Chesapeake Conservancy Hires New Director of Programs

Jenn Aiosa Brings Vast Science, Community and Environmental Experience

Annapolis, MD – Chesapeake Conservancy today announced that Jenn Aiosa has joined the Conservancy’s staff as the organization’s new director of programs.

Aiosa was most recently acting director of operations with the Maryland Department of Planning and was previously the director of policy and research.  At the Environmental Defense Fund, Aiosa served as Chesapeake senior conservation manager.  As senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Aiosa was a leader in the Maryland environmental community advocating for the Chesapeake for 12 years.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Chesapeake Conservancy team,” Jenn Aiosa, director of programs, Chesapeake Conservancy, said. “I have been watching the Chesapeake Conservancy, a relatively young organization, grow over the years and have been impressed by their ability to focus on precision conservation and public access.  I appreciate their innovative use of technology and ability to form strategic partnerships to advance conservation in the Chesapeake.  I look forward to focusing on collaborative approaches to land conservation and Chesapeake Bay protection.”

“Jenn has been a leader, fighting for a cleaner and healthier Chesapeake for years,” Joel Dunn, president & CEO of the Chesapeake Conservancy, said. “Her scientific background, leadership skills, and ability to get things done will help advance the Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission and goals throughout the watershed.”

She has also worked for the Cooperative Extension at the University of Maryland, the Maryland Coastal Bays National Estuary Program and in the Washington, D.C. office of former Congressman Wayne Gilchrest.

Aiosa serves on Bluewater Baltimore’s board of directors and chairs the policy committee. She is also a former board member and active volunteer with Friends of Patterson Park.

The Conservancy’s former director of programs, Joanna Ogburn, a native of the Eastern Shore, will continue to support the Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission, particularly on the Nanticoke and Choptank, on a consultant basis.