ANNAPOLIS, MD —Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) President William C. Baker announced today that Lisa Feldt is CBF’s new Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration. Ms. Feldt has more than 30 years of experience in environmental issues, most recently as Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Environmental Protection.  Prior to that, she held several senior positions and was Acting Deputy Administrator at the federal Environmental Protection Agency

“Ms. Feldt’s broad experience, with local and federal government agencies, as well as in the private sector, makes her an ideal choice to lead CBF’s policy, grassroots, and restoration programs,” CBF President William C. Baker said. “The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is working. Pollution is down, Bay grasses set yet another record, and the Bay’s oysters are recovering. The progress, however, is fragile. No state is completely on track to meet its pollution reduction goals.”

The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, implemented in 2010, is unlike past state/federal voluntary agreements. It includes pollution limits, state-specific plans to achieve those limits, two-year milestones to evaluate progress, and consequences for failure. In it, the states also committed to implementation of 60 percent of the practices necessary for Bay restoration by 2017 and to finish the job by 2025.

“The Chesapeake Bay is near and dear to my heart and I am honored to contribute to CBF’s efforts to implement the Blueprint and restore this national treasure,” Ms. Feldt said. “Working together with governments at the local, state, and federal level, as well as citizens and partner organizations, we can reduce pollution and leave a legacy of clean water to our children and future generations.”

Ms. Feldt resides in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Her first day at CBF was July 2.