Our Board

Board of Directors

Blue Water Baltimore (BWB) is proud to have a Board of Directors who are committed to creating community programs that promote clean, healthy waterways. Our Board of Directors are volunteers who set organizational policy, facilitate community direction, and create and maintain the overall direction of our organization.

Chairman:      T.J. Mullen, BMP Inc. *
Vice Chair:     Bobby Johnson, AGM Financial Services *
Secretary:      Ray Heil, Baltimore Co. Office of Community Conservation*
Treasurer:     Mark Flanigan, Attorney and CPA *

Streett Baldwin, Ellin & Tucker, Chartered
Kim Battista, Battista Illustration
Ellis G. Brown, Jr., Morgan State University
David Carroll, Retired
Dawna Cobb, University of Maryland Carey School of Law
Jason Copeland, Owner, Industrial Diagnostics
Fran Flanigan, Consultant
Douglas Horensky, Varia Systems, Inc.
Elisabeth Hyleck, Association of Baltimore-Area Grantmakers
Robin Leone, Saul Ewing *
Fiona Newton, Johns Hopkins University *
Jennifer Tufaro Nolley, Terra Nova Ventures LLC
Matt Peters, Esq.
Dave Pittenger, Ocean Conservancy
Joyce Ann Pressley, Ph.D.
Patricia Rienhoff
Ted Scott, Stormwater Maintenance
Gregory Skipper, Advertising.com
John Smith, Retired

* Executive Committee Member

 

   T. J. Mullen is the president and co-founder of Best Management Products, Inc.  His company is focused on the design and manufacture of products that remove pollutants from stormwater runoff such as trash, oil, sediment and bacteria.  Mullen holds US and International patents for the invention of devices to clean up water pollution in urbanized environments.  He came to Blue Water Baltimore from the board of the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.  He lives on Hogpen Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in eastern Baltimore County with his wife Jennifer and son Jack — where they all take any excuse to get out on the water and enjoy the area’s natural beauty.

   Bobby Johnson was involved with the Jones Falls Watershed Association prior to its merger with other groups into Blue Water Baltimore.  For over half of his life (and all of Irvine’s), he has been involved with the Irvine Nature Center.  Passions include amphibians, classical music, and his children.   He works for AGM Financial Services as an appraiser and dreams of retirement.”

 

   Mark Flanigan has 15 years of experience as an attorney and CPA.  He has a tax and business practice in Towson and is a Roland Park resident. Baltimore has been home his entire life.  A passion for local volunteerism and early memories of sailing the Chesapeake with his grandfather are what inspires his interest the BWB mission.

 

Raymond Heil is a landscape architect currently working as a project manager for Baltimore County Government Ray lives near the western branch of Herring Run in Baltimore County, and is a founding member of the Blue Water Baltimore Board.  He has masters degrees in landscape architecture and political science, and is interested in the sustainable design of cities and communities.  Because our collective future depends on healthy and livable cities, Ray works to make Baltimore City and County greener and more sustainable.

 

   Streett Baldwin is a director at Ellin & Tucker, Chartered where he has worked for 22 years.  A lifetime resident of the Baltimore area, Streett currently lives in Federal Hill where he volunteers as a board member of the Baltimore Museum of Industry and South Baltimore Learning Center.  He spends most of his life around the Chesapeake Bay, working and residing in the Baltimore inner harbor area, and spending his leisure time as a life-long boater on the bay.

 

 

Kim Battista has been a self-employed medical illustrator with Battista Illustration for 20 years. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins Hospital  “Art as Applied to Medicine” program in 1992.   She and her husband, Matt Ballenger, work from their Fells Point home of 18 years. Kim has been on the Board of Trustees of the Creative Alliance for 8 years and an active volunteer with the Creative Alliance since its inception 18 years ago; she is chairman of the Building Committee (which maintains the converted Patterson Theatre) and has co-chaired the Alliance’s Art to Dine 4 fundraising series for 8 years. She also recently helped with the summer art walk in South Baltimore.  Reflecting her interest in water conservation, Kim was first involved with BWB during the summer of 2011 when she and her husband built a green walk-out roof on top of their garage, which involved a water audit and storm water collection measures.

