Ann Swanson Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From Chesapeake Conservancy

Ann Swanson, Executive Director of the interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission, recently received the Chesapeake Conservancy Champion of the Bay Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 31 years of service in that position.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state legislative advisory body serving the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It is the Commission’s responsibility to sponsor legislation at the state level and to work with state legislators, members of the U.S. Congress, and the federal and state regulatory agencies to coordinate programs aimed at restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Although Ann operates in a highly political environment, she is trained in the sciences. A trained wildlife biologist and forest ecologist, she graduated with honors from the University of Vermont and Yale University. She holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Vermont.

Ann has been recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for her work. 

She delivered a keynote address at the Stockholm Water Festival, chaired the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources for 11 years, and has been recognized with awards by her colleagues in the Bay watershed, the governors of the region and the General Assemblies of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Among her many awards, in 2001, she was awarded the Bay region’s highest Conservation Award, Conservationist of the Year, in 2008 was recognized by general assembly resolutions in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, in 2011 was awarded the YMCA Outstanding Women in Industry Twin Award, in May 2012 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Vermont, in 2013 received the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Leadership Award, and in 2015 she was recognized as an Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. 

Ann has been married for 32 years, is a published illustrator, an accomplished gardener, backpacker and sea kayaker, and is a mother of two boys.

Visit the Chesapeake Bay Commission website for more information on its initiatives and upcoming events.

Visit the Chesapeake Conservancy website for more information on their programs, initiatives and upcoming events.

For more information on what Pennsylvania is doing to meet its Chesapeake Bay cleanup obligations, visit DEP’s Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Plan webpage.
[Posted: November 29, 2019]  www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com