Robert H. Johnson Award for Distinguished Service
Frances Flanigan

Fran shepherded the merger of five watershed groups fifteen years ago, serving as transition director for the new organization that would become Blue Water Baltimore. She then served as a board member for nine more years.  

Her career has included many such feats of organizing, from kitchen-table conversations to historic conferences, including the creation of the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983.  

The gains we’ve seen in watershed health in the last 40 years would not have been possible without Fran’s hard work, strong relationships, and skillful facilitation. The precedents and processes she established in the fight for the Chesapeake Bay have shaped so much of what’s possible here in the Baltimore Harbor watershed, as well as how we approach our work.  

Fran was also an important friend to Bobby Johnson for many years. In recognition of that friendship, the award itself is made from a piece of American Chestnut from Bobby’s childhood home, Patella.