Andrew Deci, Southern Maine Regional Stewardship Manager

Before joining MCHT, Andrew accumulated over 15 years of experience in local government as a town and community planner in Virginia and Maine. He served as the City Planner and Director of Planning and Development for the City of Bath, Maine, where he advocated for active transportation projects and the development of quality public spaces. His career also includes roles as an archaeologist and architectural historian, exploring and researching people’s prehistoric and historic habitation of the land.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts in Historic Preservation from Mary Washington College. He resides in Topsham, Maine, with his daughter, and is passionate about reconnecting Indigenous caretakers to their lands and reaffirming the right relationship between humanity and the environment.

On conservation: In his role at MCHT, Andrew emphasizes the importance of land conservation in fostering a sustainable future, stating, “The commodification of land and the resources in and on it has led to a perverse relationship between people and the things we need to survive. Land conservation removes land from the capital market and allows for the stewardship necessary to make sure that we all can survive into the future, without consideration of economic value.”

On the job: Andrew serves as the Southern Maine Regional Stewardship Manager at Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), a role he has held since 2022. In this capacity, he oversees the stewardship of several Casco Bay islands, including Malaga Island in the New Meadows River, as well as access properties and mainland preserves. His responsibilities encompass trail building and maintenance, cultural resource management, land use and community planning, and fostering public engagement with these conserved spaces.