Meet our Staff

Join our mission to help every Baltimore resident get clean water and green neighborhoods. Baltimore thrives when our waterways are clean.

Find our general and media contact information here.

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Adriana DeLuca | Water Quality Program Coordinator

Adriana (Dri) supports BWB’s water quality monitoring program by collecting water samples throughout the Patapsco and Back River watersheds. She also aids in water-based engagement programming and investigates pollution reports from community members. Adriana received her BA in Biochemistry from Vassar College with a focus on marine biochemistry. Adriana considers clean, accessible water to be a foundational pillar of human life and is ecstatic to participate in measures to improve the health of Baltimore’s watershed. Outside of work, Adriana can be found crocheting or gardening. She also enjoys saying hi to every neighborhood cat while out in the field.

Alice Volpitta | Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper

As our Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, Alice directs our water quality monitoring programs and spearheads our enforcement efforts. She also oversees the management of our pollution reporting hotline, regulatory & permit review, and policy evaluation work. Alice has a BS in Biology & Environmental Science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and is a Certified Stormwater Inspector. When not patrolling our waterways, she can be found hiking and treasure hunting near them, quilting, and making Pugtatos (you’ll have to ask her to learn what that means).

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Amanda Henriquez | Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator

With over eight years of experience in community outreach and teaching environmental literacy, Amanda is excited to continue to connect people with the outdoors. She strives to work hand-in-hand with community members to develop empathy for our natural world and to empower the next generation of environmental stewards.

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Barbara Johnson | Senior Manager of Water Protection & Community Advocacy

As Sr. Manager of Water Protection and Community Advocacy, Barbara investigates potential polluters and oversees Blue Water Baltimore’s pollution reporting hotline, ensuring community concerns about environmental violations are documented and addressed.  With over a decade of experience, Barbara works closely with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper on regulatory compliance and enforcement issues, helping bridge the gap between residents, agencies, and policy solutions. Barbara’s work also supports environmental policy development rooted in community advocacy, advancing stronger protections for clean water and healthy neighborhoods across the Baltimore region. Barbara  has a BA in Environmental Sustainability & Human Ecology from the University of Baltimore, and is a Certified Stormwater Inspector through the National Stormwater Center.

Corbin Sulton | Implementation Senior Coordinator

Corbin implements our landscape and stormwater restoration projects. He also supervises and mentors our field crew in their daily work. Corbin is a certified professional in erosion and sediment control and is proficient in using heavy machinery and a variety of hand tools.

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David Long | Restoration Technician

David Long is a dedicated restoration technician at Blue Water Baltimore, with a background in warehouse operations from his time at Second Chance. As a Baltimore native, David combines his love for the environment with a passion for music and fine dining. He is a people person who works well with our volunteers and enjoys the hands-on work that he does at Blue Water Baltimore. 

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Ella Jacobs | Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps Member

Ella is a Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps member working at Blue Water Baltimore for the 2025-2026 year. Ella graduated from the University of Maryland in Spring 2025 with a major in Environmental Science and Policy and minors in GIS and German Studies. She is working on fostering relationships with local communities, delivering environmental educational programs, and supporting BWB’s mission through hands-on engagement. She is excited to organize and help with events such as tree plantings, cleanups, workshops, and educational programming focused on clean water. Additionally, she hopes to work on BWB’s dashboard to track GSI projects and planted trees using GIS. In her free time she enjoys reading, running, skateboarding, and playing guitar.

Heather Poff | Director of Institutional Giving

As our Director of Development, Heather Poff is responsible for centralizing our grants program, deepening relationships with existing grantmakers, and identifying new funding prospects to help broaden BWB’s impact. She comes to us with twenty years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, most recently managing the grants and workplace giving programs at the Maryland SPCA. She looks forward to sharing the work of Blue Water Baltimore and the role we play in protecting one of Maryland’s most important resources. Heather grew up in Pennsylvania, spending many hours exploring the woodlands and streams near her childhood home. Today, she shares her love of the outdoors with her husband and two children. You will find them at various campsites and beaches in the tri-state area from Spring to Fall. Fun Fact: While working for the Washington National Opera, Heather got to be a supernumerary (fancy word for extra) in their productions.

