Session Speakers

Alana Hartman

Environmental Resources Analyst

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Elizabeth Hoffman

Tracking Coordinator, Watershed Implementation Program

Maryland Department of Agriculture

James Martin

Director, Division on Soil and Water Conservation Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Alisha Mulkey

Manager, Program Planning and Development

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Jen Nelson

Owner, Resource Smart LLC

Jake Reilly

Director, Chesapeake Bay Programs

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Lauren Townley

Section Chief, Bureau of Water Resource Management

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

Jill Whitcomb

Director, Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Dr. Andrew Carter

Assistant Professor, San Jose State University

Dr. Andrew Carter is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Recreation at San Jose State University (SJSU). His research interests include health disparities, critical food studies, community-based participatory research, and intercultural communication, where he examines intersections of culture, power, resistance, meaning construction, and voice in public discourses on health. A primary feature of his work explores how Black farmers challenge norms, power inequities, and structural barriers in the agriculture industry to preserve their cultural legacies and use farming as an emancipatory vehicle to address broader social, public health, and economic disparities among the Black community. He has published work in academic journals such as Communication Theory, Health Communication, Health Promotion Practice, Critical Public Health, Rhetoric of Health and Medicine, American Journal of Health Education, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Journal of Religion and Health, and Frontiers in Communication.

Avery Lavoie

ORISE Research Fellow at EPA Region 3

Avery Lavoie (she/her) is an ORISE Research Fellow with EPA Region 3 studying agricultural programs, policies, and systems. Avery is deeply passionate about connecting with people and the Earth, listening to diverse perspectives and understanding ways to work towards common goals. As an environmental social scientist, Avery draws from qualitative social science methodologies as a way to learn from others about what matters most to them. She is especially interested in learning from farmers who are feeding their communities and stewarding the land. Avery is grateful for resources like Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Radical Dharma by Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams, and the teachings of Thich Naht Hanh who help to guide and uplift her. Avery holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Idaho and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Vermont.

Brenda V. Perez Amador

Program Analyst

District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, Office of Urban Agriculture

Brenda Perez (she/her/ella) is an award-winning community activist who is passionate about the environment and immigration. She has a master’s degree in water resources management from The University of the District of Columbia and is a program analyst for DOEE's Office of Urban Agriculture. Recognizing that climate change is a time-sensitive issue, she strives to be inclusive and open up spaces for action in communities that have been impacted disproportionately.

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Brenda Pérez (she/her/ella) es una activista comunitaria galardonada apasionada por el medio ambiente y la inmigración. Tiene una maestría en gestión de recursos hídricos de la Universidad del Distrito de Columbia y es analista de programas para la Oficina de Agricultura Urbana del DOEE. Reconociendo que el cambio climático es un tema sensible al tiempo, se esfuerza por ser inclusiva y abrir espacios para la acción en las comunidades que se han visto afectadas de manera desproporcionada.

Mauricio Rosales

Agriculture Projects Manager

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Mauricio is in charge of the outreach effort with farmers and manages all the best management practices implementation projects for the different Agriculture programs.

Born and raised in Ecuador, Mauricio graduated in 2012 with a degree in Farming Science in a local university in his hometown Quito. Soon after, he immigrated to the U.S. and started working on a 600-cow dairy farm in WI as one of the herdsman and stayed there for approximately 2 years. After having such a great experience with dairy cows, he decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Animal Science with focus on dairy management at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN. In 2016, he graduated and moved to Lancaster PA to work as an Extension Dairy Educator for Penn State Extension. 

Besides working with farm animals and producers, Mauricio enjoys gardening and growing his own food. He likes to use all the produce of his garden to make his famous chili and other diverse dishes.

Joe Toolan

Manager of Chesapeake Bay Programs

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Joe (he/him) is Manager of Chesapeake Bay Programs at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. He leads the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) work in the Chesapeake, and implements grant programs through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund. He has a background in community stewardship, behavior change, and building capacity in and networks of non-profit organizations. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geographical Sciences with a concentration in Environment Systems and Natural Resource Management from the University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.