Ellis Brown joined Morgan State University in 2004 as the Director of Community and Economic Development.  During his tenure he has effectively expanded and strengthened Morgan’s community engagement by participating in and working with various local organizations. Before coming to Baltimore, he worked 14 years at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida where he established the Edward Waters College Community Development Corporation (EWC CDC) and served as its first Executive Director.  Previous to Higher Education, Brown worked internationally with the U.S. Peace Corps and the Washington, D. C. based non-governmental organization Africare.  Brown is an experienced field worker, manager, and executive in the area of community and economic development.  He developed his interest in environmental matters through his relationship with the Herring Run Watershed Association (a Blue Water Baltimore Legacy Organization).

   David Carroll.  Through the 1970s into the mid-1980s David worked for Baltimore’s Planning Department and in the Mayor’s Office developing the City’s Coastal Zone Management program, participation in waterfront redevelopment issues, and water quality improvements to meet the then new Chesapeake Bay Agreement.  Governor Schaefer appointed David as the first Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Coordinator with oversight for Maryland’s participation in the 1987 Bay Agreement.  In 1993, David was appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment. Between 1995 and 2000 David worked as a consultant on a number of projects in the Baltimore region.  In 2001, David was appointed a Director of Baltimore County’s Department of Environmental and Resource Management and 2008 as Director of the Office of Sustainability, a post from which he retired in December 2010.  Since the 1970′s David has been active in neighborhood associations, national and international water quality and coastal zone organizations, and served 6 years as a Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commissioner.  David lives in a restored home in Windsor Hills overlooking the Gwynns Falls.

Dawna Cobb practiced law in the private and public sector for 22 years before becoming the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law in 2006. She served in that position until July 2012, and will return to the UM Carey School of Law in January 2013 to teach courses in negotiation and writing.  Dawna is and has been an active member of numerous community and professional organizations including the Baltimore City Ethics Board, the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle, the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women College Degree Program, the Charles Village Community Benefits District and the Painted Ladies of Charles Village house painting contest.  In 2013 she will work with the Greater Homewood Community Corporation on its Neighborhood Leaders Forum.  A guerrilla gardener who regularly picks up trash wherever she goes, Dawna looks forward to working with BWB to create lasting solutions to Baltimore’s trash and litter problems.  She has two twenty-something sons and lives in Charles Village with her husband, Paul Hulleberg.

   Jason Copeland.  Ever since childhood, Jason thought about ways to conserve energy and protect the environment.  He pursued a degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech.  Upon graduation, he has built a career in the Air Power industry helping manufacturers, educators, government, and the military efficiently and safely convert electrical energy into compressed air power.  In 2002, Jason simultaneously founded Industrial Diagnostics (compressor distributorship) and he helped to charter the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association.  Jason was active in the merger which formed Blue Water Baltimore.  Beyond the practical necessity for clean water, Jason is passionate about the serenity of sailing under a moonlit sky and wants the treasure of the Patapsco and Chesapeake Bay to be available for generations to follow.

   Fran Flanigan served for 23 years as executive director of the Baywide group, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Since 2001 she has been consulting on environmental affairs with agencies and organizations including the MD Port Administration, the Waterfront Partnership, Baltimore County, MD Dept of the Environment and others. She serves on a number of nonprofit boards and is the recipient of several service awards.

 

 

   Elisabeth Hyleck is the Special Initiatives Director for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers where she manages various projects and supports several groups of funders working to improve community conditions. With a career in nonprofit management, the last 10 years in the philanthropic sector, Elisabeth is passionate about best and promising practices, community engagement, and collaboration of all types.With a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Morgan State University, Elisabeth has a great interest in the relationship between people and the natural and built environment. Elisabeth previously served as the secretary for the Board of the Herring Run Watershed Association. When not at work, she can be found mothering Lillian and Theo, connecting dots, hiking, sewing, and attempting to “green” her life.

Doug Horensky is the President and founder of Varia Systems, Inc.  Varia is a Mid-Atlantic systems integrator providing audio-visual, electronic security, and structured cabling systems to government, educational, healthcare, and corporate clients. Guiding principles of Varia Systems, Inc. which directly apply to his passion for clean water, include: Be a Positive Influence, and Improve our Environment. Varia is committed to the long term health of the Bay. They empower their employees to create a cleaner environment by organizing and participating in community service events such as Stream Clean and Canoe ‘n Scoop through the Parks and People Foundation. Doug graduated from Towson University, has lived in Baltimore City for over 20 years, and is an avid boater on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.  He is married with 2 children and when not boating, Doug can often be found on a tennis court.