John Marra | Community Program Manager

John Marra started his career as an Americorps member at Civic Works before joining the Blue Water Baltimore staff in 2014. He currently manages and leads many of Blue Water Baltimore’s eco-literacy programming and engagement activities and events. An Eagle Scout since 1999, and a founding member of the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, John strongly believes in the importance of teamwork, kindness, and time spent outside. John earned his BA from Goucher College in 2006, and completed CCBC’s Sustainable Horticulture Program in 2022.

Lauren Stranahan | Director of Finance

Lauren assists our program staff in making sure everything runs smoothly while staying on top of reporting and compliance requirements. She loves keeping an eye on the details so that our teams working in the field have everything they need to continue their important work. Lauren started out volunteering with Blue Water Baltimore in a neighborhood stream cleanup and then quickly joined in on tree plantings and maintenance. Since then she’s become a certified Weed Warrior, TreeKeeper and Maryland Master Naturalist.

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Leanna Frick | Senior Director of Advancement

Leanna is a Maryland native who grew up playing in the Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanjemoy Rivers. Her professional career includes more than a decade of fundraising, communications, and nonprofit leadership in Baltimore, with a focus on just philanthropy and ethical storytelling. She is delighted to be re-joining the Blue Water Baltimore team after helping to lead the Station North Tool Library, where she continues as a woodworking and craft teacher and volunteer. 

Malcolm Wilson | Restoration Crew Leader

Malcolm joined Blue Water Baltimore after three years with the Baltimore Tree Trust, where he started as a crew member and worked his way up through the ranks to become supervisor of the tree care division. He was born and raised in Baltimore and has a background in construction, operating and maintaining heavy machinery, and urban forestry.

Margaret O’Connor | Development Coordinator

Margaret is a part of the development team and is grateful to be a part of such an amazing organization that shares her concern for the environment. She is originally from Connecticut but has also spent a lot of time in Cape Cod, MA, which is where she grew to love and appreciate the outdoors. Prior to Blue Water Baltimore, she obtained her BA in Sociology from Loyola University in Baltimore. In her free time, you can find Margaret trying out new restaurants, attending a concert, reading, or exploring the city with friends.

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Mary Lewis | Retail Nursery Manager

As our Retail Nursery Manager, Mary is responsible for community engagement, landscape design and consultations, and volunteer management at the Herring Run Nursery. She brings over 13 years of plant-related experience to our team, and truly loves sharing her passion for native plants and environmental conservation with customers and community members. Her quarantine hobbies include chess, skateboarding, and learning Spanish.

Michelle “MJ” Jenkins | Development Manager

MJ is a lifelong volunteer and advocate for community involvement around a wide range of issues. Prior to the pandemic, she was the office manager of a busy medical practice and left to pursue nonprofit work full-time in 2020 as a volunteer coordinator. She enjoys gardening and growing her own food, hiking, camping, and anything involving being near a large body of water. She is also an animal foster, avid world traveler, mixed media artist, and a pretty okay cook.

Mike Sharp | Restoration Technician

Born in Baltimore City, Mike has been drawn to the outdoors since childhood, working in the family garden with his father and spending countless hours up in trees and building forts out of scrap wood. After serving in the U.S. Army Reserves specializing in communication security, he started his conservation career volunteering with Bread & Cheese Creek Cleanup, The Nature Conservancy, the MD SPCA, and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Working extensively with the zoo’s Horticulture Team for several years, he was introduced to the Baltimore City TreeKeepers and their programs, becoming a certified Baltimore City Tree Keeper, Tree Pruner, and Weed Warrior, and began volunteering with Blue Water Baltimore. Mike is elated to work for an organization that not only aligns with his personal values, but he now also is required to work outside and get dirty every day, while also constantly learning new things about our natural world, and that suits him perfectly.  With a background in illustration, the Maryland Master Naturalist program, his various volunteering positions, workshops, and events, and a penchant for problem-solving, he is looking forward to making a unique impact in our city’s conservation and restoration.  

