The Shadow
ANNAPOLIS, MD (VR) – Chair of the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission (CBC), Maryland Senator Sarah Elfreth, joined by Vice-Chairs Pennsylvania Senator Scott Martin and Virginia Senator Lynwood Lewis, today announced they have – with much gratitude and reluctance – accepted the retirement of Ann Pesiri Swanson, from her position as the Commission’s Executive Director, a job she has held since 1988.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state legislative body that advises the general assemblies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia on matters of Bay-wide concern. For four decades, the vast majority of the time with Ms. Swanson’s guiding hand, Commission members have successfully championed state legislative action, in both policy and budget, to help restore the environmental health and sustainability of the 64,000 square mile watershed.
Ms. Swanson is a respected leader not just in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but nationally and globally, for her ability to forge policies, laws and implementation strategies that power the large-scale ecosystem restoration. She has carried the message and lessons-learned from the Bay to the other corners of the world.
In addition, Ms. Swanson, has been honored many times for her lifetime of work, including being named an Admiral of the Chesapeake by former Maryland Governor O’Malley, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chesapeake Conservancy and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from her alma mater, the University of Vermont.
Capping her amazing career was the successful passage of significant legislation in Pennsylvania this month, to better regulate fertilizer application on turf, and provide significant funding for agricultural best management practices via the Clean Streams Fund.
Ms. Swanson will formally end her tenure with the Commission on November 21st, and the Commission
will advertise to hire a new Executive Director in August.
Quotes
Senator Sarah Elfreth (Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission and Maryland Delegation, on behalf of Maryland Delegation)
“No history of the Bay movement can be written without mentioning Ann’s steadfast leadership across the watershed. Her ability to bring legislators, administrations, and grassroots advocates together on the most controversial issues – and build meaningful consensus and execute legislative and budget progress – over the last 35 years is unparalleled. On a personal level, I’m incredibly grateful to call Ann a friend and mentor and will continue to call on her wisdom for counsel in the years and battles ahead”
Delegate David Bulova (Member, Virginia Delegation, on behalf of Virginia Delegation)
“We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Ann for more than three decades of leadership as Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. While members have come and gone, she has been our heart and soul – using her background in science and her incredible interpersonal skills to keep restoration of the Bay moving forward. We will especially miss hearing Ann’s signature “You know…,” which is always followed by another idea for how to strengthen our tri-state partnership or tackle an emerging idea. Always quick to give credit to others, few people have been more foundational to the Bay restoration movement than Ann. On behalf of the entire Virginia Delegation, we wish Ann much happiness on her next adventures.”
Representative Mike Sturla (Member, Pennsylvania Delegation, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Delegation)
“Pennsylvania congratulates Ann Swanson on her well-deserved retirement. Ann’s candid and collaborative nature enabled effective agreements between bipartisan delegations from three states for more than three decades. Due to her passionate and dedicated leadership, the Chesapeake Bay Commission has taken significant actions throughout its history to improve and protect the bay. While we will miss her expertise and knowledge, her legacy will live on forever in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We are deeply grateful for her exemplary public service and we plan to continue to seek her advice for as long as she is willing to pick up the phone when we call.”
