DLLC Members
The Delmarva Land and Litter Collaborative is a voluntary, unincorporated association of individuals and organizations directed and controlled by its Steering Committee. The DLLC Steering Committee consists of 30 members who are leaders in their field and represent farmers, environmental groups, poultry companies, agricultural business and trade groups, academics and government agencies. All stakeholders who embrace the DLLC mission are invited to join in this grand collaborative.
DLLC Executive Committee
Josh Hastings| Director of Programs and Policy, Forever Maryland Foundation
Bob Frazee | (Former) CEO, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA
Steve Levitsky | Vice President of Sustainability, Perdue Farms
Kristen Hughes Evans | Executive Director, Sustainable Chesapeake
Kurt Fuchs | Senior VP of Government Affairs, MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Sarah Harrison Linton| Complex Environmental Manager, Tyson Farms
Alan Girard | Eastern Shore Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
DLLC Steering Committee Chair
Kristen Hughes Evans | Executive Director, Sustainable Chesapeake
Kristen Hughes Evans founded Sustainable Chesapeake in 2012 to serve as a bridge between farmers and the environmental community. She works with stakeholders throughout the Chesapeake Bay region to bring innovative technologies and conservation practices to farms that support farm profit and production goals while reducing the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus to surface waters. In collaboration with farmers and conservation professionals around the region, she fosters collaboration and helps to bring financial and technical assistance resources to farms in the Chesapeake Bay region. Kristen is a certified nutrient management planner in both Maryland and Virginia and holds an M.Eng.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from the National University of Ireland, as well as an M.S. in Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science, a B.S. in Biological Resources Engineering, and a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Maryland.
DLLC Steering Committee Vice-Chairs
Steve Levitsky | Vice President of Sustainability, Perdue Farms
Steve Levitsky oversees Perdue Farms’ environmental stewardship programs and is responsible for creating a vision for sustainability within the company. Steve has served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals since 2012. He is on the Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities by appointment of the governor. Steve holds a B.S. in environmental resource management, a master’s degree in business administration and has completed graduate degree soil science classes to obtain his soil scientist certification. All of his degrees are from Pennsylvania State University.
Kurt Fuchs | Senior VP of Government Affairs, MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Kurt Fuchs is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for MidAtlantic Farm Credit (MAFC). In his role, he provides leadership and mentoring in MAFC’s legislative and public affairs programs, coordinates association participation in various state and federal programs, and works with senior management in development of new programs. He is a registered lobbyist in MD, DE, and PA, and prior to joining Farm Credit in August 2012, Kurt was assistant director of government relations with the Maryland Farm Bureau for 9 years. He is a past president of Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. and he continues to serve as chair of the organization’s government relations committee.
DLLC Steering Committee Members
Alan Girard | Eastern Shore Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Alan Girard is responsible for CBF’s environmental protection and restoration programs on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and oversees the organization’s regional efforts to help communities reduce pollution to the Bay and its local rivers and streams. Since 2001, Alan’s roles at CBF have included developing public policy, coordinating local and statewide advocacy campaigns, and engaging communities in solutions to pollution control challenges. Alan did his undergraduate work at Ithaca College and has a Masters in Environmental Management from Indiana University. Before joining CBF, he was a manager at Pickering Creek Audubon Center, and did conservation work in Indiana, Montana, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He serves on a number of boards and committees and lives with his wife and three children in Easton, Maryland.
Amy Jacobs | Watershed Restoration Director, The Nature Conservancy – Chesapeake Bay Program
Amy Jacobs is co-leading the Delmarva Conservation Partnership with the Delaware Maryland Agribusiness Association with the goal of implementing conservation practices on Delmarva that improve water quality, enhance habitat, and sustain a viable agricultural industry. She has worked with farmers and landowners on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware since 1997 focusing on the design and placement of both infield and wetland restoration opportunities. Amy previously worked for the State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control leading their Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment Program for 11 years.
Andrew L. McLean | Poultry Farmer, Relief Farm
Andrew L. McLean was born and raised in Harford County, MD. He is a 1986 graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Agriculture Economics. Andrew spent 28 years working in agricultural finance on Delmarva and has been a poultry grower since 2006 in Queen Anne’s County. Andrew is a past president of Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park, and the Ruthsburg Community Center. Andrew was also a Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Land & Litter Work Group, which was the predecessor of DLLC.
