Rich was the Executive Director of the Franklin Land Trust from 2004 - 2019. Rich, who is recognized nationally as an authority on conserving farmland and open space, has negotiated the conservation of over 450 properties totaling close to 42,000 acres. Prior to joining FLT, he served in a number of capacities with the MA Department of Agricultural Resources, including Assistant Commissioner, Chief of the Bureau of Land Use, and for 15 years as Program Manager of the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program - one of the most successful farmland conservation programs in the country. He began his professional career as a Community Planner for the Montgomery County Planning Commission in Pennsylvania, and later served as the Town Planner for Killingly, Connecticut and the Assistant Director of the Northeast Office of the American Farmland Trust.