Joe, born in Guatemala, was adopted in the 90s and grew up just outside of Annapolis, Maryland. He identifies as a queer, Latinx, indigenous, transracial international adoptee and environmentalist. Joe is the Chair of Annapolis Pride, the Chair of the State of Maryland Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, a Planning Committee Member for the Naturally Latinos Conference, a Planning Committee Member for the Chesapeake Watershed Forum, and a Mentor through the Young Professionals of Color Program

Shareefah Williams

Maryland and Delaware State Statistician

United States Department of Agriculture - National Agricultural Statistics Service

Shareefah Williams is the State Statistician at the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Waldorf, Maryland for both Delaware and Maryland.  She has over 20 years of experience with the agency, and an agricultural economist graduate of Virginia State University.   She works with a team of statisticians across the Mid-Atlantic region who have responsibility for continuous improvement in the representation of all farmers through the Ag Census – increasing all of our capacity to ensure that we’re serving the full breadth of farmers within our respective service areas.

Kelly Shenk

Agriculture Advisor

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3, Water Division

Tee Thomas

Director

Quantified Ventures

Lars Bolton

Project Officer

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Leon Tillman

Chesapeake Bay Coordinator

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Lydia Brinkley

Buffer Coordinator

Upper Susquehanna Coalition

Lydia Brinkley is a tireless advocate and an in-the-field Riparian Buffer Coordinator for the Upper Susquehanna Coalition. She uses her Master's degree from SUNY ESF in Forestry and Natural Resource Management and extensive experience to lead a diverse program throughout a 22 county area. Lydia and her team provide assistance to landowners and conservation districts in the form of technical and programmatic assistance, landscape assessments, site plans, planting strategies, tree planting help, capacity building and funding opportunities..

Amber Ellis

Restoration Director

James River Association

Amber Ellis is the Restoration Director with the James River Association. Building diverse partnerships to restore streamside forests is at the heart of her work across the James River watershed. She serves as the convener for the Upper and Middle James Riparian Consortium and manages the James River Buffer Program. Her strengths in relationship building, finding community based solutions to watershed wide challenges, and her love of the flora and fauna of the James watershed guide her work. She earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech, where she learned how to create landscapes that enrich both our human and natural communities. She is a Professional Landscape Architect in Virginia, a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional, and has a certificate in Ecotherapy through the EarthBody Institute. 

Rory Maguire

Professor and Extension Specialist

Virginia Tech

Rory is a Professor and Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, with a focus in the area of sustainable nutrient management. Rory evaluates and promotes best management practices that increase the efficiency of nutrient management, to benefit both farmers and the Chesapeake Bay. Recent research and extension efforts have focused on collaborative efforts to increase adoption of agricultural best management practices such as manure injection, cover crops and no-till. Rory is heavily involved with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and promoting farmer-to-farmer mentoring as a path to increasing BMP adoption. He also conducts nutrient management certification training, teaches graduate students and supervises the soil testing laboratory at VT.

Beth McGee Ph.D.

Director of Science and Agricultural Policy Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Dr. Beth McGee is the Director of Science and Agricultural Policy with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).  Beth has been at CBF since 2003 where she is the lead policy advisor and coordinator on regional water quality and agricultural issues and campaigns.  She currently serves as the coordinator of the Mountains to Bay Grazing Alliance, a multi-state partnership focused on promoting rotational grazing.  She has a B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Ecology from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland.  She has worked for a variety of state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Maryland Department of the Environment, giving her abroad knowledge of environmental issues.

Mary Sketch

Director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition

Virginia Tech

Mary is the Director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and is based in Richmond, Virginia, working to increase coordination and collaboration of partners to advance soil health across the state. She has experience working with collaboratives and coalitions across the country at the intersection of economic and environmental wellbeing with a focus on working lands and rural communities. Prior to working with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, she worked at the Center for Rural Strategies where she helped coordinate the Rural Assembly, a coalition of rural stakeholders across the US. She received her Master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech and her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University. Through her graduate research she worked directly with agricultural producers and conservation practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of how farmers and ranchers approach conservation and land management decisions.

Kevin Tate

Project Manager of the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative

Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley

Kevin Tate has served as the Project Manager of the NFWF funded Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative (SVCC) since 2020. 

The SVCC is a partnership of regional nonprofits, land trusts, and state and federal agencies working to achieve shared goals in land conservation, water quality, and agricultural vitality in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Lindsay Thompson

Executive Director/Owner

 Maryland Grain Producers Association and Utilization Board/ Thompson Ag Consulting

Lindsay Thompson owns Thompson Ag Consulting providing association management, public and government relations services. Thompson serves as the Executive Director for the Maryland Grain Producers Association and Utilization Board, the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data and administrator of the Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association. Thompson also works with the Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association as chair of the DE-MD 4R Alliance to advance nutrient stewardship in the mid-atlantic. Thompson holds a B.S. in political science and a M.S. in public policy. Lindsay farms with her husband on Maryland's eastern shore where she resides with her husband Jared Sr. and three children.

