Local Government Leadership Workgroup
The Local Government Leadership Workgroup implements the management strategy associated with the Local Government Leadership Outcome in the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
Meetings
Local Government Leadership Workgroup Meeting - March 2026
Joint Local Leadership Workgroup & Toxic Contaminants Workgroup Meeting - October 2025
Local Leadership Workgroup Meeting - August 2025
Reviewing the Revised Agreement: What Local Leaders Need to Know - August 2025
About
The Local Leadership Workgroup was established in 2014 after the signing of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. In 2025, the Watershed Agreement was revised and the Local Leadership Outcome was renamed the Local Government Leadership Outcome. In alignment with this change, the workgroup was re-titled the Local Government Leadership Workgroup.
Projects
Protect Local Waterways Website
CompleteThis online resource hub contains an extensive learning library that supports decision-making by local officials.
Watershed Currents Newsletter: Resources for Local Governments
In ProgressThis bi-monthly newsletter highlights local case studies and informative resources for local governments within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Publications
Planning For Clean Water: Local Government Workshops
Publication date: Not listedView document [PDF, 1.3 MB] Planning For Clean Water: Local Government Workshops
Chesapeake Watershed Local Leadership Development Programs
Publication date: Not listedThe 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement establishes the goal to “[c]ontinually increase the knowledge and capacity of local officials on issues related to water resources and the implementation of economic and policy incentives that will support local conservation efforts.” Environmental Leadership Strategies (ELS) researched the needs of local officials and assessed the capacity of existing programs to meet these needs. In this report, ELS makes recommendations on how to support local officials to advance the Watershed Agreement's Local Leadership Outcome.
View document [PDF, 651.1 KB] Chesapeake Watershed Local Leadership Development Programs
Strategic Outreach Education Program for Local Elected Officials
Publication date: Not listedThis report, prepared by the Ecologix Group, Inc. under contract to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, provides recommendations for the design of a strategic outreach and education program for elected officials that will most cost-effectively achieve the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Local Leadership Outcome -- Continually increase the knowledge and capacity of local officials on issues related to water resources and in the implementation of economic and policy incentives that will support local conservation actions.
View document [PDF, 1.8 MB] Strategic Outreach Education Program for Local Elected Officials
Logic and Action Plan 2023 Local Leadership Workgroup
Publication date:View document [PDF, 304.7 KB] Logic and Action Plan 2023 Local Leadership Workgroup
2023 Narrative Analysis Local Leadership Workgroup
Publication date: Not listedView document [PDF, 267.1 KB] 2023 Narrative Analysis Local Leadership Workgroup
Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes
Engaged Communities Goal
Our Members
- Maura Christian (Chair)
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Maura.Christian@deq.virginia.gov - Caitlin Bolton (Vice Chair)
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments cbolton@mwcog.org - Rick Mittler (Coordinator)
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay rmittler@allianceforthebay.org - Erin Sonnenburg (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium Sonnenburg.Erin@epa.gov - Caitlin Bolton
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments cbolton@mwcog.org - Dominic Butchko
Maryland Association of Counties dbutchko@mdcounties.org - Pat Calvert
Virginia Conservation Network pat@vcnva.org - Laura Cattell Noll
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay lnoll@allianceforthebay.org - Jen Cotting
University of Maryland jcotting@umd.edu - Carrie Decker
Maryland Department of Natural Resources CDecker@dnr.state.md.us - Claudia Donegan
Maryland Department of Natural Resources claudia.donegan@maryland.gov - Michelle Edwards
Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission (VA) medwards@rrregion.org - Sophie Eyer
County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania SEyer@pacounties.org - Liz Feinberg
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation liz.feinberg63@gmail.com - Andy Fellows
National Center for Smart Growth afellows@umd.edu - Kate Fritz
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Katharine.Fritz@ppd.mncppc.org - Ronald Grutza
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) rgrutza@boroughs.org - Sushanth Gupta
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments sgupta@mwcog.org - Kendra Hatcher
Downstream Strategies khatcher@downstreamstrategies.com - Mark Hoffman
Chesapeake Bay Commission mhoffman@chesbay.us - James Hutzler
Virginia Association of Counties (VA) jhutzler@vaco.org - Megan Lehman
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection meglehman@pa.gov - Shannon Moore
Frederick County (MD) smoore@frederickcountymd.gov - Martha Narvaez
University of Delaware mcorrozi@udel.edu - Nancy Nunn
Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology nnunn@umd.edu - Don Phillips
Town of Laurel (DE) hdonpj47@gmail.com - Tyler Price
Maryland Municipal League (MML) tylerb@mdmunicipal.org - Bailey Rocco
Pennsylvania Municipal League/Sustainable PA (PML) brocco@pml.org - Josephine Saikali
Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council (WV) jsaikali@region9wv.com - Pam Shellenberger
York County Planning Commission (PA) pshellenberger@ycpc.org - Mitchell Smiley
Virginia Municipal League msmiley@vml.org - Kevin Spence
Delaware League of Local Governments executivedirector@dllg.us - Kathy Stecker
Maryland Department of the Environment kathy.stecker@maryland.gov - Jim Sullivan
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control James.Sullivan@state.de.us - Janet Thigpen
Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board (NY) jthigpen@chemungcountyny.gov - Lauren Townley
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lauren.townley@dec.ny.gov - Julia Wakeling
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment julia.wakeling@dc.gov - Justin Williams
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality justin.williams@deq.virginia.gov - David Wood
Chesapeake Stormwater Network david@chesapeakestormwater.org - Tree Layton Zuzzio
tzuzzio@pa.gov