and for mobilizing people through a shared reverence for nature,” said Peter B. Coffin, chair of The Trustees’ Board of Directors.

During her time as a Baker administration official, from 2019 to 2022, Theoharides led partnerships with local communities to build climate resiliency and reduce emissions. She also worked as a lead negotiator on complex environmental and energy issues with governmental, business, and philanthropic leaders.

“The decades ahead will require a deep sense of urgency and dedicated work to bring people together to protect our environment and implement solutions for a changing climate,” said Theoharides.

Her career in Massachusetts started at The Trustees in 2010 when she served as the executive director of the Hilltown Land Trust, an affiliate of The Trustees.

A native of Western Massachusetts, Theoharides focused her studies on global environmental change, earning a Bachelor of Arts in ecology and evolutionary biology from Dartmouth College and a Master of Science in environmental biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She will begin her new roles on July 10.