Jenna Mitchell Beckett

Pennsylvania State Director and Agriculture Program Director

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Jenna began her work at the Alliance as Program Manager in April 2016 focusing on projects involving stormwater, agriculture and forest buffers. In that position, Jenna worked to activate the Octoraro Source Water Collaborative, the READY (Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth) project and numerous community engagement efforts. In 2017, Jenna was promoted to Pennsylvania State Director.

Jenna holds a degree in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State University with minors in Environmental Soil Science and Watersheds and Water Resources. In 2019, Jenna was honored to receive the Penn State University College of Agricultural Science’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award and be inducted into the Armsby Honor Society.

Outside of work, Jenna can be found playing with her dog, Buster, at the dog park, gardening, completing home improvement projects, weightlifting, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Teresa Garcia-Moore

Manager, Science and Impact

The Sustainability Consortium

Teresa Garcia-Moore is the Manager of Science and Impact for the Food, Beverage and Agriculture sector at The Sustainability Consortium (TSC). She holds an LL.M. in Agricultural and Food Law and a Ph.D. in Agriculture Policy both from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Prior to joining TSC, Teresa worked for five years as a research assistant at the University of Arkansas conducting research in food and agriculture policy. She also worked as a legal consultant in Fayetteville for Kramer Detergents, Inc., where she was responsible for advising the company on legal issues related to the chemical industry regulations and on the implementation of the corporate social responsibility program.

John Larson

Senior Vice President, American Farmland Trust

John represents AFT externally and works to establish strategic partnerships that advance mission goals. Before joining AFT, John served as CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts, executive director of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts, and president of the Washington Association of District Employees. He has also served as manager of the Conservation Districts Partnership—a consortium of multiple conservation districts.  Before beginning his service with conservation districts, Larson owned and operated his family’s irrigated farm in Royal City, Washington. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in general studies at Washington State University, with an emphasis in agricultural economics. 

Lindsay Reames

Executive Vice President of Sustainability and External Relations

Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association

Lindsay is the Executive Vice President of Sustainability & External Relations for Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and leads the development and execution of the Cooperative Sustainability and Communications Initiatives. In this role she is building on the relationship with customers to develop a value chain that helps cooperatives and businesses reach their sustainability goals together. 

In 2017, Lindsay was appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve in his administration as the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this role she led several significant, high-profile policy and programmatic initiatives within the Secretariat focusing on new crop development, environmental challenges and economic incentives. Prior to this position she served as the Assistant Director of Governmental Relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

Lindsay holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and applied economics from Virginia Tech. She is among the tenth generation to grow up on her family’s farm in Loudoun County, Virginia. She and her family reside on their Century family farm in Amelia, Virginia.

Christy Melhart Slay

CEO and Vice President of Science and Impact

The Sustainability Consortium

Dr. Christy Slay was appointed TSC’s interim CEO in 2021 and also directs TSC’s science and research application activities, working to develop a global, transparent, scientifically based measurement and reporting system for product sustainability. She currently leads the way in our strategic planning for THESIS, directs the research and development team in THESIS content creation, leads the development of TSC’s Commodity Mapping program, leads many of TSC’s high–profile partnerships, and is the Principal Investigator on several of TSC’s largest grants.

 Christy has 23 years of experience as an educator in both collegiate and environmental education settings. In addition to her adjunct faculty role at the University of Arkansas instructing a graduate sustainability course at the Walton College Graduate School of Business, she holds an adjunct faculty position at ASU’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. She received her doctorate in biological sciences from the University of Arkansas. Prior to her graduate research, she led curriculum development and strategic planning with the National Audubon Society where she also authored articles for Audubon Magazine. She received her B.A. in biology from Hendrix College attending courses at Birkbeck College at the University of London. She serves on the board of the Ozark Natural Science Center, a residential nature education center for school children.

