Kristin Williams
Executive Director
Kristin Williams assumed the role of Executive Director of the Open Land Trust in January 2018. Kristin brings with her 10 years of experience as the Executive Director of a conservation organization, Friends of the Environment, located in Abaco, Bahamas. Kristin has a track record of success in program development, partnership expansion and campaign management. A native of the Bahamas, Kristin attended the College of Charleston where she met her husband, Charleston native, Lloyd Williams IV. The couple lives in Beaufort with their 2 children, Gray and Ford.
Sherry Akers
Office Administrator
Dana Bauer
South Carolina Sentinel Landscape Coordinator
Dana Bauer serves as the Coordinator for the South Carolina Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape and shares an office with the OLT land protection team. She brings extensive compatible land use and resilience planning experience, including the development of mission sustainability and community partnership strategies for Marine Corps and Air Force installations across the country and overseas. In her role as Coordinator, Dana looks forward to working collaboratively across the landscape to advance the partnership’s goals of protecting and enhancing the Lowcountry’s habitats and ecosystems. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from The College of William & Mary and a BA from the University of Richmond. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a member of the American Planning Association’s Federal Planning Division.
Liz O’Brien
Director of Development
Liz O’Brien joined the Open Land Trust in September 2024. She comes to us from Riverview Charter School where she worked for many years in a variety of capacities focused on growth and communications, most recently as Operations Manager. At OLT she will oversee development of donor programs and community engagement as we continue to expand our work in the Lowcountry. Liz was born and raised in Beaufort and holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from Indiana University. She returned to Beaufort in 2007 with her husband and two children.
Caylor Romines
Director of Conservation
Caylor Romines joined the Open Land Trust in June 2019 and serves as Director of Conservation, leading the organization’s land program by uniting land protection and stewardship into a single, cohesive conservation strategy. He oversees conservation easement and fee-simple land acquisitions and works closely with landowners, partners, and agencies to advance priority projects from initial evaluation through closing and long-term stewardship. Caylor brings experience from both the federal government and private sector in land, wildlife, and fisheries management and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Brett, have lived in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 2017 and reside near Yemassee with their son, Coleson.