The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship has announced the appointment of Melissa McKee Hackney as its program director on the Island. Under her leadership, the fellowship program plans to continue to offer grants to individuals and nonprofit organizations to support environmental, social, economic and cultural sustainability on the Vineyard.

Mrs. Hackney is an attorney who has worked extensively with nonprofits, including the Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard.

Since its inception in 2006, the Vision Fellowship has addressed a wide range of sustainability issues by providing financial support to 35 fellows. Thanks to the work of the fellows, all seven of the Island public schools now have school gardens, the Island Elderly Housing facility has an intergenerational garden, an alternative oyster conditioning system has been successfully introduced in Island shellfish beds, and the Martha’s Vineyard Shell Recovery Partnership has begun a program for restaurants to recycle oyster shells, resulting in improved water quality and reduced need for imported shells.

The Vision Fellowship expressed its gratitude to Nancy McCabe, Carolyn Champ and Beverley Nalven for their work on the program since 2006.

The program will seek applicants for new fellows in the fall.