Alisha Staggs

Dairy Program Director, North America Agriculture Program

The Nature Conservancy

With more than 15 years of experience in environmental sustainability, field work, agriculture, and animal care, Alisha Staggs is director of the dairy program for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Agriculture Program. She works on multiple projects and partnerships, including Feed in Focus, a cost-share program with dairy farmers to advance the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices; a Conservation Innovation Grant-funded project to explore innovative feed management strategies that can reduce enteric methane emissions in dairy cattle; and an ongoing partnership with Dairy Management, Inc. Alisha’s work is guided by a  strategic focus on how dairy can significantly contribute to the organization’s 2030 goals. Notably, she works with colleagues across TNC’s state programs to help dairy farmers and partners increase the use of regenerative practices that improve the environmental footprint of dairy operations, while enhancing the resiliency and sustainability of operations..

Hannah Smith Brubaker

Executive Director

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture

Hannah Smith-Brubaker forwards our mission to build a more economically-just, environmentally-regenerative, and community-focused food system. She also fosters collaborative relationships with organizations that share our mission and ensures that sustainable farmers are represented in critical conversations with stakeholders.

With her partner Debra Brubaker and family, Hannah also operates Village Acres Farm & Foodshed, an organic produce and pastured-livestock farm in the Juniata Valley of Pennsylvania. Her farm participates as a research collaborator in Pasa’s landmark Soil Health Benchmark Study and Diversified Vegetable Financial Benchmark Study. 

Prior to leading Pasa, Hannah served as Pennsylvania Agriculture Deputy Secretary. She serves on the Organic Materials Review Board (OMRI), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Soil Health Advisory Council, is an Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) senior fellow, and writes a monthly column for Lancaster Farming newspaper.

Hannah has testified before the U.S. Congress on organic and sustainable agriculture, with prior speaking engagements at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum, the White House Council on Rural Affairs hearings, and the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization Food Summit on behalf of National Geographic.

William (Bill) Fink

Environmental Management Specialist

County View Family Farms

William C. Fink Currently employed as a Environmental Management Specialist at Country View Family Farms (CVFF). CVFF operates in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana with over 100 family farms raising swine under contract. Contract production enables these family farmers to build a sustainable farming business, keep their land in agriculture, while keeping their farm in the family and their family on the farm.

Mr. Fink is responsible for assuring that CVFF swine farms stay in compliance with local, state and federal environmental regulations. This includes writing, revising, and implementing Act 38 nutrient Management Plans (NMP) as well as CAFO NPDES permits where required. He is also involved with managing the permitting process of new swine farms, manure hauling and application cropland management at CVFF operated farms.

Prior to joining CVFF Mr. Fink was a Nutrient Management / CAFO Specialist with Brubaker Agronomic Services and TeamAg Incorporated for six years and Chesapeake Bay Technician with the Fulton County Conservation District from 1993 to 1999.

Mr. Fink received a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Pollution Control from the California University of PA and holds state certifications as a Certified Nutrient Management Specialist & Certified Odor Management Specialist. 

John Johnson

Program Coordinator

Farmers for Soil Health

John brings a lifetime in production agriculture including: farming in urban setting of NJ; advising farmers on water quality issues to improve the Chesapeake Bay; serving as a lobbyist for Virginia Farm Bureau; serving as president of the Virginia Poultry Federation; researching, permitting and building wastewater treatment solutions that irrigated reclaimed water on farmland and golf courses; administering the nation’s farm subsidy programs, disaster assistance programs and the Conservation Reserve Program for President George W. Bush; and serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Pork Board.

John has thirty-plus years of experience in a broad range of agricultural settings and equips him well to provide counsel and direction for those seeking to resolve issues or build community with farming or ranching interests.

Ashley Allen Jones

Founder and CEO of I2 Capital

& Conservation Innovation Fund

As a pioneer in impact investing, Ashley Allen Jones is committed to breaking traditional financial models that separate social and financial returns and aligning capital behind commercial enterprises whose core business activities generate positive social or environmental impact. She is the founder of i2 Capital, where she focuses on the creation and development of innovative revolving fund vehicles to expand private investment in conservation. To that end, she Co-Founded the Revolving Water Fund and the Upper Green River Conservancy, private enterprises that develop and market ecosystem assets in partnership with farmers and ranchers. Prior to founding i2, Ms. Allen Jones was a Co-founder and Partner in the Endeavor Group, an international consultancy serving a group of family offices in their global business and philanthropic affairs. In that capacity she provided strategic, financial, tax, governance and operational counsel and support to a range of private and philanthropic endeavors.

