Board of Directors

Carmera Thomas-Wilhite, Chair

Don Simpson, Vice Chair

Sarah Boynton, Secretary and Development Chair

John Wakeman-Linn, Treasurer

Khadija Abdur-Rahman is currently an Engineer Manager in General Engineering at the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works. She is a Class 7 Graduate of Watershed Stewards Academy program, and has spent 5+ years as a Consortium Member. Khadija has 15 years of experience in stormwater management. She has resided in the South River watershed for last 8 years.

Matt Gallagher recently joined the Anne Arundel County's Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration as Planning Administrator in the Ecological Assessment and Evaluation Program. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Dickinson College and a Master of Science in Biology from Towson University with a focus in Watershed Ecology. Most recently, Matt served as a Branch Chief with the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment, where he oversaw DC’s MS4 permit and State Revolving Fund programs for almost 5 years. He spent the prior 10 years working at various non-profit organizations in the DC area working on stormwater management, environmental restoration, and water quality monitoring efforts. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his dog Frankie, exploring DC’s vegetarian food scene with his partner, tending to his native plant garden, and playing video games.

Leila MacCarthy is the VP of Business Development for Trimdata Corp which provides software for Higher Ed Institutions to help students leverage their Financial Aid on College campuses and ensure graduation and success. She travels to conferences to give presentations and to work with campus administrators. She works to add new business partners to help grow the company. In her spare time, Leila is a long-time native plant gardener and beekeeper. She serves on the landscape committee for her community and is the VP of her local HOA. She enjoys being out in nature as much as possible, and loves designing and implementing native gardens. She writes the community newsletter on nature topics. She is also a Master Watershed Steward, a member of class 10, and a member of the Maryland Native Plant Society.

Jim Palumbo was born in Michigan and relocated often throughout his childhood with his father’s military position. He lived in lived in Phoenix, England, Germany and eventually Tallahassee, Florida. There he graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors in International Affairs and met his wife, Andrea.
Jim joined the Air Force as a Cyberspace Operations officer and served 24 years with assignments in Missouri, Guam, Germany, twice in California, Illinois, Colorado, Alabama and The Pentagon, with deployments to Iraq and Romania. He retired from The Pentagon after serving five years with the Air Force Chief Information Officer staff. While serving, Jim graduated with two Masters degrees in International Affairs and Defense Analysis.
Living in Michigan and Florida provided a foundational appreciation for the importance of our watersheds. His military assignments offered numerous experience and volunteer opportunities for Jim and Andrea, as well. Scuba diving in Guam offered up close examples of the importance of our reef system. While in Monterey, they volunteered at the world renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium as guest interpreters, highlighting how our choices impact our oceans. In Colorado, they volunteered at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the Rocky Mountain Wild and Asian Highlands areas, directly interacting with the animals as well as guest interpreters. They’ve also volunteered at numerous animal shelters.
As Jim pondered life after the military, he and Andrea assessed where they would like to settle down. Having spent many weekends in Annapolis while stationed at the Pentagon, and having a distinct love for the water, they determined Annapolis and Anne Arundel county offered everything they were looking for. Jim’s volunteer spirit and desire to get outside during COVID led him to a cleanup event at St. Luke’s in Eastport; there he found out about WSA, applied, and was accepted to the (in)famous COVID Class 13. Since then, Jim has been active leading efforts such as the Maintenance Team, recovery work on a project at Eastport Annapolis Neck Library, and supporting numerous other projects and efforts by other Stewards.

Kendal Peifer is a Pasadena, MD resident, a proud wife and mother of two. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, travel/outdoor activities, and engaging in initiatives that promote community well-being. Her dedication to future generations is what drives her involvement within the non-profit space. With that, Kendal brings a wealth of experience in leadership, compliance, and program management. As a Senior Manager with TEKsystems, she oversees their corporate background program and partners with clients, consultants, and third-party vendors to ensure compliance and operational excellence. Kendal is passionate about using her skills to foster sustainable solutions that benefit her local community. She is an alumna of the Business Volunteers BoardConnect and Give Fellowship program and actively contributes her time and expertise to organizations dedicated to environmental and social impact.

Don Simpson is a Director focused on public health clients at Guidehouse, a leading management consultancy serving the public and commercial markets. Guidehouse is a client-centered, mission-driven organization focused on solving today’s most complex issues facing our clients and our world through collaborative solution design, bold strategy, and innovation that advances conventional thinking. Don earned his bachelor’s degree (Integrated Science and Technology) from James Madison University and holds several professional certifications (PMP, CISA). Don developed his love for the water spending several weeks every summer on an island in Maine. He savors every opportunity to be in/on the water, including scuba diving, fishing, boating, water skiing, canoeing, etc. Don lives in Harwood with his wife and two young children. Don is a burgeoning new gardener and aims to recruit his kids with aspirations they will begin eating their veggies.

Carmera Thomas-Wilhite is the Vice President for Communities and Partnerships at Chesapeake Bay Foundation. She received a B.S. in Biology from North Carolina Wesleyan College. She began her career as a Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps member in its inaugural year in 2010, later joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation full time, where she spent five years focusing on oyster restoration, engaging and educating about solutions for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Carmera grew up and currently lives in Anne Arundel County with her husband. She enjoys water recreation on the Bay and spending time with her family.

John Wakeman-Linn is a retired economist, having received a PhD from the University of Wisconsin. For the last 26 years of his career he worked for the International Monetary Fund, leading missions to over a dozen countries, primarily in the former Soviet Union and Africa. He is a member of the WSA Class 11, and is on the Board of the Captain Avery Museum. He also periodically teaches Bridge on Viking Cruise Lines.

Jennifer Wazenski is founder and principal attorney at Watershed Legal Counsel, a law firm that advises on environmental and natural resources matters and provides project-specific and fractional general counsel services to organizations in the environmental services, advocacy and restoration sector. Jennifer lives with her husband in the Bay Ridge community just outside of Annapolis and enjoys hiking, windsurfing, and helping to manage her neighborhood’s 100-acre forest. They have two grown sons, one a student and the other a recent graduate of Virginia Tech. Jennifer also serves as Vice President of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together, a women’s giving circle that supports nonprofits serving women and families in the county.