   Robin Leone is an attorney at Saul Ewing LLP focused on civil litigation and energy and utility law.  Prior to entering the legal profession, Robin enjoyed a long career as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., where she supported the work of federal governmental agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and both the U.S. Army Environmental Center and the U.S. Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence.  Robin was a member of the board of directors of the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, prior to the merger that created Blue Water Baltimore, Inc.  She lives in Fells Point, five blocks from the water, and is dedicated to restoring the harbor to the great resource it was and can become again.

   Fiona Newton has worked in Development for 22 years in a range of nonprofit organizations. Since moving to Baltimore from the UK eight years ago, she has worked for Johns Hopkins University and is currently their Director of Volunteer Engagement. Fiona first became involved with the Jones Falls Watershed Association after seeing the debris that washed into the Inner Harbor from the river each day. Since then she has helped with the creation of Blue Water Baltimore and chairs the Development Committee. She is passionate about environmental issues and improving the quality of water in our rivers and streams. She loves all things outdoors, and teaches tai chi and qigong with Baltimore Tai Chi.  

Jennifer Tufaro Nolley is a Development Manager for Terra Nova Ventures, LLC, a real estate development firm.   Jennifer graduated from the University of Southern California in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Cinema-Television.  After graduation, she moved back to Baltimore where she grew up, and worked on a series of films, some of which include “Ladder 49,” the remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” and a small independent called “An American Affair,” where she met her husband, Dawson Nolley.  She continues to stay involved in the film community by helping with décor and coordination for events at the Maryland Film Festival, and is currently working on an MFA in Interior Design at The Corcoran College of Art and Design.  She has recently joined the Friends School Alumni Board and is a member of the events committee.

   Matt Peters is a Fellow with the University of Maryland’s Environmental Law Clinic, where he represents nonprofit organizations, community groups, and individuals seeking to protect the environment and enforce environmental laws.  Prior to law school, Matt worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as Program Analyst.  Matt is an avid sailor and shares BWB’s commitment to protecting the Harbor and its tributaries as a resource for all of Baltimore’s citizens.

 

Dave Pittenger was recently appointed Director of the Trash Free Seas program for the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC.  Prior to that he was Executive Director for the National Aquarium for 15 years.  His professional life has always involved connecting people to nature and turning young people on to science.  Dave lives in Cockeysville with his author/librarian wife Twig George with whom he often enjoys hiking and paddling Baltimore Country’s fine watersheds.

 

   Joyce Ann Pressley, Ph.d.

 

 

 

 

Patricia Rienhoff has been a residential realtor for the last six years. Prior to real estate, she was a stay- at-home Mom, active in PTA and the classrooms.  Pat and her family live on a small farm in northern Baltimore County. Training young horses for resale, fox hunting, and oil painting are some of her passions. She has been an outdoor enthusiast her whole life and is environmentally conscientious.

 

 

 Theodore (Ted) E. Scott is a practicing Professional Civil Engineer, Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, LEED Accredited Professional, and Master Stormwater Practitioner. He has over 25 years of experience in site and stormwater management design, maintenance, construction, and repair.  He is the founder of Stormwater Consulting, Inc., an engineering and landscape architecture firm specializing in stormwater, environmental, and infrastructure restoration design. He is also the founder of Stormwater Maintenance, LLC, a niche construction company devoted to the inspection, maintenance, repair, and construction of stormwater management, stream, and wetlands systems. Ted grew up in the Baltimore region and resides in Baltimore County with his wife, five children, five organically raised chickens, two rain barrels, and two rain gardens.  Throughout his life, his enjoyment of caving, fishing, canoeing, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, and sailing has maintained a strong connection with water and natural surroundings.

 Gregory Skipper is a Maryland native who sits at the cross-section of business and technology. A ten-year veteran in interactive advertising, Greg has managed and advised digital advertising and sales operations at both publicly traded and start-up companies throughout the Baltimore area. Currently, he is a Regional Sales Director at Advertising.com. As a kid, he grew up crabbing in the Chesapeake and is currently a resident of downtown Baltimore. He’s passionate about restoring an Inner Harbor that Baltimore residents and visitors can both enjoy. Greg holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and General Business from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. He lives in Baltimore with his wife Susan and their West Highland Terrier, Bentley. He enjoys travel and competitive running in his spare time.

   John Smith retired as CFO of Maryland Medical Laboratories in the mid 1990’s and became involved with Baltimore Clayworks.  Under his leadership as Board President, Clayworks, which had always been an important part of the Baltimore artistic community, was able to renovate two historic buildings in Mount Washington adding much needed classroom and studio space.  John has spent his entire life in or near the Bay and currently lives on Bird River in eastern Baltimore County.