Chesapeake Bay Trust Announces its 2015
Annual Award Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Molly Alton Mullins
410.974.2941, Ext. 107
(Annapolis, MD) January 22, 2015 – Tonight the Chesapeake Bay Trust will announce the recipients of
its 2015 Annual Awards Program at a ceremony held in the Maryland General Assembly. During the
event, more than 150 Chesapeake Bay supporters will join Maryland legislators to honor six exceptional
teachers, students, and environmental leaders for their outstanding contributions to education, Bay
restoration and volunteerism. Launched in 1998, the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Annual Awards Program
recognizes awardees each year for a variety of environmental leadership roles and achievements.
“Tonight’s Legislative Reception provides a wonderful opportunity for the Chesapeake Bay Trust to
showcase the incredible achievements of our grantees through these awards to Maryland legislators,
partners and supporters,” said Dr. Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “We
applaud tonight’s award winners and all of our grantees who are improving the local waters of the
Chesapeake region and our communities each and every day.”
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit, grant-making organization dedicated to improving the waters of
the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and local communities through environmental education, community
outreach, and watershed restoration. Funded in part by Maryland’s Treasure the Chesapeake license plate
program, the Trust has awarded more than $70 million in grants since its inception to fund on-the-ground
restoration and education efforts in every county in Maryland, Baltimore City and throughout the larger
Bay watershed. During tonight’s event, six awardees will be recognized by the Trust for their exceptional
environmental work in Maryland specifically, and will also be provided citations by their local legislators
to recognize their achievements and environmental contributions to their respective communities.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s 2015 Annual Award winners include:
2015 Dr. Torrey Brown Award: The Honorable Harry R. Hughes
Former Governor of Maryland
This year the Trust honors former Governor Harry H. Hughes for his lifelong commitment to the
restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Hughes served as governor from 1979 to 1987 after
17 years in the General Assembly, as well as six years as the first secretary of the Department of
Transportation. In these positions, he was a tireless leader on Bay restoration issues and championed the
Critical Areas Act, among many other accomplishments. The Dr. Torrey Brown Award, named after one
of the Trust's founding board members who was also a friend of Hughes, recognizes an individual each
year who has shown extraordinary leadership to improve the Chesapeake Bay and local communities.
2015 Ellen Fraites Wagner Award: Larry Coffman
Prince George's County Department of the Environment
The Trust recognizes Larry Coffman who retired in 2014 after 40 years of services as deputy director of
Prince George’s County Department of the Environment and other roles in the community. In his role,
Coffman oversaw the development of the department’s innovative urban stormwater management
programs and is nationally recognized as an expert on stormwater and bay-friendly urban development.
Coffman will receive the 2015 Ellen Fraites Wagner Award which was created in 1998 to honor Ellen
Fraites Wagner, an aide to former Governor Hughes, who was a tireless advocate for the Chesapeake Bay
and the environment.
2015 Educator of the Year: Deanna Wheeler
J.C. Parks Elementary in Charles County
Deanna Wheeler is a fourth and fifth grade teacher at J.C. Parks Elementary where she leads
environmental education efforts at a school-wide scale. Wheeler oversees multiple restoration projects
each year including converting turf to native plants, raising bay critters in the classroom, and
implementing outdoor experiences for her students. In addition to being named the Trust’s 2015 Educator
of the Year, Wheeler will also receive a $2,500 grant for her school to use for environmental education
programs.
2015 Student of the Year: Samuel Zabronsky
Sandy Spring Friends School in Montgomery County
Samuel Zabronsky is a senior at Sandy Spring Friends School where he was selected to manage Trout
Unlimited’s educational programming at his school, as well as educate students about native species while
also serving as a volunteer counselor focused on inspiring youth to embrace conservation. Zabronsky,
who was also one of only 25 high school students from around the country to be selected as national teen
conservation leader, was chosen as this year’s Student of the Year which includes a $5,000 scholarship for
college.
2015 Honorable Arthur Dorman Scholarship: Danielle Holt
Western School of Technology & Environmental Science in Baltimore County
Danielle Holt is a senior at Western School of Technology and Environmental Science where she ranks
third in her class with a magnet focus on environmental science. Holt is a member of her school’s Green
Team, she is active in her student government association, and in her spare time plants trees on campus,
cleans up trash, and joined the recycling team starting in middle school. She is the recipient of this year’s
Honorable Arthur Dorman Scholarship which is named in honor of the late Senator Arthur Dorman who
played a large role in bringing Trust grant programs to a greater diversity of communities in Maryland.
This scholarship is given annually to a student of color and Holt will also receive a $5,000 scholarship for
college.
2015 Melanie Teems Award: Camp Letts Watershed Restoration Initiative
The YMCA and West/Rhode Riverkeeper in Anne Arundel County
This collaborative project was implemented to help reduce nutrient and sediment pollution from entering
the Rhode River at Camp Letts, an outdoor camping retreat for students located in Edgewater, MD. This
initiative has included many stages, including stormwater projects, agricultural best management
practices, shoreline stabilization, the creation of a living shoreline, installation of interpretive signage, and
planting with students from Anne Arundel County schools, among other efforts. The Trust created its
Melanie Teems Award, which is named after its longest serving staff member, to honor an exceptional
program or project that is improving local communities and protecting Maryland’s natural resources.
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