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OUR TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joe Anderson

President

Joe Anderson  is the president of the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Tufts University, and is a prep cook for Ruddy Duck Seafood and Alehouse. Joe came to St. Mary’s County from Connecticut in 1974 as a Vista volunteer, and has devoted much of the last 50 years to community service. He served as a St. Mary’s County Commissioner (1998-2002) and is a past member of the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission. Joe currently serves on the Greenwell Foundation and the Southern Maryland Higher Education boards.

Larry O'Brien

Vice President

Larry O'Brien  is a lifelong resident of St. Mary's County, growing up on the Patuxent River with family roots in White Point on the Potomac going back to the early 1900s. His love of the environment was engendered early on by his parents, both avid fishermen and protectors of the environment. His father co-founded the Save Our Rivers League in an effort to stop the industrial development of a deep water port for Volkswagen of America on the Patuxent River. After a long career as a realtor, land developer and builder, and mortgage lender, he retired in late 2022 to spend more time with his four children. Mr. O'Brien holds a certificate as a master naturalist and engages with the public through the public school system and other forums, as well as the St. Mary's River Watershed Association. He hopes to use his experience in his professional life to benefit the many environmental needs of the area. Since a student at St. Mary's College of Maryland many years ago, he feels a special bond for the St. Mary's River and its watershed. He resides with his wife Julie on St. George Island.

Patricia "Tricia" Samford

Secretary

Patricia "Tricia" Samford  received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, majoring in historical archaeology. She is currently the Director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard, Maryland. Her research has dealt with the archaeology of free and enslaved African Americans in the American South and in cultural resource management. She enjoys gardening, kayaking on the St. Mary’s River and reading.

BRIAN KULCZYCKI

Treasurer

Brian Kulczycki is a Board Member and the Treasurer of the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. Growing up in Tennessee, Brian developed a deep love of nature and the environment while fishing and boating in the rivers and lakes of Middle Tennessee. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University, Brian went on to enjoy a long career in finance and accounting across the Telecommunications industry and in the Public Sector, primarily for the Department of Defense.  Now retired, Brian and his wife Caroline live in Valley Lee, MD. Brian is involved in a number of activities on the St. Mary’s River and local waterways including kayaking, fishing, and boating.  He is also an active member in the local sailing club. Since his appointment to the Board, Brian has contributed to the SMRWA office management and recruitment of volunteers. He has recently added reef ball building and oyster babysitting to his resume.

JOHN GIUSTI

 John Giusti received a Masters in International Studies from American University. Currently retired, he was a certified financial planner and former career transition counselor. John is a frequent cast member at Three Notch Theater where he has portrayed a variety of characters. Excelling in comedy, John's portrayal of Galileo in "Babu's Burgers," (by Keith William) provided the right balance of authenticity and imagination in a geographical and time displaced farce with characters Benjamin Franklin, Hitler, Genghis Khan, and Jesus. When not on stage, John can be found playing tennis or hiking the local trails.

WILLIAM FALLER

 William Faller is a full-time student working on a bachelor’s of science in marine science at St Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), and is the SMCM Student representative on the board. He is extremely passionate about aquatic restoration and oyster habitats and has worked as an oyster aquaculturalist at the True Chesapeake Oyster farm in Ridge MD. He enjoys going on hikes, and collecting shark teeth. his favorite fish is the bay’s very own Oyster Toadfish.

David Lewis

David Lewis  and his wife, Marcia Greenberg, live on St. Inigoes Creek where they purchased their home in 2003. Dave has lived on or near the water for nearly all his life. He grew up on the shores of Clear Lake in California, was on the crew as an undergraduate in college, lived in a fishing village as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, sailed on Cayuga Lake while working in upstate New York, and is now retired on the water in St. Mary's City. Aside from his personal interest in the stewardship of water resources, Dave brings to the Board two professional types of experience: regional development management and organization development. As a faculty member at Cornell University (35+ years) he specialized in regional planning and the management of development programs. His administrative roles within the university provided "institutional battlefield experience" in organization development and management. Dave earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering at Stanford, and his PhD in regional planning at Cornell.

Barry Muchnick

Barry Muchnick  is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). He graduated from Emory University in 1996 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology. Then, he received a certificate in Wilderness Management at University of Montana in 1998. Dr. Muchnick holds two Master's degrees and a Ph.D. from Yale University: a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology (2001), a Master of Art in Environmental History (2003), and a Joint Ph.D. in Environmental History and Environmental Studies (2010). During his Ph.D. program, he also worked as a Sustainable Property Management Specialist at 315 Whitney Company in New Haven, Connecticut. After his Ph.D., he was a Foundation Fellow at the Betsy and Jessie Fink Foundation in Norwalk, Connecticut. Once he arrived in southern Maryland to work at SMCM, Dr. Muchnick helped launch and design the curriculum for the Environmental Studies program. He also directs the Environmental Citizenship Series and is the head of the campus farm. His research focuses on environmental problem solving using interdisciplinary approaches. He works on a broad range of topics encompassing natural science, policy, and social science.

