Engaged Communities Goal Team
The Engaged Communities Goal Team works to engage and grow a community of local stewards and leaders through education, recreation and professional opportunities to ensure the long-term success of restoration and conservation efforts.
Meetings
Public Access Workgroup Meeting - August 2026
Workforce Meeting - August 2026
Local Government Leadership Workgroup Meeting - August 2026
Engaged Communities Goal Team Meeting - July 2026
Education Workgroup Meeting - July 2026
Stewardship Workgroup Meeting - June 2026
About
The long-term success of the Chesapeake Bay restoration and conservation effort depends on individuals and communities throughout the watershed understanding their connection to the local environment and making choices that support its health in the face of changing environmental conditions. Stewardship begins with facilitating meaningful engagement, increasing access to outdoor recreation, providing learning opportunities to students, adults and job seekers, and empowering local decision-makers to support conservation actions.

Projects
Chesapeake Steward Map
In ProgressThe goal of the Chesapeake Steward Map is to increase connections and collaborative partnerships among stewards across the Chesapeake region. The map helps identify hubs and gaps in connectivity and highlights opportunities to facilitate strategic connections for sharing knowledge and resources.
Publications
2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
Publication date:The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement is a collaborative commitment to restore, conserve and protect the nation’s largest estuary and its surrounding watershed.
View document [PDF, 10.9 MB] 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes
Engaged Communities Goal
Our Workgroups & Action Teams
Our Members
- Julie Lawson (Chair)
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment julie.lawson@dc.gov - Julia Wakeling (Chair)
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment julia.wakeling@dc.gov - Katie Ayers (Coordinator)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ayers.katie@epa.gov - Meredith Lemke (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium lemkem@chesapeake.org - Daniel Koval (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium kovald@chesapeake.org - Erin Sonnenburg (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium Sonnenburg.Erin@epa.gov - Kate Beats
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection kbeats@pa.gov - Caitlin Bolton
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments cbolton@mwcog.org - Norah Carlos
Chesapeake Bay Commission ncarlos@chesbay.us - Laura Casdorph
Virginia Department of Education Laura.Casdorph@doe.virginia.gov - Maura Christian
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Maura.Christian@deq.virginia.gov - Lorenzo Cinalli
DC Department of Parks and Recreation lorenzo.cinalli@dc.gov - Samantha Cotten
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Samantha.Cotten@delaware.gov - Cassandra Davis
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation cassandra.davis@dec.ny.gov - Jenn Fetter
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) jenn.fetter@psu.edu - Elizabeth Hoffman
Maryland Department of Agriculture elizabeth.hoffman@maryland.gov - Anna Killius
Chesapeake Bay Commission AKillius@chesbay.us - Bart Merrick
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bart.Merrick@noaa.gov - Sandi Olek
Maryland Department of Natural Resources sandra.olek@maryland.gov - Abel Olivo
Defensores De La Cuenca abel@defensoresdelacuenca.org - Marissa O’Neill
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment marissa.oneill@dc.gov - Wendy O'Sullivan
National Park Service (NPS) wendy_o'sullivan@nps.gov - Don Phillips
Town of Laurel (DE) hdonpj47@gmail.com - Ellen Powell
Virginia Office of Resilience ellen.powell@dof.virginia.gov - Lori Schoenwiesner
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation lori.schoenwiesner@dcr.virginia.gov - Scott Settle
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection dallas.s.settle@wv.gov - Shannon Sprague
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shannon.sprague@noaa.gov - Shruti Syal
Virginia Commonwealth University syals@vcu.edu - Darran White Tilghman
ShoreRivers dtilghman@shorerivers.org - Wuillam Urvina
Choose Clean Water Coalition UrvinaW@nwf.org - Holly Walker
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Holly.Walker@delaware.gov - Kacey Wetzel
Chesapeake Bay Trust kwetzel@cbtrust.org - Olivia Wisner
Maryland Department of Natural Resources olivia.wisner1@maryland.gov