Chesapeake Conservancy Welcomes New Board Members

Chair Thanks Former Chairman and Members for Their Service

Annapolis, MD – Today, Chesapeake Conservancy announced that Marc Bunting, Leslie Delagran, Randall Larrimore, and Dr. Mamie Parker have been elected to the organization’s board of directors. Additionally, three members recently finished their terms—Paul E. Hagen, Edward T. McMahon, and Nicholas H. Dilks.

The board also elected Douglas P. Wheeler to serve a second term as chair, Anne W. Scott as vice chair, Robert Gensler to serve a second term as treasurer, and Robert G. Stanton as secretary.

Welcoming New Members

Marc Bunting is CEO of the Blue Jar Family Council, a multigenerational family council that inspires and encourages future generations to understand and strengthen the Bunting/Kranzlin/Duffy family values and foster wealth. In addition, Mr. Bunting is the chief financial officer and co-founder of Alpine Food Service Solutions. Alpine was incorporated in 1996, and within two years had established itself as a unique food service provider for host locations on college campuses and hospitals within the United States. Alpine currently operates healthy food service concepts that have won numerous quality product and service awards since its inception.

Mr. Bunting received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stevenson University, and earned a Wealth Management Certificate from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. A native Baltimorean, Mr. Bunting serves on the board of directors for a number of organizations, such as Civic Works, Alex Brown Reality, Inc., Washington College, Outward Bound and Catholic Charities. His philanthropic ventures include his role as director of the Bunting Family Foundation.

Leslie Delagran is a senior fellow at the World Wildlife Fund, where she focuses on fisheries sustainability and environmental provisions in trade agreements. In recent years, she has worked to highlight the extent of illegally caught seafood in international trade and to limit fisheries subsidies that lead to global overfishing. She has more than 30 years of experience in government policy and economic consulting. She was previously an economist at Oceana.

Ms. Delagran earned her BSc.(Econ) from the London School of Economics, her MA in economics from the University of Toronto and her Master of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Randall Larrimore is a director of Olin Corporation (since 1997), director of Campbell Soup Company (since 2002), and a director of Nixon Medical Wear (since 2009). As a director, he has served on Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees. He brings extensive knowledge about strategy, marketing, sales and operations to the board. Mr. Larrimore was non-executive chair of Olin Corporation from 2003 to 2005 after retiring as president and chief executive officer and a director of United Stationers, Inc (now known as Essendant) in 2002.  United Stationers, with current revenues of $5 billion, is North America’s largest wholesale distributor of business products.

Prior to joining United Stationers in 1997, Mr. Larrimore was president and chief executive officer of MasterBrand Industries, Inc. (now named Fortune Brands Home and Security) with current revenues of $5 billion. He was responsible for the operations of Moen Incorporated, Master Lock Company and other home improvement companies. Before 1984, Mr. Larrimore served as President of Pepsi-Cola Italy, was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., and a brand manager with Richardson-Vicks (now part of P&G). Mr. Larrimore, a former member of the Chesapeake Conservancy’s Chesapeake Council, has also served on numerous non-profit boards. He also was a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. He holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Mamie Parker previously served on the Chesapeake Conservancy’s board from 2009 until 2015. Dr. Parker is currently the president of M.A. Parker and Associates, LLC. She is the former assistant director of fisheries and habitat conservation at the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  Earlier, Dr. Parker served as the first Black FWS Regional Director of the 13 Northeastern states.

She is an author in the American Fisheries Society’s most recently released book entitled The Future of Fisheries. The Governor of Arkansas inducted her into the Arkansas Hall of Fame for her accomplishment as the first Arkansas native to rise to the Head of Fisheries in this country. Dr. Parker serves on the Brown Advisory Sustainability Board and the board of directors of the Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Student Conservation Association, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, National Wildlife Refuge Association and Defenders of Wildlife.

“The board is thrilled to welcome these new members. Each brings tremendous experience from very diverse backgrounds and a number of different skill sets that will strengthen the Chesapeake Conservancy in the pursuit our mission. Their involvement will be invaluable during this time of growth of the organization,” Chesapeake Conservancy Board Chair Doug Wheeler said.

Thanking Former Members

Paul Hagen joined the board in 2009.  He became secretary and then chairman in 2014. Hagen also served as the chair of the Strategic Plan Ad Hoc Committee and Nominating & Governance Committee.

Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn presents a gift to former Board Chair Paul Hagen.

“The entire board and I are truly grateful for the leadership and dedication Paul has shown during his term as a board member and chair,” Wheeler said. “Paul has participated on every committee in the organization, and was instrumental in the development of the original strategic plan, the updated strategic plan, and in developing a system for candidate nominations. He has helped to bring several new board members to the organization, creating a lasting legacy for his service.  Paul has been a stalwart supporter since he joined the organization, and we are most grateful for his service.”

The Conservancy’s accomplishments during Hagen’s term as chairman include advocacy for the establishment of the Harriet Tubman Underground Rail Road National Historical Park; leadership of the 2015 Rivers of the Chesapeake Collaborative proposal, which was awarded $11 million for conservation in the Chesapeake and $2 million for public access in the federal budget; and support for designation of Mallows Bay – Potomac River as a National Marine Sanctuary.

Ed McMahon has served on the board since 2017. Nick Dilks was the board’s founding treasurer, and served also as director of the corporation when the Friends of the John Smith Trail was originally established. He served as treasurer and chair of the Finance & Audit Committee until 2014.

“We thank Paul, Ed, and Nick for everything they contributed during their time on the board,” Wheeler said. “It has been a pleasure to work with such passionate and enthusiastic people.”