Annapolis, MD – Today, Chesapeake Conservancy announced that Rich Batiuk and Pam Marks have been elected to the organization’s board of directors.

‍

“Both of these new board members will lend expertise that will help advance our efforts to conserve 30% of the Chesapeake by 2030, address the effects of climate change and create a Chesapeake National Recreation Area as part of the National Park Service,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Chair Randall Larrimore.

‍

"In my decades of work with the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership, I had the opportunity to work directly with the Chesapeake Conservancy's talented staff and visionary leaders, witnessing firsthand the almost limitless potential for how their work could revolutionize our Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Member Rich Batiuk. “Now I am given the opportunity to help align the strengths of the Conservancy with the needs to accelerate on the ground restoration and protection efforts."

‍

“Recently, I observed firsthand the effectiveness and creativity of the Chesapeake Conservancy, as I had the opportunity to assist with its project to expand Quiet Waters Park through conservation of adjacent land. The effort was bold, practical and successful, a testament to Chesapeake Conservancy’s leadership and vision, and its commitment to strong collaboration with multiple critically important stakeholders to achieve well-defined goals,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Member Pam Marks. “I am deeply impressed with the Chesapeake Conservancy’s ability to play a vital role in conservation and improving public access to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and I look forward to my work on the board.”

‍

Rich Batiuk

Rich Batiuk was the associate director for science, analysis, and implementation at the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program Office located in Annapolis, Maryland. In his 33 years with EPA and working for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, he led the integration of science into multi-partner policy-making and collaborative decision-making. Working with academic, agency, advocacy and business experts, Rich was responsible for providing federal, state, regional and local partners and stakeholders with innovative technical and programmatic solutions to complex policy issues facing restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and the surrounding 41 million-acre watershed.

‍

Rich has now teamed up with Holly Greening, former Director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, as co-founders of CoastWise Partners to apply their combined 70+ years of experience to provide help with development and implementation of collaborative watershed management strategies. They are working with a wide array of agencies, organizations and partnerships across the country and around the world, all for only good food!

‍

He received his Bachelor of Science in environmental science from the University of New Hampshire in 1984 and his Master of Science in environmental toxicology from American University in Washington D.C. in 1985. Rich lives in Annapolis with his wife Susan, enjoying more time for fly fishing, kayaking, hiking, camping, bird watching and traveling to some amazing natural places.

‍

‍

Pam Marks

Pam Marks practices environmental law as a principal with the national environmental law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, PC. and helped to establish the firm’s Baltimore office. She assists clients with environmental regulatory issues and litigation, with a focus on water, waste and land remediation issues. In her work, Pam routinely collaborates with scientific, engineering and other technical experts, confronting cross-disciplinary challenges. Prior to entering private practice, Pam served in the public sector as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Maryland Department of the Environment. At the beginning of her career, she clerked for a Maryland Federal District Court Judge. Pam earned her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania, and her undergraduate degree from University of Michigan.

‍

Pam’s community work has included service on several non-profit boards through the years. Pam also helped to establish the Thurgood Marshall Clerkship Program within the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, an internship program committed to attract diverse students with a devotion to public service.

Pam’s recreation and family time has been rooted in the outdoors. For decades, Pam has enjoyed exploring creeks and rivers within the Chesapeake watershed by canoe, often with her husband Michael and two (now grown) daughters. Pam also loves to hike, enjoys photography, and is a life-long sailor. She grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, sailing on Lake Erie and small inland lakes.