Dr. Jana Davis
Associate Executive Director and Chief Scientist
Dr. Jana Davis is the Associate Executive Director and Chief Scientist of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. She oversees the Trust’s portfolio of grant programs focusing on watershed restoration, education, outreach, and innovation. Jana is a marine ecologist, with a B.S. in biology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and works at the intersection of science and policy. Her research includes work on fish and blue crab ecology, fisheries, aquaculture, and shoreline habitat restoration. This work was begun at Scripps and continued at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, where she was a postdoctoral fellow, and at the Williams College – Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program, where she was an oceanography faculty member.
Prior to coming to the Trust, Jana served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Science Fellow in the United State Senate, sponsored by the American Geophysical Union. There, she handled ocean, coastal, and other environmental issues for Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and wrote legislation on such topics as ocean and coastal literacy and deep sea coral protection. Jana continues an active research program on shoreline restoration and ecology issues. She served as an editor of the Proceedings of the 2006 Living Shoreline Summit, serves as a Contributing Editor for the scientific journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, and has published work in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Fisheries Research, Eos, Aquaculture, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and Limnology and Oceanography.
Jamie Baxter
Program Director
Jamie worked for 8 years with Chesapeake Bay Foundation leading education and environmental restoration programs and 4 years as the Director of the Tributary Strategies Program for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In this role he led state efforts to implement the Tributary Strategy through policy development, extensive inter-agency coordination and the engagement of key stakeholders.
In 2007, Jamie joined the Chesapeake Bay Trust as Program Director for Capacity Building, Community Engagement, and Environmental Education. As Program Director, Jamie leads initiatives in cooperation with funding partners, non-profit organizations, community leaders, and others to increase the effectiveness of programs to protect and restore local rivers and advance environmental literacy in Maryland and the region.
Jamie holds degrees in Economics and Environmental Science from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
Tara Baker
Program Associate
Tara Baker joined the Trust in 2011 as the Grant Programs Assistant. Tara helps manage the Chesapeake Conservation Corps program, serves as initial point of contact for all grant applicants, processes all grant applications, assists in grant review, serves as lead on final report compliance and provides overall support for the Grant Program Officers.
Tara graduated from Ursinus College with a B.A. in Political Science and History and is currently enrolled in Johns Hopkins University’s Environmental Science and Policy graduate program. Prior to her work with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Tara worked at a health advisory firm supporting two teams of advisors in directing clients to an excelled level of healthcare. Tara lives in Baltimore with her two bad cats. In her spare time, Tara enjoys being outside whether it is hiking, mountain biking, gardening, camping or traveling.
Kristin Foringer
Communciations & Development Associate
Kristin Foringer joined the Trust in 2011 as a Communications and Development Associate. Kristin helps manage the communications strategy, development outreach and marketing initiatives, while also managing the social media outlets for the Trust.
Kristin graduated from Miami University with a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Geography. Prior to her work with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Kristin worked with the Chesapeake Research Consortium as staff to the Chesapeake Bay Program. She was also a member of the marketing team behind the behavior change campaign “Plant More Plants” that launched in early 2011. In her spare time, Kristin enjoys hiking, swimming, traveling and photography.
Molly Alton Mullins
Director of Communications & Development
Molly Alton Mullins re-joined the Chesapeake Bay Trust in September 2010 where she is responsible for managing the organization’s communications strategy, development outreach and marketing initiatives. Molly previously served as the Trust’s director of communications in 2007, where she helped lead the organization’s public relations activities and expand its fundraising capabilities.
In addition to her work at the Trust, Molly brings more than 10 years of communications, marketing and development experience to the position. Molly has worked for multiple nonprofit organizations, public affairs and development firms and on Capitol Hill during her career, most recently as a communications consultant for the Chesapeake Conservancy where she managed communications development and event planning. She is also a founding board of director for the Bowen Foundation for Autism, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing funds and services for children with autism and their families.
Molly has a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park, specializing in public relations and governmental policy. She lives in Annapolis with her husband, two young children and two very lazy Labrador retrievers.
Steve Russo
Director Finance and Administration
As Director of Finance and Administration, Steve Russo is responsible for planning and directing the financial, human resource and information technology activities of the Trust. He possesses over 15 years of nonprofit and governmental financial management experience at the federal, state and local levels. Before coming to the Trust, Steve served as Chief Financial Officer for the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, working with national real estate development firms to finance major waterfront development initiatives in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he served as an Agency CFO for the Government of the District of Columbia and as Director of Finance for the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh, where he participated in debt financings for a number of major economic development projects in the City of Pittsburgh. In addition, he has worked for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Steve holds a B.A. degree and an M.P.A. degree in public management and policy from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He is a graduate of the federal government’s Presidential Management Internship Program and has received numerous awards and commendations for his achievements in public sector financial management.
Hieu Truong
Program Officer
As Program Officer, Hieu Truong manages the Watershed Assistance grant program, the Urban Greening program, and leads the Trust’s Diversity Initiative. Through these programs, Hieu works with funding partners, local municipalities, and non-profit organizations to more fully connect all residents of Maryland—particularly historically underserved communities such as communities of color—in locally based efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Prior to joining the Trust, Hieu has worked at the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), Enterprise Community Partners, and Baltimore City’s Department of Planning. She has graduated from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design with a Master in Urban Planning and from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with a B.S. in Geography and Environmental Systems and a B.A. in American Studies.
Kacey Wetzel
Program Associate
Kacey Wetzel joined the Trust in 2007 and now leads the Chesapeake Bay Trust Outreach and Community Engagement Grant Program and the Mini Grant Program. Kacey works with funding partners, non-profit organizations, community leaders, and schools to identify and develop projects that build Chesapeake Bay stewards through environmental education, on-the-ground restoration, and community engagement activities.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Kacey graduated from Rollins College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Kacey has studied water and waste management in the Dominican Republic and environmental sustainability in Costa Rica. Prior to her work with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, she worked as an environmental scientist with SAV Engineers and as an assistant marine mammal trainer at the Miami Seaquarium; Kacey is a Maryland Master Gardener and a certified open water diver. Kacey lives with her husband Doug, and her uniquely amazing dog Rilo. In her spare time, Kacey enjoys swimming, running, hiking, and traveling.
Jen Wijetunga
Senior Program Officer
Jen Wijetunga joined the Trust to lead the Restoration, Living Shoreline, and Pioneer Programs. As a Professional Engineer, Jen has worked in the transportation and stormwater management fields. Jen brings expertise of low impact design practices and she is excited to be working in restoration.
Jen has lived in Maryland since she was two years old where she grew up swimming and boating in the Bay’s tributaries (first the Elk River and then her parents’ job changes moved her to the Magothy River). Jen holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and is currently working on her M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Annapolis with her husband and their crazy black cat Nala. Jen and her husband love to travel to visit their friends and family around the world.
|
