For organizational questions, contact Robert J. Etgen

Robert J. Etgen has been the Executive Director of ESLC since October 1990. Prior to joining ESLC, Rob was the Land Trust Program Manager for the Maryland Environmental Trust where he assisted in the formation of 18 private land trusts. Before that, he worked for the Soil Conservation Administration of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Attorney’s General’s Office in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and two private law firms in Baltimore. Rob started his career as a Forest Ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service in Morgantown, West Virginia as head of a research program studying the impacts of the Gypsy Moth. He has authored several manuals, booklets, and papers on land conservation issues. Rob was the founding director of the Maryland Heritage Tree Conservancy and serves on the board of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Scenic Maryland, and the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Chesapeake Bay Program. In 1996 he received the Aileen Hughes Award for leadership from the Maryland Land Trust Alliance. Rob received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland and a B. S. in Forestry from West Virginia University. He is also a member of the Maryland Bar. Rob spends his spare time with his wife Suzanne and daughters Caroline and Rose on Colchester Farm in Kent County where they live and where Rob serves as business manager for the 357-acre diversified farming operation. You may contact Rob at 410-827-9756, ext. 166.

For organizational questions, contact Amy Owsley.
 
Amy Owsley is ESLC’s Deputy Director. She returned to the Eastern Shore from New England in 2007 after leading a coastwide conservation collaborative for the Land Trust Alliance called the Maine Coast Protection Initiative. In Amy’s time with ESLC before working in Maine, she created and led the original Eastern Shore 2010 initiative and launched a land use planning educational forum for the Shore. Amy holds a Master in Forest Science from Yale University, a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences from Pennsylvania State University, and was a Knauss Seagrant Fellow, Morris K. Udall Congressional Scholar, and fellow for the National Conservation Leadership Program . She lives in Easton with her husband, Ryan Ewing, their son Liam, daughter Finley Sue, and dog, Radar. When not following the latest land use planning news and politics, you can often find her poking around beaches and trails with Radar, knitting with friends, and enjoying time with her family. You can reach Amy at 443.262.6600.

For administrative questions, contact Jackie Potter.

Jackie Potter is ESLC’s Office Manager. Jackie retired from Chesapeake College after almost twenty years,  most recently serving as Executive Director of the school’s Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Training and Executive Director of the Upper Shore Manufacturing & Business Council. Before joining Chesapeake College, Jackie served as Director of the Society of Fellows for Aspen Institute. Jackie has served on the board of directors of Shore Leadership, and as President of the Maryland Community College Association for Continuing Education & Training. She is a member of the Maryland T.I.M.E. Center, the Chesapeake Women’s Network, and has served on the education committee of the Queen Anne’s Chamber of Commerce. A native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Queen Anne’s County, Jackie is a graduate of Chesapeake College.  She and her husband, Don, and their two daughters, Shannon and Penny,  have raised Appaloosa horses and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.  They have enjoyed their involvement with 4-H and FFA activities at the county, state and national level.  They are enjoying their four granddaughters and the quality of life on the Eastern Shore. You can reach Jackie by calling 410-827-9756, ext. 164, or by emailing jpotter@eslc.org.

To make donations to ESLC or learn about membership and giving options, contact Jennifer Pollard.

Jennifer Pollard is ESLC’s Director of Annual Giving. With more than 16 years’ experience with nonprofits, including eleven years with ESLC, she has also worked in development and public relations for the Macon Heritage Foundation, Orchard House-Home of the Alcotts and Old York Historical Society. Jennifer earned a B. A. in History from Georgia College. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), one of only approximately 124 in the state of Maryland. She is also a graduate of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.  She lives with her husband and two cats in Chestertown. She is a member of the Chester River Rowing Club and is pursuing yoga teacher certification. You can reach Jennifer at 410-827-9756, ext. 155 or jpollard@eslc.org 

For communications needs and media questions, contact Sarah Pearce.