Bill Massey | VP of Live Operations, Mountaire Farms
Bill Massey is the Vice President of live operations at Mountaire Farms. Having been raised on a farm in Wicomico County, Bill’s roots in Agriculture run deep. He has worked in the Poultry Industry for 38 years, and throughout his career he has also operated farm operations that he owns. He has served two terms on the Maryland Agriculture Commission. He is also a past President of the Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Bill also currently serves as the Chairman of the Maryland Poultry PAC.
Bob Frazee | (Retired) CEO, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA
Bob Frazee is a financial services and agribusiness consultant with practice focused in the areas of strategy, management, board relations, finance, credit and advocacy. He recently retired after serving for 16 years as the CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA. Bob served on the Farm Credit System’s Presidents’ Planning Council where he chaired the Regulation-Legislative-Public Relations Committee and the Reputation Management Committee. In that role, he frequently provided testimony before the US House of Representatives Agriculture subcommittees that dealt with agricultural finance as well as briefings for House and Senate Ag Committees staff. He was appointed by Governor Robert Ehrlich in 2005 to serve on the board of the Maryland Agriculture and Resource Based Industries Corporation (MARBIDCO) and in 2006 he was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Intergovernmental Commission on Agriculture for the state of Maryland. He served as Chairman of the MD 4-H Foundation. He represents the University of Maryland, College Park on the national Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET), and serves as a member of the Executive Committee. He earned his B.S. in Agricultural and Extension Education from the University of Maryland, College Park, and did post graduate work in Administrative Science at The Johns Hopkins University.
Bob Gallagher | (Former) West/Rhode Riverkeeper
Bob developed his life-long passion for clean water at an early age while exploring the area by boat. When he retired from a legal career in 2005, he founded West/Rhode Riverkeeper and went on to leadership roles in Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Annapolis Green, Maryland Clean Agriculture Coalition and Maryland League of Conservation Voters. In 2019, Bob was awarded the Kabler Memorial Award from MLCV.
Bobby Hutchison | Grain Farmer, Hutchison Brothers
The main focus of Hutchison Brothers is on grain production and vegetable farming. Bobby has been an active grain producer for over 25 years. In addition to his work on the farm, Bobby serves as a board member of Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, and was a Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Land & Litter Work Group, the predecessor of DLLC.
Chris Bason | Executive Director, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays
Chris is from New Castle, Delaware and has lived in Ocean View since 2004. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and master’s degree from East Carolina University. Chris spent the first part of his career involved in the research and management of wetlands while working for organizations like The Nature Conservancy, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and East Carolina University. Chris started with the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays in 2004 as the lead for a research project assessing the condition of the watershed’s wetlands. In 2005, he became the Science Coordinator and then the Center’s Deputy Director in 2010.
Danielle Bauer | Executive Director, Delaware and Maryland Soybean Boards
Danielle Bauer grew up on her family’s grain and livestock farm in Howard County, Maryland. Now residing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Danielle is the owner and operator of Rural Rhythm Consulting, LLC, where she serves as the Executive Director of the Delaware Soybean Board, Maryland Soybean Board, and Atlantic Soybean Council. She received her bachelor’s degree in agriculture and natural resources from West Virginia University. Danielle has a strong passion for agriculture and enjoys giving back to her community, serving the board of the Howard County Farm Bureau, the Howard County Agriculture Education Advisory Board, and more. She is also a graduate of LEAD Maryland and Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow, and completed the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Leadership Committee Communications Boot Camp.
Dave Lovell | Poultry Farmer, Old Mill Farms
Dave Lovell grew up working on his family’s farm with his father, and working on the water with his uncle. He has a great love for both. He has been a poultry farmer for 24 years, and he is enthusiastic to be a part of the Delmarva Land and Litter Collaborative where he can help Delmarva agriculture become part of the solution to improving the Chesapeake Bay and its contributing waterways. He is married to his wife Tracy, and together they have 2 daughters, Jenny and Sarah.
David Baird | District Coordinator, Sussex Conservation District
David Baird provides management and oversight of the District’s operations (Agriculture, Stormwater, Heavy Equipment, and Administration) while also leading the District’s policy development, legislative strategy, and relationship building with the District’s partners and cooperators. During the past year, SCD provided over $1.4 million in technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers in Sussex County, Delaware and has developed relationships with both the point source and non-point source communities to improve water quality throughout the region. David serves on the Board of the Delaware Rural Water Association and as Vice President of the National Rural Water Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to training, promoting and supporting water and wastewater professionals in small and rural communities across the nation.
