Board Members, September 2011
Officers
Stephanie K. Meeks, Vice Chair
Stephanie was recently selected to serve as the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities, and will start her new position in July 2010. Most recently, she was President and CEO of Counterpart International, a US-based international development and humanitarian assistance organization working in 42 countries. Prior to Counterpart, Stephanie was the Acting President and CEO and Chief Operating Officer at The Nature Conservancy, one of the world’s largest and most influential conservation organizations. In these roles, she was responsible for mobilizing 4,000 employees in 35 countries, and an operating budget exceeding $1 billion. Ms. Meeks received her Master of Business Administration from George Washington University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Colorado. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of RARE, an organization that uses best practices in social marketing to influence natural resource conservation.
Bert L. Swain, Treasurer
Bert is a certified public accountant with Goodman & Company, LLP. He has more than twenty-five years experience in auditing and accounting for not-for-profit organizations. An active member of several C.P.A. associations, Bert has served as chairman of the Not-for-Profit Organizations Committee and on the Board of Governors with the Greater Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Bert has also served as President of the GWSCPA in 1995-1996 and is Past President of the Not-for-Profit Services Association. He holds a B.S. in accounting and a M.S. in Taxation from American University. Bert is a member of the Swain family, whose ancestors worked, boated, and served as lock tenders on the C&O Canal. Swain's Lock was named after the family, and Bert grew up in the lockhouse.
Alison Taylor, Secretary
Alison is Vice President of Sustainability-Americas where she is responsible for driving the sustainability program for the Americas and acting as a resource for sustainability initiatives across Siemens’ business sectors. In her previous role as Director, Government Affairs, Taylor represented Siemens' position on environmental issues with Congress and the Executive Branch. Prior to joining Siemens, Ms. Taylor was Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Prior to her service on Capitol Hill, Ms. Taylor was an equity partner in the Denver-based law firm Davis, Graham and Stubbs, LLC where she specialized in water law, mining law and environmental law. Ms. Taylor graduated from Duke University with an undergraduate degree in biology, and the University of Denver with a juris doctorate degree. She was Managing Editor of the Denver University Law Review.
Directors
Byron Bradley
Byron is founder of “Come Out and Play! Adventures”, an outdoor adventure sports company. Born, raised, and educated in Washington, DC, he has attained Instructor and skill level certifications from the American Red Cross for Swimming and Water Safety Instructor, P.A.D.I. Professional Association of Diving Instructors Dive Master Certification, AMGA American Mountain Guide Association for Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Guide, American Wheelman Association for Bicycle Guide, American Sailing Association for Sailing, and ACE American Council on Exercise Personal Training and Group Fitness Instruction. He has worked as an Instructor and Guide for Potomac Outdoors/Adventure Schools, Outer Quest Adventure Camps, Calleva Adventure Camps, and Maryland National Parks and Planning. Byron graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Electro-Mechanical Systems Engineering Technologies from the University of the District of Columbia.
Julie Chapman
Julie brings more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry plus a deep commitment and long history of community and nonprofit involvement. Julie was hired as president of NPower in spring 2003. Under Julie’s leadership, NPower has become a well respected player in the local nonprofit community. NPower now supports the networks of close to 40 area nonprofits and their nearly 1000 employees. Julie learned to kayak on the Potomac River after moving to the DC area from
Mark joined the Conservancy in April, 2011. He is the founding partner and visionary for both Navigator Wealth Management, LLC, Registered Investment Advisor, and Cohen & Burnett, P.C., Attorneys and Counselors at Law, and licensed to practice law in both Virginia and Arizona. He is a registered representative of Pacific West Securities, Inc., an independent broker/dealer, and a past president of the Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council. Mark is an active member of the Legislative Committee of the Wills Trusts and Estates Section of the Virginia State Bar Association. He is also a frequent lecturer and writer, specializing in estate taxes and ethics, and co-authored Lessons to My Children: Simple Life Lessons for Financial Success, Wealth and Abundance. Mark enjoys anything that gets him outdoors, especially cycling, kayaking, flying small airplanes, sailing, and backpacking.
Holley is a 20-year marketing professional who has worked for major Washington, D.C. nonprofits such as The Smithsonian Institution, The Nature Conservancy, and WETA. Darden’s experience ranges from corporate sponsorship sales for nonprofit-driven marketing initiatives to new business development, contract negotiation, partner services, and working with agencies to ensure results. Ms. Darden has experience in corporate sponsorship sales for nonprofit-driven marketing initiative, has developed national public service advertising campaign,s and has extensive experience in developing original marketing programs that raise brand awareness and help drive fundraising results. Prior to her work for the nonprofit sector, Darden spent several years in brand management with Procter & Gamble where she led the introduction of Folgers Singles into the marketplace. Darden earned her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Southern California and her M.B.A. from Georgetown University.