Sarah Pearce is ESLC’s Communications Manager. Sarah joins ESLC with more than eight years of journalism experience and a passion for preserving the character of the Eastern Shore. She is a 2000 graduate of Washington College, where she majored in English and Drama. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. Sarah lives with her husband and two children in Preston.  She enjoys spending time with her family, writing and reading; and she is very interested in the stories of the Eastern Shore’s land and people. Sarah telecommutes on Fridays, and is always happy to travel to a great Shore spot with WiFi on those days to talk about ESLC or to listen to a good story or an interesting bit of history. You can reach Sarah at 410-827-9756, ext. 165 or spearce@eslc.org

For information on policy and advocacy issues at ESLC, please contact Josh Hastings.

Josh Hastings joins ESLC’s team as its Policy Manager. A proud Eastern Shore native, Josh grew up in Wicomico County, on Maryland’s first certified organic farm. Over the past few years, he has served as the Legislative Assistant to the Chair of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, in the Maryland State Senate. Josh has been involved on multiple political campaigns on the local, state and federal level. He is a 2004 and 2005 graduate of Salisbury University, earning a Bachelors in Business Marketing and Bachelors in Political Science, respectively. Josh enjoys live music, disc golf, and surfing off Assateague Island. You can reach Josh at 410-827-9756 extension 169. 

For information on volunteer and outreach opportunities with ESLC, contact Carin Starr.

Carin Starr is ESLC’s Outreach Coordinator.  Carin helps to grow and sustain volunteer programs and membership activities, with a focus on outreach and engagement.  After moving to the Eastern Shore from Toledo, Ohio, where she worked and volunteered in land conservation efforts for 20 years, Carin came to ESLC for one year as Volunteer Coordinator through a partnership with Volunteer Maryland and AmeriCorps, before stepping into her current role. When not working, she enjoys gardening with native plants, walking with her dog, Champion, and spending time on the water with her husband.   You can reach Carin at 410.827.9756 ext. 171.

For information on land protection options contact Jared Parks.

Jared Parks joined ESLC as Land Protection Specialist in February 2007. Born and raised on the Eastern Shore, Jared spent four years as a faculty research assistant and crew leader for the grassland restoration project on Chino/Bluestem Farms in Queen Anne’s County. In addition to his work on Chino, Jared has worked with a University of Maryland PhD candidate on a project studying conservation buffers on different farms in Queen Anne’s, Caroline, and Talbot counties. His professional experience also includes serving as a research technician for the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Colorado Bird Observatory. Jared received his Masters of Environmental Studies at Evergreen State College and his Bachelors in Anthropology from Lawrence University. You can reach Jared at 410-827-9756 ext. 167.

For information on land protection options contact Laura Sanford.

Laura Sanford joined ESLC as Program Assistant for the Southern Office in April 2008 and was promoted to Land Protection Specialist in early 2011. An Eastern Shore Native whose family has been on the Shore since the early 1600’s, Laura has an Associates Degree from Anne Arundel Community College in Computer Networking, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Salisbury University in Biology Botany track. Before joining ESLC, Laura worked at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Adkins Arboretum. She owns an organic wholesale plant nursery (primarily native plants) and is obsessed with plants and protecting the rural way of life on the Eastern Shore. She resides in Centreville with her husband, son, two cats, and dog named Chance.
You can reach Laura at 410.827-9756 ext. 170

For stewardship information, contact ESLC’s Stewardship Manager Megan D’arcy.

Megan D’Arcy is our Stewardship Manager. Megan comes to us from the Heritage Conservancy, a non profit land trust based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where she spent four years identifying, evaluating and monitoring natural resources on conservation-eased properties. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for Natural Lands Trust, conducting bioassesment studies for an Aquatic Resource Assessment and Conservation Plan and conducted field assessments of plant communities and mapping these communities using GIS technology. As the Stewardship Manager for ESLC, Megan will be responsible for continuing to implement and improve easement stewardship, assist with the development of a volunteer and outreach program and manage and develop organizational GIS resources. Megan received her Masters in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelors in cultural anthropology from Kutztown University. Megan serves on the board for the Society of Ecological Restoration Mid-Atlantic chapter. When she is not putting her nose to the grindstone for ESLC she enjoys kayaking, scuba diving, travelling and exploring her new hometown of Easton. You can reach Megan at 410.827.9756, extension 163.