Holly Porter | Executive Director, Delmarva Chicken Association
Holly Porter is Executive Director for the Delmarva Chicken Association, previously named the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI). Prior to working with DPI, Holly worked at the Delaware Department of Agriculture and MidAtlantic Farm Credit. She has served as the co-director of the LEADelaware program, as a committee member of the MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture Conference and as an advisory council member to the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program. Ms. Porter grew up on a grain farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and earned a degree from Marymount University. She and her family make their home in Caroline County, MD.
Jennifer Rhodes | Senior Agent, University of Maryland Extension
Jennifer Rhodes, a chicken grower and University of Maryland Extension Educator, has been a leader in the chicken industry and agricultural community for years. She owns and operates with her sons Deerfield Farms LLC, a 110-acre poultry and grain operation. She was president of Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. in 2013. She remains an active member of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Grower Committee that she chaired in 2006 and 2007, Environmental Committee, and Government Relations Committee. She is a member of the Maryland Agricultural Commission, an advisory group to the Secretary of Agriculture, and has been active in the Queen Anne’s County Farm Bureau, Foundation for Community Partnerships, the Queen Anne’s County Soil Conservation District, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of MidAtlantic Farm Credit. Her experiences with 4-H, FFA, and LEAD Maryland have increased her knowledge about agriculture while developing and improving her people and leadership skills. Miss Rhodes was employed for ten years with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension as a Nutrient Management Advisor.
Josh Hastings| Program and Policy Director, Forever Maryland Foundation
Josh grew up on a poultry farm and Maryland’s very first certified organic farm, in Wicomico County, MD. Prior to joining Forever Maryland, Josh spent a decade working at Eastern Shore land trusts – including a few years as the Deputy Director of the Lower Shore Land Trust and seven years as the Policy Manager for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. In 2018, he was elected to the Wicomico County Council.He holds two bachelor’s degrees from Salisbury University and earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from UMBC.
Kate Fritz | Executive Director, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Kate Fritz is the Executive Director of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Prior to this, she served as the Director of South River Federation. She sits on the Board of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy, having served in various leadership roles as one of its founding board members. Upon graduation from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Kate worked as an environmental scientist at an Annapolis consulting firm performing forest stand and wetland delineations, learning stream restoration techniques, and collecting water quality data related to land development. She then spent seven years working in the Planning Department in Prince George’s County, MD, focusing on land use planning related to water resources. Kate received her bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in environmental science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland; her master of science in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland University College, and an Executive Masters in Natural Resources Management, focused on Leadership for Sustainability from Virginia Tech.
Kelly Shenk | Agricultural Advisor, EPA Region III
Kelly Shenk serves as a non-voting advisor to DLLC. Kelly has a 20 year history with the EPA working closely with federal and state agencies and key stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay Program on both technical and policy fronts addressing agriculture, toxics, and urban storm water.
Kim Coble | Executive Director, Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Kim Coble joined Maryland LCV in 2019 after two years as the Chief Operating Officer at US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Prior to her role at US SIF, Kim worked at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, including eight years as the Maryland Executive Director and then six years as Vice President of Environmental Protection and Restoration where she oversaw CBF’s policy, outreach and restoration work throughout the watershed. Kim was selected as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2015, appointed as an Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay, served as the Valedictorian of her Leadership Maryland class and was a member of the State Ethics Commission from 2015 to 2019.
Kevin Cline | Environmental Specialist, Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality
Kevin Cline serves as a non-voting advisor to DLLC. Kevin conducts permit compliance inspections at wastewater discharge facilities and confined animal feeding operations in Northampton and Accomack counties on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Kevin graduated from Virginia Tech in 2011 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. He joined the DEQ after working in environmental consulting for several years and is excited to bring his prospective to the organization.
Lindsay Thompson | Executive Director, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board and Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts
Lindsay Thompson is a native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore where she grew up on her family’s grain farm and currently resides with her husband Jared and their daughter. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington College and a master’s degree in environmental policy from the University of Maryland. Thompson is the owner and operator of Thompson Ag Consulting providing association management services for agricultural non-profit organizations including the Maryland Grain Producers, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, and Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association.
