Terryl Acker-Carter is the Community Engagement Specialist at Watershed Stewards Academy. Terryl (he/him) provides support for community outreach at WSA. He supports relations with faith-based and student and youth organizations throughout the county. Terryl graduated in 2021 from Stevenson University with a BS in Environmental Science and a minor in Biology and was a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar with Yale University. Before joining WSA, he monitored bacteria levels at recreational beaches around the county with the Anne Arundel Health Department. As a Doris Duke scholar, Terryl created a municipality guide on green infrastructure and assisted community groups in Flint and Detroit with various lead testing programs. 

Michael Carmichael is the Stormwater Management and Maintenance Inspector at University of Maryland. Prior to receiving his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the UMD, Michael worked with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Earth Conservation Corps teaching junior high and high school students about stormwater runoff mitigation through Low Impact Development. After receiving his degree, he became UMD’s first ever Stormwater Management & Maintenance Inspector. In this role, Michael ensures that the campus’s Environmental Site Design BMPs are compliant with MDE MS4 standards. He is responsible for maintaining above and below ground BMPs, as well as project management of various stormwater related projects. Michael works with UMD faculty, staff, students and other stakeholders on design and implementation of environmental projects and is responsible for long-term maintenance after construction is completed. Michael has 20 years of experience in landscape design and stormwater management.

Matt Fleming is the Executive Director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. He has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of coastal restoration, natural resource management, and program administration. He comes to the County from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where he recently served as Assistant Secretary for Aquatic Resources. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Fleming also served as Maryland’s Coastal Zone Program Director, where he developed the state’s largest water quality financing program solely dedicated to abating non-point sources of pollution and oversaw the investment of more than $850 million in Chesapeake Bay restoration projects. 

Ren Grumbles  looks for the beauty and wonder in the natural world and relishes all the connections. A walk in the woods is her favorite antidote to the stresses of life. She is a dedicated wildlife gardener and conservation landscaper; her own yard is the place for learning and experimentation while she also designs and installs native plant gardens with her neighborhood group. She is a Class 14 Watershed Steward. For her capstone project, she participated in a Mindfulness In Nature program at the Judy Center/Belle Grove Elementary School and added a Sensory Garden (with native plants, of course!) at the school to enrich the program on site. She leads an environmental book group for Annapolis Green. She and her husband live in Annapolis and have two adult children who live in the DC area. 

David Herring is an award-winning science communicator with 31 years of experience working within the Earth system science community at NOAA and NASA. David currently serves as Chief of the Communication, Education, and Engagement Division within NOAA's Climate Program Office, and Program Manager for both NOAA Climate.gov and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit websites. Before joining NOAA, David worked for 16 years at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where he served as Outreach Coordinator for the Terra satellite mission and led development of NASA's Earth Observatory website. David is a co-chair of the US Global Change Research Program's Federal Adaptation & Resilience Group, and he is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received his Masters Degree in Science & Technical Communication from East Carolina University in 1992. 

Rick Johnstone is the President of Integrated Vegetation Management Partners, Inc.,  a 501-C-3 non-profit which he formed in response to recognizing the need for a professional liaison between utilities and public agencies. IVM Partners, Inc. develops partnerships between industry and government so that best practices are used to resolve vegetation management problems in military installations, communities, forests, parks, and wildlife refuges in a safe, economical and environmentally responsible manner. They work with universities and conservation organizations to conduct research and disseminate information with respect to regional geo-physiological differences in vegetation management practices.  The practices IVM develops provide safe, reliable and accessible utility and highway rights-of-way (ROW), meeting the needs of utilities, while also prioritizing environmental and recreational objectives to:  improve wildlife and endangered species habitats, control exotic weeds, and lower risk of wildfire. 

Serenella Linares is the Puerto Rican Principal Park Naturalist in charge of managing Mount Rainier Nature Center (MRNC). She is dedicated to sparking curiosity about nature and inspiring nature stewardship through high-quality environmental education experiences for people of all ages. During her role as Facility Manager at MRNC she has organized programs and special events to bring the community of Mount Rainier back to the Nature Center after the pandemic with in-person events and online workshops. Ms. Linares is also spearheading restoration efforts to increase the natural areas in the property, attract a wider variety of wildlife, create natural areas that better the resident’s sense of wellbeing, and to demonstrate sustainability practices to the local community. 

