Annapolis, MD - Chesapeake Conservancy today announced the election of new officers and members to the organization’s board of directors.

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“Our outstanding new board leadership will advance our efforts to create a healthy, accessible Chesapeake Bay where people and wildlife thrive,” said Chesapeake Conservancy CEO Susan Shingledecker. “The team includes innovators and thought leaders from federal and state governments, private industry and the environmental nonprofit community.”

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Ed Hatcher, who brings decades of leadership in communications, philanthropy and environmental advocacy in the Chesapeake region, replaces outgoing chair Stephanie Meeks. Hatcher said Meeks, who was term-limited, “navigated the organization brilliantly during a challenging period for environmental organizations everywhere.”

Hatcher said new board members include experienced conservationists Jeff Corbin and Craig Obey of Virginia, Allyson Gibson and Marel King of Pennsylvania and Jason Waskey of Washington, D.C.

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“These new board members bring new insight and decades of experience to the table,” Hatcher said.

In addition to the new board members, Chesapeake Conservancy announced that existing board member Rich Batiuk has been named as vice chair and Ava Shivers as treasurer.

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Shingledecker, who assumed her new role as CEO in September 2025, said the nonprofit Conservancy is embarking on new initiatives to use AI, data-driven strategies and partnerships to accelerate environmental outcomes. She highlighted organizational achievements, including the recent release of a detailed inventory of Chesapeake Bay streams for the Chesapeake Bay Program and the conservation of 650 acres in partnership with Friends of Dragon Run in Virginia.

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New Board Members’ Biographies & Quotes

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Jeff Corbin, Native Shorelines (a Davey Company)

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Jeff Corbin has spent the past 30 years working to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. He currently leads living shoreline efforts in Virginia and Maryland for the Native Shorelines Team at the DaveyTree Expert Company. Previously, he served as director of environmental policy and water markets for Restoration Systems, where he expanded the company’s presence in multi-state water quality markets. Corbin also spent six years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as senior advisor for the Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia River, coordinating the agency’s Bay restoration efforts and advocating for market-based conservation approaches. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant secretary of natural resources for Virginia under Governor Tim Kaine and as Virginia deputy director and senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Corbin holds a B.S. in marine science from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and lives in Goochland, Virginia, with his wife.

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“Having spent my entire career protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay, I admittedly set a very high bar for organizations that I chose to support. It is an honor, and I am humbled to serve as a member of the board of such a highly esteemed and accomplished organization as the Chesapeake Conservancy,” said Corbin.

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‍Allyson Gibson, Lancaster Clean Water Partners

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Allyson Ladley Gibson serves as executive director of Lancaster Clean Water Partners, leading the network and facilitating collaboration among multi-sector partners working to improve local water quality. Gibson grew up in Lancaster County, exploring streams and working in her family’s business. She attended the University of Richmond as part of its first environmental studies graduating class and spent 13 years in Maryland with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in the education department.

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She returned to Lancaster to work at Kitchen Kettle Village before bringing her professional and personal experiences together at Lancaster Clean Water Partners in January 2018. Gibson is a graduate of PennState’s Rural-Urban Leadership Program RULE and serves as co-director of the Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy. She also serves on the board of Partners for Environmental Stewardship and her church’s Earth Care Committee. Gibson enjoys life in Lancaster with her husband, two children, a dog and a horse.

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“Being on the board is an exciting opportunity to bring a positive Lancaster voice to more Bay audiences. The Chesapeake Conservancy has been working so closely with Pennsylvania’s partner organizations, so I am grateful for the chance to be part of the leadership work at this organization,” said Gibson.

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Marel King, Chesapeake Bay Commission

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Marel King is Pennsylvania director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative commission advising the general assemblies of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. She staffs the seven-member Pennsylvania delegation of state legislators, the DEP secretary and a citizen member, and represents the full commission on Chesapeake Bay Program groups, providing policy development and legislative drafting at the state and federal level. King’s focus areas include the federal Farm Bill and implementation of Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan.

Before joining the commission, King was director of regulatory affairs and then director of natural resources in the governmental relations division of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. She has served on multiple boards, including the Perry County Cooperative Extension Board and Susquehanna Greenway Partnership, and is a founding board member of Cove Mountain Community Theatre. King and her husband raise beef feeder cattle and Boer goats on her family’s preserved farm in central Pennsylvania, where she continues a legacy of conservation.

“Over more than two decades with Chesapeake Bay restoration as Pennsylvania director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and, previously, director of natural resources at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, some of my most memorable professional experiences have been in partnership with the Chesapeake Conservancy. From touring the lower Susquehanna 20 years ago in preparation for the establishment of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail, to celebrating a ‘delisted’ stream in Pennsylvania in 2024, I have witnessed firsthand how the Conservancy connects information to policy and policy to the public,” said King.

‍Craig Obey, Nonprofit Public Policy Executive

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Craig Obey has spent 30 years in leadership roles across the private and public sectors, bringing executive experience in advocacy, operations, fundraising and partnership development. He has extensive expertise in federal and state policymaking, organizational management and public affairs, with a focus on conservation, public lands, health and the intersection of conservation and human health. Obey held senior roles with numerous conservation and healthcare organizations and as a federal executive. He spent 15 years leading national advocacy and government relations for the National Parks Conservation Association, advancing protection for public lands and securing funding for the National Park System. He also served as chief of government relations for the American Psychiatric Association and as deputy executive director and chief operating officer for Families USA, helping lead the fight against repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Obey has also held U.S. Senate staff and nonprofit board roles. He holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. He lives on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, where he enjoys kayaking, canoeing, hiking and birdwatching.

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“The Bay has always held a special place in my heart. I fondly remember my first sailing experiences, devouring blue crabs and exploring Virginia creeks as a boy, and later canoeing and kayaking the Shenandoah with my kids. The Chesapeake is a regional and national treasure, and I am thrilled to join such an important organization to help protect and restore this amazing place for present and future generations,” said Obey.

Jason Waskey, Blue Crab Strategies

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Jason Waskey is CEO of Blue Crab Strategies, a consulting firm developing solutions for leaders in the global transition to a clean energy economy and the fight against climate change. A Maryland native from Harford County, Waskey developed a lifelong passion for environmental stewardship as a Boy Scout, exploring the Appalachians and local streams and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. He focuses on preparing the Chesapeake region for climate change and building adaptation and resilience strategies. Waskey began his career organizing volunteers for grassroots political campaigns while studying at the University of Maryland, College Park, and went on to work in both the executive and legislative branches of the Maryland State House. He also played key roles in the Obama movement for over a decade. Waskey is founder and board member of Civic Nation, a national nonprofit that addresses pressing societal challenges. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and their hound dog and spends weekends growing food on a small-scale regenerative farm in the Shenandoah Valley.

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“The Chesapeake Conservancy leads the way with critical work to protect our region's ecosystem for all of us alive today and future generations, and as a lifelong resident of and beneficiary of the Chesapeake watershed, I'm honored to be able to support their important mission,” said Waskey.

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