Local Leadership Workgroup
The Local Leadership Workgroup implements the management strategy associated with the Local Leadership Outcome in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
Meetings
Local Leadership Workgroup Meeting - August 2025
Local Leadership Workgroup - October 2025
Local Leadership Workgroup Quarterly Meeting - May 2025
Local Leadership Quarterly Meeting - March 2025
Local Leadership Workgroup Quarterly Meeting - Fall 2024
About
The Local Leadership Workgroup was established in 2014 after the signing of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. This workgroup exists to accomplish the Local Leadership Outcome outlined in the Agreement. For more information on the status of this outcome, please visit the ChesapeakeProgress Local Leadership page.
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 Members
- Les Knapp (Chair)
Maryland Department of the Environment lknapp@mdcounties.org - Maura Christian (Vice Chair)
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Maura.Christian@deq.virginia.gov - Rick Mittler (Coordinator)
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay rmittler@allianceforthebay.org - Erin Sonnenburg (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium Sonnenburg.Erin@epa.gov - Adrienne Kotula
Chesapeake Bay Commission akotula@chesbay.us - Andy Fellows
National Center for Smart Growth afellows@umd.edu - Bailey Rocco
Pennsylvania Municipal League/Sustainable PA (PML) brocco@pml.org - Caitlin Bolton
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments cbolton@mwcog.org - Carrie Decker
Maryland Department of Natural Resources CDecker@dnr.state.md.us - Claudia Donegan
Maryland Department of Natural Resources claudia.donegan@maryland.gov - David Wood
Chesapeake Stormwater Network wood.csn@outlook.com - Dominic Butchko
Maryland Association of Counties dbutchko@mdcounties.org - Don Phillips
Town of Laurel (DE) hdonpj47@gmail.com - James Hutzler
Virginia Association of Counties (VA) jhutzler@vaco.org - Janet Thigpen
Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board (NY) jthigpen@chemungcountyny.gov - Jen Cotting
University of Maryland jcotting@umd.edu - Jim Sullivan
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control James.Sullivan@state.de.us - Josephine Saikali
Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council (WV) jsaikali@region9wv.com - 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 - Kate Fritz
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Katharine.Fritz@ppd.mncppc.org - Kathy Stecker
Maryland Department of the Environment kathy.stecker@maryland.gov - Kendra Hatcher
Downstream Strategies khatcher@downstreamstrategies.com - Kevin Spence
Delaware League of Local Governments executivedirector@dllg.us - Laura Cattell Noll
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay lnoll@allianceforthebay.org - Lauren Townley
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lauren.townley@dec.ny.gov - Liz Feinberg
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation liz.feinberg63@gmail.com - Mark Hoffman
Chesapeake Bay Commission mhoffman@chesbay.us - Martha Narvaez
University of Delaware mcorrozi@udel.edu - Megan Lehman
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection meglehman@pa.gov - Michelle Edwards
Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission (VA) medwards@rrregion.org - Mitchell Smiley
Virginia Municipal League msmiley@vml.org - Nancy Nunn
Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology nnunn@umd.edu - Pam Shellenberger
York County Planning Commission (PA) pshellenberger@ycpc.org - Pat Calvert
Virginia Conservation Network pat@vcnva.org - Ronald Grutza
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) rgrutza@boroughs.org - Shannon Moore
Frederick County (MD) smoore@frederickcountymd.gov - Sophie Eyer
County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania SEyer@pacounties.org - Sushanth Gupta
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments sgupta@mwcog.org - Tree Layton Zuzzio
tzuzzio@pa.gov - Tyler Price
Maryland Municipal League (MML) tylerb@mdmunicipal.org