Lisa Wool | Executive Director, Nanticoke Watershed Alliance
A native Delawarean, Lisa Wool grew up either playing in creeks in northern Delaware or body-surfing the waves in Rehoboth. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware’s Agricultural College with a concentration in Wildlife Conservation, as well as minors in Animal Science and Biology. Lisa spent the past 16 years at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary creating and implementing innovative education and outreach projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Prior to that, she worked for Delaware Greenways, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Fish and Wildlife, as well as Parks and Recreation.
Mark Hoffman | Maryland Director, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Mark L. Hoffman is the Chesapeake Bay Commission’s Maryland Director, and the most recent addition to the Commission staff. A life-long Maryland resident, his interests in the environment and conservation where nurtured by becoming interested in birds and birding at an early age, a passion he still pursues today. After graduating from Cornell University (B.A., Biology) and the University of Florida (M.S., Wildlife Ecology), Mark began a 31-year career with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Ultimately advancing to the position of Assistant Secretary for Mission Support, he oversaw all the finance and administration functions for the $300 million agency. And given his science background, he was always able to bring that expertise to bear on administrative and budget concerns. Mark also had extensive engagement with the Maryland General Assembly on fiscal and policy issues, a skill-set well suited for the Commission.
Nancy Nunn | Assistant Director, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology
Nancy Nunn works closely with the Center’s Board, agriculture and environmental communities, local governments, and other stakeholders to address the issues impacting Maryland’s working lands. The Hughes Center focuses on bringing together diverse parties to address issues and identify solutions. Nancy earned her BA in Political Science and MA in History from Washington College. She is part owner of a local cheese company and served as a 4-H leader and member of the Kent County Ag Center Board. Her other passion is education and she currently serves as Vice President of the Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s Board.
Nick Thomas | Poultry and Grain Farmer, Thomas Family Farms
Nick Thomas is a native of Accomack County, Virginia. He grew up working with his father at their retail garden center and commercial landscape contractor business. Residing in Atlantic with his wife Jessica and their three children, they own and operate 18 chicken houses and tend 400 acres of grain on the family farm. Nick serves on the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors and is active in the environmental and agricultural communities. Nick was employed for eight years with the Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumers Services as a USDA Commodity Inspector (Fresh Fruit and Vegetables).
Richard Snyder | Director, Eastern Shore Laboratory, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary
Richard Snyder is Professor and Director of the Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary. He received his B.S. degree at the College of Charleston, and his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. Originally from rural Queen Anne’s County, MD, Richard is back on the Delmarva after 24 years in Pensacola FL. He is a broadly trained ecologist with experience in basic and applied research in microbial ecology, oceanography, aquaculture, plant communities of wetlands and barrier islands, chemical contamination in fish and shellfish, aquifer fresh and saltwater quality impairments from nutrient and fecal sources, and oil spill dynamics. He has sailed on Chesapeake Bay in log canoes and the Pride of Baltimore. Richard currently lives in Craddockville, VA on a small produce and grain farm.
Robert J. Etgen | Executive Director, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Rob Etgen has been the Executive Director of ESLC since October 1990. He started his career as a Forest Ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service and also worked at times for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Attorney General’s Office in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, two private law firms in Baltimore, and with the Maryland Environmental Trust where he assisted in the formation of eighteen private land trusts. In land conservation Rob has published extensively, received numerous awards including the Chesapeake Bay “Conservationist of the Year” in 2007, and has led Eastern Shore Land Conservancy to become one of the most successful and innovative land trusts in the Country. Rob received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from West Virginia University.
Sarah Harrison-Linton | Temperanceville Complex Environmental Manager, Tyson Foods
Sarah Harrison-Linton is the Complex Environmental Manager for Tyson Foods in Temperanceville, VA. She joined Tyson Foods after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Poultry Science. Sarah’s husband manages two local, family chicken farms that have been in operation for over 50 years.
Tim Rosen | Director of Agriculture & Restoration, ShoreRivers
Tim Rosen manages ShoreRivers’ agricultural department, partnering with academic, state, and federal agencies to advance research on agricultural best management practices, managing restoration projects, completing watershed assessments, and working with farmers and landowners to reduce land based pollution. Tim grew up outside of Baltimore on one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most polluted tributaries. He majored in biology and minored in environmental studies at Mount St. Mary’s University and completed a master’s degree in watershed hydrology at Louisiana State University. Following graduate school he entered into Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Conservation Corps with Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy (a ShoreRivers legacy organization).