ESLC Adds Three Dynamic Leaders to Board of Directors
The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy board of directors is starting the new fiscal year with some fresh voices and roles. Second term re-nominations include Howard Freedlander, Jim Mullin, Matt Nielsen, Helen Spinelli, and Lindsay Thompson. The governance and nominations committee is now chaired by Jules Hendrix. Eric Schless will serve as treasurer. Joe Hickman is now chair of the conservation programs committee. We’d like to extend a big thank you to the following board members who have finished their terms: Debbie Horn, Cal Hurtt, Bill Jeanes, Maggie Sentman, Al Sikes, Sue Simmons, Teri Simmons, and Jymil Thompson. And last but certainly not least, ESLC is thrilled to welcome Billy Boyd, Kristen Keene, and Kelly A. Simonsen to the board.
“Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is delighted to add Billy, Kristen, and Kelly to the board. Each of them brings a wealth of diverse and relevant experience to our organization and helps to position us well for meeting the challenges facing the Shore in the years ahead,” said Bill D’Alonzo, ESLC board chair.
Billy Boyd currently resides in Wye Mills after many years working for Maryland National Bank, Alex. Brown & Sons, and PNC. A native of St. Michaels, Boyd has volunteered and advocated for The Nature Conservancy, the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and is a former ESLC board member.
Kristen Keene, a University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Salisbury University alumna with a master’s from American Military University, is currently the client solutions manager for Resource Environmental Solutions and a former manager of the Maryland Port Administration. Keene is a current board member for Chesapeake Watershed Restoration Professionals. She has contributed to many committees and associations including The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resilience Management Plan Advisory Committee and the Maryland Stream Restoration Association.
Kelly A. Simonsen is the marketing and communications manager at Easton Utilities. She has also worked as a director and community liaison for CASA of the Mid-Shore and Adventist Behavioral Health. A Shore Leadership graduate, Simonsen has served on the boards of SOS Sink or Swim, MD/DC Utilities Association, and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce. Kelly is a Towson University alumna currently pursuing her master’s degree from Georgetown University.
“A strong board of directors is essential for a strong Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, and with the addition of Billy, Kristen, and Kelly, we have brought important experience and expertise to bear on our organization. Each have a meaningful commitment to conserving the unique rural character of the Eastern Shore, but each of them also brings a skillset essential to a healthy organization. I join the entire staff in welcoming them to the board,” said ESLC president Steve Kline.