Charles M. Fleischman
Chuck has rafted and climbed the walls of river canyons all over the world, especially our own Potomac basin. He is the former President, COO & CFO of Digene Corporation (now Qiagen), where he created an emerging growth, biotechnology medical device company to develop, manufacture and commercialize molecular diagnostic tests for human infectious diseases and cancers. Digene changed medical practice and standards of care in cervical cancer screening and prevention. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Dako, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Institute for Health Studies (InHealth) in Washington, DC. He serves on the National Advisory Council of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
Mark Haynes
Mark is currently Vice President for Energy Development and Washington Operations for General Atomics. Early in his career, Mark was a water quality inspector in Kentucky, and he later staffed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. A committed and frequent canoeist, Mark holds an MEn in Environmental Sciences from Miami University and a BS in Environmental Science from Morehead State University.
Robert Hurley
Robert F. Hurley is a partner at The Accord Group, Inc., a government relations consulting firm in Washington, DC. Mr. Hurley has more than 30 years of congressional and public affairs experience in the Washington, DC, area. During his years of service in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Hurley served as Republican Staff Director of the Environment and Public Works Committee and as Chief of Staff to Senator John. H. Chafee (R-RI). He was deeply involved in developing and managing legislation and related regulatory issues as diverse as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act,. Prior to his Senate service, Mr. Hurley worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, handled media and public affairs for the National Wildlife Federation, was a member of the ABC News team, and a graduate of American University. He enjoys fishing, boating, and hiking in the Potomac River watershed.
Thomas Kiernan
Tom is the president of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and joined the Conservancy in April 2011. Under his leadership, NPCA has launched several programs targeted to making specific, lasting improvements in the National Park System. Previously, he served as president of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, and was a senior-level official in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Air and Radiation under George H.W. Bush. Tom has held positions with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Arthur Andersen & Company. Tom grew up in Virginia, kayaking in Mather Gorge. He was co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center in Colorado, and has tested the white waters throughout the United States and Africa, achieving top-ten status in the U.S. in slalom kayaking. Tom holds an M.B.A. from Stanford and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
G. Tracy Mehan, III
Throughout his career in conservation, Tracy has been a leader in watershed protection. He is currently a Principal with The Cadmus Group, Inc., an environmental consulting firm with offices in Arlington, Virginia. From 2001-2003, Tracy served as Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he managed both the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts programs. He also served as director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, Associate Deputy Administrator at EPA, and director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Tracy, a graduate ofSaint Louis University and its law school, is known as a proponent of collaborative partnerships in restoring waters polluted by runoff from the surrounding landscape. He is a member of the Water Environment Federation and the Environmental Law Institute. He also serves as an adjunct professor in environmental law at George Mason University Law School.
Rafe Pomerance
Rafe has more than 30 years of experience in the environmental field. He is a founder and Chairman of the Climate Policy Center, a non-profit focused on developing equitable and efficient policies to deal with global warming. From 1993 to 1999, Rafe served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Development, where he helped formulate U.S. policy on global environmental issues. In his distinguished career, Rafe has also worked as a Senior Associate at World Resources Institute; served as President of Friends of the Earth; was a founder and chairman of the Board of American Rivers; and served as chairman on the Board of League of Conservation Voters.
Harry Rauner
Harry Rauner is currently president of United Financial Banking Companies, a bank holding company in Vienna, Virginia; president and CEO of The Business Bank, a community-based commercial bank specializing in providing services to small business, and CEO of Business Venture Capital, Inc. He is a past director of the Northern Virginia Community Foundation and a founding director of the Rotary Club of Dunn Loring, Virginia, as well as Director of The Community Banker's Bank, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Harry has a Bachelors of Science degree in Management and a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University.
Long-time community activist and organizer Cary Ridder has expertise in nonprofit management, fundraising, and event planning. Cary has a sustained interest in the Potomac River, having grown up along the banks of the Potomac Gorge in McLean, Virginia, and is now living in the Palisades neighborhood of Washington, DC, just one block away from the overlook to Chain Bridge. Cary holds a B.A. in History from Stanford University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. She has worked as a consultant to many local and national environmental groups and was President of the Palisades Citizens Association. At present, Cary is Development Director at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
Sunny Jung Scully
Sunny was a founding principal with Lewis.Scully.Gionet.Inc, and has been a registered landscape architect for more than 25 years. Involved locally and nationally with the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Urban Land Institute (Washington's Smart Growth Committee), and the Board of Casey Tree Foundation, she has also served on the Board of the Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run and on the Ballston Partnership Board and its Urban Design Committee. She served as the president of the Woolly Mammoth Theater and is currently working with their building committee to finalize its new theater facility. Sunny's interests lie in the cultural and natural environment around Washington.
Mark Van Putten
Mark is Past President of the National Wildlife Federation, the nation's largest membership-based conservation organization. He is now principal of Conservation Strategy, an environmental strategy and organizational development consulting firm that he founded in 2003. Mark is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law. The Conservancy benefits from his expertise on environmental litigation, strategic planning, and organization building.
Bill brings a wealth of public policy and public relations experience to M+R. Bill has helped numerous M+R clients design large-scale grassroots programs, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Prostate Cancer Coalition. Before joining M+R, Bill served in the Clinton Administration as director of the Office of Consumer Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he advised the Secretary of Agriculture on consumer issues, conducted constituent briefings and public hearings on departmental programs, and directed marketing campaigns to improve childhood nutrition. He has led numerous national campaigns on consumer, environmental, and civil liberties issues.