Linda Orel. Photo courtesy of Boston Harbor Now

Advocacy group Boston Harbor Now has named Linda Orel as the organization’s first chief impact officer. Orel comes to the nonprofit with a background in lobbying for climate resilience issues and historic preservation and will lead initiatives in waterfront development, climate resiliency, park development, public access and community engagement programs and work closely with the group’s CEO.

“Linda has a stellar track record delivering for parks, climate, resilience, and public access – in both policy wins and new investments,” Kathy Abbott, president and CEO of Boston Harbor Now, said in a statement. “We are fortunate she will be joining our team as we take on the charge of collaborating with national, state and local partners to bring a range of waterfront plans to fruition, creating a truly world-class harbor for the benefit of everyone.”

Orel has over two decades of experience in advocacy and government affairs for several nonprofit organizations. In her most recent role, she was senior director of government relations with The Trustees of Reservations, where she developed strategic approaches to grow the statewide organization’s mission of advocating for nature-based climate resilience, land conservation and historical preservation while collaborating with lawmakers to enact legislation, Boston Harbor Now said. Prior to this role, Orel was senior conservation finance director with The Trust for Public Land, where she directed and won 12 ballot measures in state and local jurisdictions, including the campaign to adopt the Community Preservation Act in Boston, and led her team in developing natural and working lands climate policy for U.S. Climate Alliance states.

“Linda comes to Boston Harbor Now at an opportune moment, as our region moves from planning to implementing a holistic vision for the waterfront,” said Bob Durand, past chair of the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership and former secretary at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, said in a statement. “Linda has the knowledge and relationships to bring together leaders from throughout Boston Harbor and beyond to align strategy, regulations, and funding so that we get the big picture and the details right.”

While its origins lie in the massive 1980s and 1990s cleanup of Boston Harbor, Boston Harbor Now is today a major player in debates over how to protect Greater Boston from climate change-driven coastal flooding and coastal land use issues like Boston’s still-pending municipal harbor plan, which must be completed to open the way for development of underused waterfront parcels like the James Hook Lobster Co. site and the Harbor Garage.

“Linda gets things done and will bring her well-known tenacity to solving Boston Harbor’s biggest challenges,” said Vidya Tikku, Regional Vice President of Boston & Urban Outdoors at the Trustees of Reservations, said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing all she will accomplish on behalf of everyone who lives, works, and visits the waterfront.”