Jean C. Nelson
President & Executive Director The Land Trust for Tennessee

Jeanie Nelson is a native of Nashville and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in English in 1969 and a J.D. in 1975

She practiced law in Nashville from 1975-1988 with Gullet, Sanford, Robinson and Martin. Her practice was a general business practice with a concentration in administrative law in the health care, transportation and telecommunications areas.

From 1988-1992, she served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for Tennessee.

Durning her time as a practicing lawyer in Nashville, she participated in numerous professional and non-profit activities. Professional roles include: Board Member of the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Bar; Board member and View-President of the Nashville Bar Association; Middle Tennessee Governor of the Tennessee Bar Association; Board of the Lawyers' Association for Women; Chair of Administrative Law Committee of Tennessee Bar Association and Reporter to Administrative Law Section of the American Bar Association; Chair of the Organization of Chief Deputies of the National Association of Attorneys General.

From 1993-1998 she and her husband, Will Martin, lived in Washington, D.C. and held appointments in the Administration. She served as the General Counsel for the United States Environment Protection Agency; followed by working in the WHite House as an environmental advisor to the Vice President and finally serving in an appointment as Director of the President's Crime Prevention Council.

She and her husband returned to Nashville at the end of 1998 at which time she founded The Land Trust for Tennessee with Phil Bredesen and a group of interested citizens to "preserve the unique character of Tennessee's natural and historic landscapes and sites for future generations." She serves as its President and Executive Director. The Land Trust for Tennessee is a statewide organization and has preserved 32,052 acres in 31 countries. Jeanie also currently serves as the Chair of the Board of the Southern Environment Law Center, headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. She also serves on the Board of The Land Trust Alliance.

She is married to Will Martin who practiced corporate law in Nashville for 25 years before serving in Washington negotiating ocean and fishing rights treaties. He is now engaged in business consulting in Nashville and as a Senior Fellow for The World Wildllife Fund. She has two stepchildren---Anne Martin, Nashville, TN, and Whit Martin, New York City.

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