Patrick McMahon | Senior Manager of Community Restoration

Patrick has had extensive project management experience working with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) and completing his master’s degree at Towson University. Patrick has also been involved in the construction of many environmental restoration projects while working at Environmental Quality Resources, AWS, and while serving as a county inspector at the Maryland Environmental Service. Following the completion of his master’s, where he published a manuscript entitled, “Effects of stream restoration by legacy sediment removal and floodplain reconnection on water quality,” Patrick taught as an adjunct professor at Towson University. Patrick’s passion for greening urban environments and working towards cleaner – healthier water originates from his love for the outdoors and respect for nature.

Peter Weitzmann | Database Specialist

Peter is determined to use data and technology to promote solutions to environmental and social issues in Baltimore. Peter works to support our programmatic and development goals by overseeing the collection, organization, and utilization of data. He has a BA in Liberal Arts (Anthropology) from Hamilton College and is a Salesforce Certified Administrator and a Baltimore Treekeeper. In his free time, Peter plays guitar with his band and enjoys camping and hiking. Fun fact: Peter has visited five continents, and he has worked or volunteered in four different countries (US, S. Korea, Thailand, Australia).

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Robert Jenkins | Nursery Manager

With more than 30 years of experience in Maryland’s horticulture industry, Rob oversees the daily operations of our Herring Run Nursery.  His long-term goals are: to continually expand the Nursery, both in terms of outreach and in support of Blue Water Baltimore’s mission, to increase the Nursery’s production to include more local ecotype natives that are grown and sustainably harvested by our staff and volunteers, to expand the use of natives in the greening of, and pollutant reduction within, our watersheds. Rob has a BS in Biology and an MS in Environmental Science; additionally, he is a CPH (Certified Professional Horticulturist) and a CBLP (Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional). In his free time, Rob enjoys triathlons, mud runs, bouldering, and axe throwing. When he’s not exerting himself physically, he can be found immersed in the story of Kratos and Atreus (playing God of War). Fun fact: Rob doesn’t care for pants, he only wears shorts, no matter the temperature.

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Rosie Rivera-Lily | Director of Community Engagement

Rosie leads Blue Water Baltimore’s community engagement efforts, working alongside residents, community leaders, and partners to protect Baltimore’s waterways and advance environmental justice. She’s passionate about creating space for people, especially those in historically underserved neighborhoods, to shape the future of their communities. Rosie has deep ties to the communities she serves and brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, equity work, and family advocacy. Her work is rooted in a commitment to systemic change, building power through authentic relationships and a shared vision for a more just and sustainable city.

Fun fact: Rosie and her daughter love spending their free time swimming and relaxing by the water—it’s their favorite way to unwind, laugh, and escape the noise of everyday life.

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Sarah Holter | Water Quality Program Manager

Sarah manages the programmatic field operations of the Waterkeeper team through water quality monitoring, data management, and coordination of field volunteers. Being in close proximity to a body of water (fresh, brackish, or salty!) is Sarah’s MO, and she can often be found en route to a swimming hole with her dog and some watercolors.

Sydnee Wilson Ruff | Executive Director

Sydnee joined the staff at Blue Water Baltimore after a year on the Board of Directors. She was drawn to Blue Water Baltimore because of its commitment to Baltimore’s neighborhoods; Sydnee is led by a deep desire to amplify the voices of the City’s marginalized communities. Prior to joining Blue Water Baltimore, she spent time honing her skills in operations, communications, and community engagement at a host of nonprofits and local government agencies. Sydnee only works so she can afford to travel. She and her husband have made the world their oyster, but their favorite place to be is at home, in the West Arlington neighborhood, with their four children. 

Fun Fact: Sydnee is a baker extraordinaire and longs to one day own a bed and breakfast here in Baltimore.
 

Vanessa Pinkney | Administrative Operations Manager

Vanessa serves as the Administrative Operations Manager at Blue Water Baltimore. In this role, she ensures smooth office operations, manages organizational logistics, and supports the leadership team. She oversees administrative functions such as facilities management, payroll processing, expense report processing, and internal communications. Additionally, Vanessa serves as the liaison to the Board of Directors, coordinating meetings, agendas, and documentation. Before joining Blue Water Baltimore, Vanessa worked for 10 years in academia. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with family and friends.