James Piper Bond is president and CEO of Living Classrooms Foundation, a Baltimore- Washington, DC-based nonprofit that disrupts the cycle of poverty and makes our community safer, stronger, and healthier by meeting individuals where they are and giving them skills for life.
Heather North Lockwood is the Virginia Oyster Restoration Specialist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Connor Tupponce, 19, is a citizen of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe of King William, Virginia and is a member of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe of Charles City. Connor also serves as a Tribal Youth Representative, traveling to Washington, D.C. to educate youth about the policy side of being native.
As executive director of Baltimore Tree Trust (BTT), Mark Conway runs a non-profit committed to restoring the city's urban forest and making Baltimore a healthier and more beautiful place to live, through increased tree plantings, community engagement, and advocacy.
Alonso Abugattas is a well-known local naturalist, environmental educator and storyteller in the Washington, DC area. He is currently the Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County Parks, VA and is the long-time co-chair for the Chesapeake Region 2 (Mid-Atlantic region) of the National Association for Interpretation.
Karis King is the event and communications manager for the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), an Annapolis-based nonprofit carrying out large-scale oyster restoration projects in Maryland. She enjoys spending time outdoors and sharing the important role oysters play in a healthy and prosperous Chesapeake Bay.
Katey Nelson has been the education manager at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) since 2011. In this position, she is responsible for planning and leading “hands-on, feet-wet” environmental education field programs for over 8,000 students a year and directing a ten-week summer camp program.
Jake Leizear is a GIS Fellow with the National Parks Service and the Chesapeake Conservancy who has just finished a year of service with the Chesapeake Conservation Corps. His work focuses on geospatial data stewardship, furthering the goals of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership, and assisting in shared GIS goals/projects.
When it comes to the James River Park System, few people know it as well as Nathan Burrell. Currently the park’s superintendent, he has worked there for 15 years, beginning as an intern working with only one other person on staff to manage 600 acres in the middle of Downtown Richmond.
Lara Lutz is a writer who has worked as a writer and editor dealing with environmental issues and heritage in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for a variety of organizations and publications since 1995.
Ann Graziano is the president of the Rappahannock Wildlife Refuge Friends, an independent nonprofit group of individuals dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System and promoting awareness of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Leo Vensel is a fly fishing guide in Southwest Pennsylvania, focusing mainly on wild trout on the Little Juniata River.
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