Dr. Armen Kemanian

Professor of Production Systems and Modeling

Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Armen Kemanian (Ph.D., Washington State University) interests are to understand and manage processes in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Kemanian's research integrates multiple scales, from the controls of carbon and nitrogen cycling in soils and the controls of plant water uptake and competition for resources in plant communities, to system's level research and decision support tools based on models and applied at farm and landscape scales. Kemanian's research program links fundamental research with societal concerns regarding food production, climate change, and the preservation of environmental integrity.

Katie Morison

Manager, Sustainable Resourcing

The Hershey Company

Katie Morison is a Manager in Responsible Sourcing for The Hershey Company, where she’s spent the past two years leading the company’s work on advancing sustainability in its dairy and sugar supply chains, as well as its supplier diversity program.

Before joining Hershey’s in 2020, she worked in corporate sustainability management and consulting in the Middle East region for six years, serving most recently as a sustainability manager for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where she helped lead the development of a comprehensive sustainability strategy for the event including commitments to deliver a fully carbon-neutral tournament, to safeguard to rights of tournament workers, and facilitate the development of stadiums and other infrastructure for long-term community and business use.

Cara Urban

Sustainability + Carbon Analysis

Trust in Food

Cara Urban joined Trust In Food in early 2022 to help advance sustainable agriculture as the team’s Sustainability + Carbon Analyst. She supports the design, implementation and delivery of client projects, applying TIF’s human dimensions of change approach to quantitative results to offer qualitative, actionable insights. By collaborating with agricultural data, research, carbon and ecosystem service market specialists across Farm Journal and beyond, she works to deepen TIF’s in-house expertise on current offerings and markets. Her goal: to keep TIF on the cutting edge of what farmers can do for the planet.

In her previous life, Cara worked for over three years as first project support and later project management consultant for Natural Resource Solutions, secretariat of the farmer-first nonprofit Solutions from the Land. Her time at SfL was spent backstopping farmer leaders on policy and outreach initiatives such as national communications campaigns; international engagement with the United Nations; place-based networks like the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, Ohio Smart Agriculture, Iowa Smart Agriculture, Florida Climate Smart Agriculture; and more.   

Cara’s other experience includes a research fellowship for the ag policy platform Rural Investment to Protect our Environment and volunteer coordination for the Clear Creeks Project within her local watershed. Her career began in the healthcare industry, where she served as a referral specialist at a private advisory group for over seven years. Cara holds a B.S. in animal science from Rutgers University and an M.S. in environmental science and policy, with emphasis on food systems and public health outcomes, from Johns Hopkins University near her home north of Baltimore.

Chase Colmorgen

Farm Bill Biologist, Ducks Unlimited

Chase is a biologist with Ducks Unlimited and has been working to implement the NRCS Black Duck Working Lands for Wildlife Initiative, targeting efforts in priority habitat of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia on agricultural lands.  Chase earned his BS in natural resource management and masters degree in wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. 

Becky Epanchin-Niell Ph.D

Associate Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland

Becky Epanchin-Niell is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UMD and senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). She conducts research at the intersection of economics and ecology to improve decision-making regarding natural resources and ecological systems. Her interests span three main topic areas: 1) invasive species management; 2) conservation of species and ecosystems; and 3) rural coastal adaptation to climate change. Epanchin-Niell applies integrated biophysical and economic analyses, engages stakeholders and decision-makers to identify policy needs, and is a frequent collaborator with natural and social scientists. Current research includes development of decision-support models for cost-effective management of invasive species, evaluation of contributing factors to successful proactive conservation of imperiled species, collaborative approaches to cross-boundary resource management, and design and evaluation of strategies for adaptation to sea level rise and saltwater intrusion in the Chesapeake Bay. Epanchin-Niell’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA Forest Service, and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, among others.

Jeffrey Hartranft

Wetland Ecologist, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Jeffrey is a Wetland Ecologist with the PA Department of Environmental Protection. 

Matt Houser Ph.D

Regenerative Agriculture Fellow

The Nature Conservancy / University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Dr. Matthew Houser is the first Regenerative Agriculture Fellow. for a new partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) to build and execute collaborative projects that will advance their collective goals in regenerative agriculture and sustainable agricultural landscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Houser is an environmental sociologist who conducts interdisciplinary research programs to inform the development of “policy and engagement strategies toward increasing the short- and long-term resilience of managed ecosystems and human communities to environmental change.”