For information on ESLC’s Center for Towns, please contact Jake Day.

Jacob Day, Assoc. AIA joined ESLC in November 2008, advising the Eastern Shore’s towns on growth and planning issues. He was named ESLC’s Director of the Center for Towns in April 2011. A Salisbury native, Jake has focused much of his research on sustainable economic, energy, and land development on the Delmarva Peninsula. He previously served as President and Chairman of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). Jake has also served on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) national Board of Directors and in other capacities within AIA, ACSA, NCARB, and NAAB. Jake was the Editor-in-Chief of the international architecture and design student journal, Crit. Jake graduated from the University of Oxford with a Master’s in Environmental Policy. He also holds a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Maryland. Jake lives in his hometown of Salisbury where he teaches Environmental Policy at Salisbury University, serves on the Salisbury-Wicomico Planning and Zoning Commission, the Wicomico Natural Resources Conservation Advisory Committee and the Salisbury Board of Housing Appeals. You can reach Jake at 443.988.8815.

For information on community projects, contact Brad Rogers. 

Brad Rogers is ESLC’s Community Projects Manager. Rogers has had a varied career in the fields of environmental preservation and community economic development. He was the Eastern Shore director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, and later went on to found a series of social enterprise companies focused on green building. As a green designer, developer, and builder, he helped create a wide range of cutting-edge homes and businesses. Brad has both a law degree and Masters of Environmental Management. But, most importantly, he was an ESLC intern back in the summer of 1997. You can reach Brad at 410.493.0852.

For information about the Center for Towns, please contact Sarah Abel.

Sarah Abel, Acting Director for the Center for Towns, is a community designer and organizer with an interest in the community’s ability to live off the land in a cohesive built environment. She is a Chicago native who grew up around public service, with a father as a fireman. Sarah pursued a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oklahoma, graduating with leadership distinction in 2010. Sarah has served as a National Director for the American Institute of Architecture Students while working at the lead design firm in Oklahoma City, Elliott + Associates. After graduation, Sarah knew she wanted to engage people, using architecture to help shape the future of communities.  Sarah is certified in SEED, the professional design metric in social, economic, environmental and design practices. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Association for Community Design. You can reach Sarah at 443-262-5603.

For information about ESLC’s Education Efforts and the Sassafras Environmental Education Center, please contact Wayne Gilchrest. 

Wayne T. Gilchrest joins ESLC as the Program Director for the new Sassafras Environmental Education Center at Turner’s Creek. The former U.S. Congressman was a longtime socialstudies teacher at Kent Couny High School. Wayne will work with ESLC to help promote environmental literacy across the Eastern Shore, especially in Kent County. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Wayne is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal. He lives in Kennedyville with his family and spends many hours hiking and canoeing around Turner’s Creek, site of the Sassafras Environmental Education Center. You can reach Wayne at 443.282.4325.

For information on education programs, please contact Jaime Belanger.

Jaime Belanger is Education Programs Manager with the Sassafras Environmental Education Center at Turner’s Creek. Jaime has nine years of experience in environmental education and conservation in the public, private and non-profit sectors. A committed environmental steward and marine scientist, she currently is pursuing a Masters in Quantitative Fisheries through the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  She received her BS in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of New Hampshire.  Jaime loves being outside, and is happiest in or on the water.  She spends her free time running around Chestertown with her hound dog.You can reach Jaime at 410-348-5214.

Members of ESLC’s Board of Directors come from each of the six counties in our coverage area. Please click here for the full listing of ESLC’s Leadership.