Serenella is known around the greater DC area for being expert in two things: making learning fun (for children and adults) and mycology (mushroom knowledge). With her program “Ask a Fun-Gal” she established a collaboration between Mount Rainier Nature Center and the Mycological Association of Washington DC to bring the DNA research experiments to the center and open the door for the public to know more about mycology. Serenella holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico, a  Master’s degree in atmospheric science from Howard University, and 7 years of training in mycology from University of Maryland. In her previous role, she was the Director of Adult Education at Nature Forward and served as the Co-founding Co-Chair of the Naturally Latinos Conference.

Betsy McKeown is the City of Annapolis Stormwater Program Manager. She has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s Degree from Penn State University. She moved to Annapolis from San Francisco in 2017 and has over 25 years of experience in the stormwater field. When she is not working, you can find her enjoying the outdoors with her two daughters.

Erik Michelsen is currently a Deputy Director for Anne Arundel County’s Department of Public Works, heading its Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration. He works to facilitate the recovery of the Chesapeake Bay and its ributaries through supporting robust restoration projects and rigorous scientific monitoring efforts, bolstered by diverse stakeholder partnerships. Erik has an extensive background as a project manager for an environmental consultant then as the Executive Director for a non-profit, the Arundel Rivers Federation (formerly the South River Federation), and working for Anne Arundel County since 2014, as the County builds up the environmental assessments, restoration implementation, and ecological evaluation to support the County’s clean water obligations under the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit and the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

Steve Raabe is president of OpinionWorks LLC, an independent research firm based in Annapolis. He founded OpinionWorks in 2001 to apply market research best practices to foster behavior change and engagement in environmental stewardship, public health, higher education, and charitable giving. He measures the public’s priorities and attitudes for state and local agencies from Oregon to Delaware. Throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, he actively supports Chesapeake Bay restoration and efforts to combat marine debris and climate change, studying the key drivers of behavior change through a social science-based approach to audience research. Nationally, he has measured constituent engagement for The Recycling Partnership, The Wilderness Society, Lutheran World Relief, and others, and for two dozen colleges and universities from coast to coast.

Michael Rossberg has been the Stormwater Management Engineer with the City of Annapolis since 2020.  Prior to this, we spent 10 years as a water resources engineer with a consulting firm in Maryland designing stormwater management and storm drain systems.  Michael graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Civil Engineering.

Michael Stringer has over 15 years of experience in community and environmental planning. He specializes in community engagement and planning for redevelopment in areas with environmental concerns. He has helped communities develop award winning plans for revitalization after structural economic changes and for resiliency to flooding and sea level rise. He has worked for non-profit organizations, local government, and prior to joining Anne Arundel County was a principal at a private consulting firm. He earned undergraduate degrees in English and Environmental Science at Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Maryland. pzstri20@aacounty.org

Atiya Wells is the Founder, and Executive Director of Backyard Basecamp, Inc. - a nonprofit with a mission to (re)connect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to land and nature. By diving into research and history, Atiya learned that historical trauma is a key player in the lack of diversity in environmental programming. She has since dedicated her time to (re)introducing her community to nature by starting in their own backyards and eventually embarking on a journey into the many green spaces across Baltimore.

Currently, she’s leading the development of BLISS Meadows:  a 10 acre land-reclamation project at the intersection of environmental and food justice. The entire project weaves together 3 contiguous properties through public and private partnerships with land owners. At completion, the land will be transformed from a vacant home and abandoned park to Atiya’s vision: a space for community dinners, environmental education, nature play spaces, and gardens. 

Amira Westenburger Amira Westenburger has been an educator for 25 years, having worked in a variety of settings and with individuals across the lifespan. Amira currently serves as the Family Services Support Specialist in the Judy Center at Belle Grove Elementary School. Amira first learned about WSA during the pandemic and has been a community partner ever since. 

Jasmine Wilding is a licensed professional engineer in Maryland. She currently is a stormwater management engineer with the City of Annapolis and prior was the MS4 program manager for Queen Anne’s County. She has over fifteen years of engineering project management experience. She holds a bachelor’s of science in Environmental Engineering and a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She has experience with the Chesapeake Bay Trust and has applied and managed grants through the FEMA, NFWF, DNR, and the State capital improvement program. She also manages flood mitigation and resiliency projects in Eastport.