Annapolis, MD – Today, Chesapeake Conservancy welcomed four new members to their board of directors: Astrid Caldas, Adam Gronski, Ava Shivers and Stephanie Vaughn.

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“On behalf of Chesapeake Conservancy’s board of directors, I am honored to welcome Astrid, Adam, Ava and Stephanie to our team,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Chair Stephanie Meeks. “Each of them brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to help lead the Chesapeake Conservancy as we work with partners to conserve 30% of the Chesapeake’s lands and waters by 2030.”

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“Having been a bay person all my life, born in Rio de Janeiro along the shores of the Guanabara Bay and now living for almost 30 years in the Chesapeake Bay area, I am thrilled to contribute my expertise, experience and time to the Chesapeake Conservancy and its worthy cause, so we can keep this treasured resource for generations to come,” said Caldas.

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“I am honored and thrilled to join the Chesapeake Conservancy board of directors because it combines my passion for the Chesapeake Bay, experience in non-profits and being an entrepreneur. I'm looking forward to working with this inspiring team to carry out the organization's ambitious mission,” said Gronski.

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“I’m thrilled to contribute to Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission to preserve our local waterways and promote equal access to the Bay. Chesapeake Conservancy advances the preservation and restoration of the Chesapeake watersheds, which extend from New York to Virginia. These watersheds are vital to providing healthy drinking water, preserving the ecosystem and safeguarding the biodiversity of the Bay,” said Shivers. “The data produced by Chesapeake Conservancy and shared with partners is essential in making impactful decisions and influencing strategies that preserve the Chesapeake watershed for the millions of people who live, work and play near the Bay,” Shivers continued.

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“Developing thoughtful and effective ways to improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay watershed is an extraordinarily complex task. I am deeply impressed with the Chesapeake Conservancy's focus on using data-driven solutions and technology to advance its mission of conserving and restoring this vital resource. I am both excited and honored to be joining the organization,” said Vaughn.

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Astrid Caldas

Astrid Caldas is a senior climate scientist for community resilience at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), where her work focuses on climate change adaptation and science communication, with practical policy implications for ecosystems, the economy and society - including equitable and just adaptation and resilience measures. She was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she started her career as a field ecologist. After moving to the United States, she staged a change that brought her to the arena of climate change science and policy and related issues of climate justice, biodiversity and sustainability.

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Before joining UCS, Dr. Caldas was a science and technology policy fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a climate change and wildlife science fellow at Defenders of Wildlife, a research scientist at the University of Maryland and a professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

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Caldas has advised on biodiversity projects with the Smithsonian Institution, served on the Scientific Review Committee at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center and worked in both domestic and international settings. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, reading and traveling – and going to a beach on the Bay!

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Adam Gronski

Adam Gronski is the current vice president of corporate marketing and business development at WETA and head of PBS National Sales, a national sales collaboration between WETA, PBS and other producing stations. In his twenty-plus years within public media, Gronski’s teams have been responsible for over five hundred million dollars in corporate sponsorship support for the public television system.

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In addition to his jobs within the PBS system, Gronski runs and manages River Crescent, a boutique real estate investment, development and management firm that owns and operates properties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, among other places. Gronski's previous board commitments include the Doll and Toy Museum of New York, the Arlington, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Embassy Series.

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A graduate of Baruch College (CUNY), Gronski also holds an MPA from the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University. When he's not working, you can usually find him with his family: wife, (Marni) son (Bennett) and Portuguese waterdog (Bimini) either at their primary residence in Arlington, Virginia or their home on the shore in Easton, Maryland.

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Ava Shivers

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Ava’s commitment to community, people and service was sparked early on. Profoundly affected by the clear divide among ethnic and racial groups in her city, Ava realized the power and necessity of using her voice to speak up for those who have been intentionally and systematically pushed to the margins. As the youngest of four, her early experiences nurtured a boldness, bravery and conviction about the need for inclusion, diversity and access, which continue to guide her personal and professional paths.

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A first-generation college graduate, Ava earned her BA and MBA from Loyola University. With more than three decades of experience, she cut her teeth at Ernst & Young, a Big Four accounting firm. Managing a diverse portfolio, Ava gained hands-on experience in forensic accounting, tax and audit -- all of which she leveraged in subsequent roles in manufacturing, construction, healthcare and not-for-profit organizations. As a senior leader in roles ranging from controller to chief financial officer, Ava has a distinct and varied understanding of what is required to manage finances across industries and has developed a track record of leading through organizational change.

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As the current senior director of finance and administration for the Student Conservation Association (SCA), Ava leads financial operations, supervises three department managers and oversees an annual budget of more than $45 million.

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Personally and professionally, Ava continues to seek out opportunities to serve her community and support those around her. Co-founder of Speak on It, Act on It, a Maryland-based non-profit with the explicit goal of raising cultural awareness through education and outreach to improve access and encourage diversity, Ava lives her values daily.

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When she is away from her desk, Ava enjoys cooking, performing and hanging out with her dogs, Roman and Ruby. She loves the adventure of travel and is passionate about design - so much so that HGTV just might be her “Achilles” heel. As the choir director at her local church, Ava uses her positive attitude to encourage and inspire the congregation. She finds the parallels between being a choir director and financial director to be uncannily similar. Both require innovative, progressive and proactive leadership, all of which keep her sharp and ready for the next challenge.

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Stephanie Vaughn

Stephanie Vaughn is a managing supervisor in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, overseeing the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of highly complex sites. For more than 20 years, Stephanie has worked actively with community members, local and state governments, federal partner agencies and private corporations with a goal of finding efficient and effective ways based on sound science to address risks to human health and the environment at sites throughout EPA Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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Stephanie has a particular interest in helping restore the region’s waterways, which run through some of the most heavily industrialized and densely populated areas in the country, so that they may once again become treasured assets for the surrounding communities. She also enjoys engaging with students of all ages about environmental issues that are relevant to them and speaks regularly at schools in New York and New Jersey.

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She holds a BS in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a MS degree in civil and environmental engineering from MIT, with a focus on hydrologic modeling. Stephanie lives with her family in New York City, where she was born and raised. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, cooking, traveling and otherwise getting out of the city as frequently as possible.

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