Previously, he was a Faculty Fellow and Assistant Research Scientist with the Environmental Resilience Institute and Department of Sociology at Indiana University. Other topics Matt has researched include agricultural nitrogen fertilizer management, farmers’ decision-making in response to climate extremes, and the general public's climate change beliefs and support for policies to reduce its impact. 

Amy Jacobs

Chesapeake Agriculture Program Director

The Nature Conservancy MD/DC

Since 2011, Amy has led TNC efforts to improve water quality in agricultural landscapes across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Her collaborative efforts are focused across multiple states, working with TNC colleagues as well as farmers and agribusinesses to implement change in agricultural systems to meet our ambitious goals.

Amy and her team’s work directly supports TNC's global goal of reducing nutrient runoff in agricultural watersheds with the goal of improving water quality and reducing dead zones in our estuaries.

Amy has a Master of Science degree in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York and Syracuse University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Tech.

Brian Jennings

Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Chesapeake Bay Ecological Services, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service

Brian is a fish and wildlife biologist in the US Fish and Wildlife Services Chesapeake Bay Ecological Services Field Office.  

Andy Lacatell

Virginia Chesapeake Bay Program Director

The Nature Conservancy

Andy joined TNC in 2001, devoting much of his time to land protection initiatives and large-scale oyster restoration projects. Shellfish populations are one of the most degraded natural communities on the planet. Bringing oysters back to the Chesapeake Bay is helping to set a standard that is being followed globally, in Australia and New Zealand, China and Europe.

In addition to large scale projects restoring oyster reefs in Virginia's Piankatank River, Andy has been involved in protecting farms, forests and marshes that have been added to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge and creating state forests in Dragon Run, all with the goal of protecting and improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Daniel Lawson

Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Daniel is a Wildlife Biologist specializing in Northern Bobwhite habitat development on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He studied wildlife and fisheries science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as an undergraduate. Recently, he earned his M.S. of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware through the Waterfowl and Upland Gamebird Program. Funding for Daniel’s position is provided through a cooperative agreement with the USDA NRCS.

Trent Lee

Biologist, BluAcres LLC

Trent is a Biologist with BluAcres LLC in Central PA – a private sector partner that provides technical services including wetland and stream restoration throughout Pennsylvania, NY and other areas of the country. 

Rich Mason

Fish and Wildlife Biologist

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Rich is a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and leads Maryland's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program that helps landowners restore and enhance wildlife habitat.  

Jeremy Waddell

Wetland Biologist

Upper Susquehanna Coalition

Jeremy is a Wetland Biologist with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, a collaborative of the conservation districts serving the northern tier of PA and all of the Chesapeake Bay portion of New York.

Denice Wardrop

Executive Director, Chesapeake Research Consortium

Research Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Denice Heller Wardrop was one of the first Systems Engineers to graduate from the University of Virginia, which she followed with an MS in Environmental Sciences from the same institution.  She practiced as a consulting environmental engineer for over a decade before moving to State College PA, embracing football as well as basketball, and finishing a PhD in Ecology at Penn State.  In addition to her role as Executive Director, she is a Research Professor of Geography and Ecology.  Her discovery areas are wetlands of all kinds and landscape ecology, and she works a great deal on how human activities impact the ability of natural systems to provide ecosystem services.  Her favorite teaching activity involves escorting multi-disciplinary teams of students to Peru, and helping them unpack the UN Sustainable Development Goals to find a focus to their work.  She serves on science committees that advise both the Chesapeake Bay and Everglades restoration efforts, and passionately supports humans and aquatic systems finding ways to bring out the best in each other.

Kathryn Jo Brasier, Ph.D.

Professor of Rural Sociology

Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences

Kathryn's research program focuses on collective action, networks and public participation related to agricultural, natural resource, and environmental issues. Specific research projects include networks and adoption of on-farm conservation technologies; networks as a means for rural and agricultural economic development; community watershed organizations; social and economic impacts of natural resource extraction; land use change and the social and ecological causes and consequences; and the effects of space and scale on farm and environmental decision-making.

