Board of Directors
Mark O. Conner (President)
Principal, Corporate Treasury Investment Consulting LLC
Baltimore MD
Mark O. Conner is a lifelong resident of the Chesapeake region and a paddling enthusiast. He in the founder and Principal of Corporate Treasury Investment Consulting LLC. Mark is also an ice hockey coach and is the director of "Hockey in the 'Hood", an outreach program that serves severely disadvantaged and at-risk kids in East Baltimore. His volunteer experience includes tutoring young readers at the St. Ambrose Tutoring Center in West Baltimore, volunteering as a board member of Baltimore Youth Hockey, and serving on the Board of Managers of the Towson YMCA. Mark is a single father of three daughters and resides in the northern part of Baltimore City.
Leila J. Hamdan, Ph.D (Secretary)
US Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, DC
Leila is an aquatic microbial ecologist employed as a Research Microbiologist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Her focus is on understanding the impact of eutrophication on microplankton food webs in coastal systems. Specifically, her work addresses the development of anoxia in the Chesapeake Bay resulting from bacterial respiration of dissolved organic matter derived from phytoplankton. Recently she has become involved in describing microbial communities physically associated with methane hydrates found on the sea floor. This work is important on a global scale because of the impact of oceanic methane export on global climate change. Leila holds a doctoral degree in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University. In her free time, she volunteers as the President Elect for the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society, a regional professional society dedicated to understanding estuarine and coastal environmental issues and policies.
Tim Gleeson (Treasurer)
Vice President, PNC Bank
Mr. Gleeson currently manages the underwriting group for the Washington, DC, office of PNC Bank's commercial real estate finance group. PNC Real Estate Finance provides financial products and services to commercial real estate clients nationwide. The Washington, DC office is responsible for financing activities with clients whose headquarters lie within the greater Washington metropolitan area. Mr. Gleeson joined PNC in June 1997 following completion of business school at the University of Notre Dame where he earned an MBA with a concentration in finance. Prior to attending graduate school, Mr. Gleeson worked in various capacities at the Ryland Group, Inc., one of the country's largest home builders. He also spent a brief time with Costar Group Inc., a commercial real estate research firm. Mr. Gleeson graduated from the University of Maryland in June 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in finance. Mr. Gleeson resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and children.
Robert F. Murphy (Executive Director and Member At-Large)
Ecosystem Solutions, Inc.
Bob Murphy currently serves as Director for Ecosystem Solutions, Inc. overseeing all aspects of the organization, including fundraising, proposal writing, scientific research and analysis, and field studies. Prior to ESI, Bob worked at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a regional non-profit, where he specialized in habitat restoration, with particular emphases on submerged vegetation and oyster reef habitats. As a member of the senior staff at the Alliance, Bob served as scientific liaison to the Chesapeake Bay Program and other regional organizations. Bob holds a master's degree in fish ecology from the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland. His continued scientific interests include the interactions of habitat and population dynamics in marine and estuarine systems. Bob and his wife Beth currently reside with their two boys, Ian and Declan, in Edgewater, MD in the South River watershed.
Tyrone P. Wilson, Ph.D., (Member At-Large)
Portland Cement Association
Washington, DC
Tyrone is currently working for the Portland Cement Association (PCA) as Director, Regulatory Affairs. Among his responsibilities are serving as primary PCA resource for regulatory analysis and response for rulemakings related to environment and energy issues and acting as liaison between government entities and PCA's member companies. Prior to his position with PCA, Tyrone was employed by Digital Support Corporation as a government contractor during which time he worked as a biologist in the U.S. Geological Survey's NBII Program and later as an economic officer in the U.S. Department of State's Economic Bureau. He has held previous senior-level positions with the International Bottled Water Association (including project director for the Drinking Water Research Foundation) and the American Plastics Council. Tyrone earned a doctoral degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. His research focused on agricultural biotechnology policy and country regulatory regimes. Tyrone resides in Alexandria, Virginia and is an active member of the Spring Bank Civic Association in the Mount Vernon District. In his spare time he enjoys bicycling, reading, music and artwork.
Eileen DeCesare, RN, MS, CNAA, LNC (Member-At-Large)
Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc.
