Raised in Plymouth, where her family still lives, Rachel Bruce (formerly Rachel Calderara) considers herself a “townie.” While growing up, she would have told you that she planned to travel, move far away, and have big adventures. And she did…but ultimately, the people and places that make this area home repeatedly drew her back. Now firmly rooted in Plymouth, Rachel loves walking the beach, kayaking, and playing with her dog. She says she considers herself a “people-forward thinker,” and enjoys working to improve community well-being. She has a desire to share with others the connectedness and peace that can be found in nature, and it is this goal that inspired many of her early travels. Rachel has built her career interacting with and educating people in a variety of outdoor settings across the country, including a total of more than 8 years at Wildlands Trust interspersed with her more distant ventures. When asked what she considers Wildlands’ most important function, she says it’s, “providing access to nature that’s truly free for visitors, and helping people to discover these areas.”
Rachel graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She worked in outdoor education in the states of Massachusetts, Oregon, and Minnesota, and got her start at Wildlands Trust as an AmeriCorps service member. Rachel has served in the staff roles of programming coordinator & educator, outreach & education manager, director of special projects, and most recently, chief of staff. She oversees the D.W. Field Park Initiative in Brockton and works to increase the organizational capacity and regional impact of Wildlands Trust.