Elizabeth "Liz" Price

Elizabeth "Liz" Price  earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997, and a Master of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2002. Since moving to Maryland in 2002, she has worked as a Research Associate at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science - Chesapeake Biological Lab. During her 20 years there, she has worked for two environmental economists focusing on finding cost-effective solutions to issues related to the health of the Chesapeake Bay including environmentally friendly dredged material placement and stormwater BMPs. She loves spending time in nature with her husband and two sons, and especially enjoys hiking, canoeing and birding.

Richard "rick" hammond

A Maryland native and glad to be back home, Richard (Rick) Hammond has lived in all four corners of our Nation and nine foreign countries during his 30-year Navy career. Educated as an engineer and an aviator by trade, Rick has traveled over three million miles while flying Navy’s front line aircraft. Armed with a BS degree from the Naval Academy and three master’s degrees, Rick engineered advanced developments for Navy’s future airborne technologies while working at the Naval Air Systems Command. Active in the community, Rick volunteers his spare time supporting a variety of civic efforts including Saint Mary’s Caring Soup Kitchen, the Saint Mary’s County YMCA, and most prominently, Saint Mary’s River Watershed Association. In the past, Rick has served as a Boy Scout Scoutmaster, Senior Advisor to the President of College of Southern Maryland and was Vice President of a chapter of the Naval Academy Alumni Association. But his passion is to enjoy and respect the riches of our bountiful tidewater tributaries.

John Spinicchia

John Spinicchia  received a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland and a Masters at American Military University. He spent several years teaching Natural Resources Management classes at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center for St. Mary's County Public Schools. Now, he serves as the Director of Instructional Support at St. Mary's College of Maryland. When John is not teaching or with his family, Jeannie and the twins Rebecca and Nico, he is probably communing with nature in some way —possibly counting toads and frogs, surveying stands of trees, or just watching the beauty of nature.

Elaine Szymkowiak

Elaine Szymkowiak  received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. Mary's College of Maryland. Since 1981, she has served as Biology Laboratory Coordinator and instructor in scanning electron microscopy at the College. She is the advisor to the student club, Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). Elaine has an avid interest in conservation issues and a life long love of nature. She enjoys spending free time on outdoor activities including hiking, nature study, sailing, skiing and gardening.

Emeritus Board Members

Captain Will Gates

Nancy McAllister

Roger Stone

Bob Paul

STAFF

Emma Green Ewing

Executive Director

Emma Green Ewing is the Executive Director of the St. Mary's River Watershed Association (SMRWA). She graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) in 2018 with majors in Environmental Studies and Biology. At SMCM, she worked as an intern on the oyster sanctuary where she developed and piloted an oyster monitoring program with a fellow student. Her St. Mary's Project traced sources of nitrate to the St. Mary's River from around the watershed. After graduation, she worked a variety of jobs including positions at the Conservation Job Corps, at Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, and as a sustainability consultant at Baltimore hospitals. In 2020, she returned to southern Maryland and began a Master's program at Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Her Master's thesis focused on benthic macroinvertebrate food web dynamics in the Pacific Arctic. She graduated in December 2022 and began full-time work at SMRWA. In October 2023, she was promoted to Executive Director. In her free time, Emma enjoys jigsaw puzzles, hiking, swimming, and reading.

Kaley Christman

Outreach & Fundraising Coordinator

Kaley Christman was an SMRWA Oyster Restoration & Environmental Education Technician summer of 2024, and returned as the Outreach and Fundraising Coordinator for the spring semester. She is currently a senior at St. Mary's College of Maryland pursuing a biology and environmental studies double major and a studio art minor.  In her free time she enjoys playing field hockey, photography, crocheting, being outdoors, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets. 

Interns

Sarah Luersen

2024 Lindsay Paul Rudolph Intern

Sarah Luersen was an SMRWA field technician summer 2024 and continued her internship through the fall semester as the outreach coordinator. She is currently a junior at St. Mary’s College of Maryland pursuing an environmental studies degree with a biology minor. Sarah is excited to gain field experience and event planning and communication skills through her internship. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, crafting, and spending time with her family and friends back on the Eastern Shore.

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St. Mary's River Watershed Association, Inc., Post Office Box 94, St. Mary's City, MD 20686             emmasmrwa@gmail.com