Mary Sketch Bryant

Director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition

Virginia Tech, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Mary is the Director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and is based in Richmond, Virginia, working to increase coordination and collaboration of partners to advance soil health across the state. She has experience working with collaboratives and coalitions across the country at the intersection of economic and environmental wellbeing with a focus on working lands and rural communities. Prior to working with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, she worked at the Center for Rural Strategies where she helped coordinate the Rural Assembly, a coalition of rural stakeholders across the US. She received her Master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech and her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University. Through her graduate research she worked directly with agricultural producers and conservation practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of how farmers and ranchers approach conservation and land management decisions.

Matt Ehrhart

Director of Watershed Restoration

Stroud Water Research Center

Matthew Ehrhart’s work is focused primarily on water quality, watershed restoration, agricultural conservation and preservation, and the associated policy and implementation issues.

Matt has a B.S. in Environmental Resources Management from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.Eng. in Engineering Science from the Pennsylvania State University.

Mark Masters

Director of the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center 

Albany State University

Mark Masters currently serves as Director of the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center at Albany State University and is a leading expert in agricultural water use and policy in the Southeastern U.S. Throughout his career, Mark has led numerous research and outreach projects related to water resources in Georgia and has positioned the Center as a trusted technical resource for the State and its water planning efforts.  Mark is active on a number of local, state and national advisory boards including the American Farm Bureau Water Advisory Committee, Governor’s Soil and Water Advisory Committee, the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership Board of Directors.

Annie Mook

Senior Team Scientist

Colorado State University, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences

Anne Mook is a senior team scientist at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS) at Colorado State University. She earned a PhD from the University of Florida in Sociology and specializes in environmental sociology, political economy, and computational social science. Her research interests surround topics related to social and market predictors that make agricultural, forestry, and fishery production fairer and more sustainable. 

Alex Metcalf

Associate Professor of Human Dimensions

University of Montana, Department of Society and Conservation

Alex Metcalf is  a social scientist in the broad field of human dimensions of natural resources. Alex applies theories and methods from a variety of psychology- and sociology-related disciplines to understand and address natural resource issues while also advancing theory. He uses qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, including spatial (GIS) techniques, to understand relationships between humans and the environment, and the consequences of conservation behaviors across scales. He is particularly interested in (1) using theories of social-ecological system dynamics to inform management toward desired outcomes; (2) understanding the factors which drive individual private landowner conservation decisions and behaviors (including cross-boundary realities of many natural resources) to better encourage stewardship; (3) improving the use and measurement of attitudes, beliefs, and values to inform agency and NGO decisions; and (4) helping ensure people and communities are fairly and meaningfully engaged in dialogue around natural resource decisions. Alex orients his  research toward a variety of natural resource contexts and issues, including forest management, private land conservation, fire policy and management, invasive species control, and human-wildlife interaction.

Tim Rosen

Director of Agriculture and Restoration

ShoreRivers

Tim manages ShoreRivers’ agricultural department, partnering with academic, state, and federal agencies to advance research on agricultural best management practices, managing restoration projects, completing watershed assessments, and working with farmers and landowners to reduce land based pollution.

Tim grew up outside of Baltimore on one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most polluted tributaries. He majored in biology and minored in environmental studies at Mount St. Mary’s University and completed a master’s degree in watershed hydrology at Louisiana State University. Following graduate school he entered into Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Conservation Corps with Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy (a ShoreRivers legacy organization).

Dr. Kurt Stephenson

Professor

Virginia Tech, Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics

Kurt Stephenson's research interests include market-based environmental policies, water resource economics and policy, and the role of economic analysis in public policy. His current work focuses on environmental trading programs (water quality trading, carbon offset and credit programs, wetland mitigation, etc), evaluation of agricultural nonpoint source policies, and the design of payment for environmental service programs.

Kevin Tate

Project Manager of the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative

Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley

Kevin Tate has served as the Project Manager of the NFWF funded Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative (SVCC) since 2020. 

The SVCC is a partnership of regional nonprofits, land trusts, and state and federal agencies working to achieve shared goals in land conservation, water quality, and agricultural vitality in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Erin Trouba

Masters Student and Rural Sociologist

Pennsylvania State University

Walt Whitmer

Senior Extension Educator

Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

Walt is Senior Extension Educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education on Penn State's University Park campus. He is responsible for statewide educational programs and research in the area of Economic and Community Development.

His areas of expertise include community engagement, community decision-making, economic development, organizational development, program evaluation, survey development, conflict management, grant-writing and facilitation.

Walt also serves on a range of local and state non-profit boards and holds a number of leadership positions within Penn State as well as nationally.