Washington, DC
Mrs. DeCesare has over 36 years of experience in Clinical Nursing, Nursing Education, Nursing Administration and public service. After serving as Deputy Director, Division of Nursing, and Director of Nursing Systems at D.C. General Hospital, she established Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc. in 1994 and Professional Healthcare Resources International, Inc. in 1996. In addition to establishing her healthcare services organizations, she has earned many certifications, honors and awards, and is a member of several professional organizations. Mrs. DeCesare is a graduate of St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Quezon City , Philippines, and holds a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from the University of Illinois and a Masters Degree in Public Administration-major in Healthcare Management-from DePaul University , Chicago , Illinois . She resides in Vienna, Virginia with her husband Ron. Eileen enjoys traveling, music, and family activities that include her six grandchildren.
Wes Johnson, RN, MS, CNAA, LNC, (Member-At-Large)
Retired, MD Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Johnson has served in the public sector for 40 years in Parks and Resource conservation. Although now retired, he began his career at The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission as a planner and completed his 30 years of service as Chief of Park Planning and Development. He then accepted the position of Director of Parks and Recreation for Queen Anne's County and in addition, performed all land acquisition services for the County. He was appointed to Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, responsible for Land and Water Resources, from which he retired in October of 2004. Mr. Johnson's primary responsibilities throughout his career have been in planning, design, land acquisition and property management. He holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from Bethany College, West Virginia and a M.S. from The University of Pittsburgh in Regional Planning. He has served on the boards of several conservation organizations including The Parks and Resources Conservation Foundation, Maryland Forest and Parks Advisory Commission, Maryland Rural Legacy Advisory Committee, Maryland Environmental Trust, and served on The North Carolina State University Board of Regents for their Revenue Resources Management School. He remains active with conservation issues in the Bay Area in advisory and consulting capacities.
Beau Birch, (Member-At-Large)
Partner, Novak Birch, Baltimore, MD
Beau is a partner in and president of Novak Birch, the marketing communications and public relations firm he founded over 20 years ago. He is a tireless advocate, advisor and strategic creative resource for a broad spectrum of clients, from trade associations and Fortune 500 companies to small, startup enterprises. With his two partners, Beau leads of team of more than 20 designers, writers, programmers, and project specialists in the creation of integrated, synchronized communication programs. Though some have described him as having "printer's ink in his veins" because of his unparalleled expertise in all aspects of printing, he is equally comfortable working in print, broadcast, and digital media. Beau received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Towson State University. He resides on the Magothy River, in Pasadena, Maryland, and for many years has been an avid boater and champion of marine environmental efforts.
Eric Osberg, (Member-At-Large)
Vice President and Treasurer, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Washington, DC
Eric Osberg is the Vice President and Treasurer of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, two related nonprofits in Washington, D.C., with missions to reform public K-12 education in America. Since 2002, he has been responsible for financial and managerial issues at Fordham, overseeing the budgets and spending of the two organizations and coordinating many aspects of Fordham’s strategy, operations, investments, and personnel management. He also works on specific policy projects related to school finance and other topics, and he is a Public Affairs Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. From 1997 to 2000, Eric worked for Capital One Financial in Vienna, Virginia, where he helped develop the company's telecommunications line of business, America One. In June of 2002, Eric earned a Masters in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University. He also completed a Certificate of Nonprofit Management as part of his MBA curriculum. A native of Delaware, Eric holds both a BS in Commerce, with a concentration in Finance, and a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia. He resides in Silver Spring, MD, with his wife and 2 daughters.
Harry Pastuszek, (Member-At-Large)
Bechtel Corporation
Washington, DC
Harry is an attorney by training, and feels right at home in the DC area as one who does not practice law. He serves as a Sustainable Development Manager for Bechtel Corporation, working out of Bechtel's Washington, DC office. Harry's role is to support Bechtel's major construction projects in sectors such as oil and gas, mining and metals, and power to achieve sustainable development objectives in areas such as increased employment of local people and purchasing of goods and services from local businesses, and in encouraging customers to make sustainable facility design a priority. Much of Harry's work focuses on Bechtel's overseas projects in developing countries. Prior to joining Bechtel Harry spent seven years working in various positions in the Environment and Social Development Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC is the arm of the World Bank Group that invests in private enterprises in developing countries. Harry's overall professional objective is to promote the application of innovative practices/technologies to private sector investments in the developing world as a means of making economic growth sustainable. Harry, his wife Elizabeth, son Harrison, and soon-to-be-new-addition to the family spend most of their time breaking up fights between their 2 terriers and cat at their fixer-upper home in Alexandria, VA.