Dr. Torrey Brown - Chairman
President, Intralytix Inc. Former Secretary, Maryland DNR
Member of the Board Finance & Audit Subcommittee

Dr. Torrey Brown says” My involvement with the Oyster Recovery Partnership began with its development in the early days and I continue to support the organization because of my love of the Chesapeake Bay and all its inhabitants.” Torrey has been the President and CEO of Intralytix Inc. since 1998 after serving as Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources from 1983-1995. Torrey served as Assistant Dean of the Medical School and Vice President of Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1976-1983.

Joe Jackins - Treasurer
Member of the Board Finance & Audit Subcommittee

Joe Jackins became involved with the Partnership after serving as the committee chairman for the Skipjack races held during the Chesapeake Appreciation Days. Joe has served on ORP’s Board since its inception in 1994 and is now the Secretary/Treasurer. Joe began his career at St. John’s College as their business manager, and was with Air Cargo for the 23 years as their Chief Financial Officer.

Bill Goldsborough - Vice Chairman
Senior Scientist, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Bill Goldsborough was a member of the Oyster Roundtable that formed the Oyster Recovery Partnership when he joined the Board in 1994. Bill is a Senior Scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and has worked for them since 1978. He began his work with CBF in the education department, managing the Smith Island and the Baltimore Education Centers. Bill then developed the Environmental Protection and Restoration Department within CBF where he continues his work today. Bill is a graduate of University of Virginia and holds a Masters degree from the University of Maryland. When not at the office, you’ll find Bill fishing.

Karen Oertel - Vice Chairman
Owner, W.H. Harris Seafood Inc.

For more than 40 years, Karen Oertel has been involved in
the seafood industry alongside her family. She is
currently an integral member in the Harris Family
Partnership with many holdings. As an active member of
her community, Karen has served on many boards relating
to business and non-profits alike -- including county and
state boards and commissions. She is currently serving on
the Executive Board of the Oyster Recovery Partnership --
a position she has held for many years. In fact, Karen
helped spawn the ORP as a member of the Oyster Round
Table and also served on the Tidal Fish Commission. She
resides on the Eastern Shore with her husband and enjoys
spending time with her three children and five grandchildren.
"I believe that we need to find a sustainable path, both
ecologically and economically, to restore oysters in our
Bay and have worked diligently to support a balance that
would achieve this goal," said Oertel. "We deal with many
challenges in this venture -- one of which is disease.
Having a sustainable industry until the 1970's when
disease became a factor, we have supported the scientific
community in developing disease-free oysters, as well as
the industry in cleaning the bottom and bringing the
shell to the surface. By working together as a team we
have been successful in finding some common sense
solutions. However, our fight is not over; we need to
continue to find the balance that works."

Larry Simns - Vice Chairman
President, Maryland Watermen's Association

Larry has been the President of the Maryland Watermen’s Association since its beginning, celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2003. Larry has been a life long watermen catching oysters, crabs, striped bass, clamming, and now runs a charter business on his boat the Dawn II. Larry sits on many regional and national committees, including the Governor’s task for oil spills, the Mid -Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and the Oyster Roundtable. He has been Partnership Board member since 1994. Larry and his wife Carolyn call Rock Hall MD their home.

Ken Binnix - Secretary
Executive Vice President, Days Cove Reclamation Company

Ken Binnix has spent the past 30 years pursuing the best interests of the Chesapeake Bay. A pioneer in oyster restoration, Ken helped create and direct the Oyster Recovery Partnership during its formative years as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1994-1997 and is currently the Board Secretary. He also currently serves as Vice President of the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association (CAPCA). A familiar face to many, he assisted the Maryland Watermen’s Association in their oyster shucking demonstrations during the Chesapeake Appreciation Days at Sandy Point State Park, served as Chairman of the Chesapeake Appreciation Days, Inc. from 1990-1991, and was a member of the famous Windjammers of the Chesapeake Club from 1990-1995. By day, Ken is the Executive Vice President of the Days Cove Reclamation Company in Annapolis and Vice President of William J. Gleason & Sons, Inc. in White Marsh. Days Cove Reclamation Company is a full service solid waste management firm, specializing in reclaiming surface mining and other industrial sites in conjunction with the management of construction and demolition debris landfills. William J. Gleason & Sons, Inc provides expert major and minor repairs for construction, industrial, and marine equipment. Ken presently is also serving as Chairman of the Maryland-Delaware Solid Waste Association. Ken and his wife, Linda, make their home in Columbia, MD. Ken has 3 children and 10 grandchildren.

Keith Campbell
President, Campbell Foundation for the Environment

Keith Campbell was the founder of Campbell and Company in 1972 and currently serves as Chairman of its Board of Directors. In addition, Keith heads the Campbell Foundation for the Environment which is dedicated to finding solutions to the environmental problems facing the Chesapeake Bay. Keith is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and joined the Oyster Recovery Partnership’s Board in 2001. In his spare time Keith likes to fish, surf, golf, fly his plane, and spend time, on the water.

Russell Dize
Vice President, Maryland Watermen’s Association

Russell Dize began his career as a Chesapeake Bay Waterman in 1959 at the age of 18. Over the past 50 years, Russell has worked in all aspects of the seafood industry. In 1972 he became a partner in the Tidewater Clam Co. and ten years later, formed his own company, R.D.S. Seafood. He is the owner and captain of the skipjack Kathryn and now operates his charter boat “Riley Kat” out of Tilghman, MD. Russell also serves on numerous fisheries management committees including the Oyster Advisory Committee, Rockfish Advisory Committee and the Tidal Fish Advisory Committee. Russell and his wife Joan reside in Tilghman, MD.

Robert Driscoll
President, SCC Group, Sindicatum Carbon Capital

Bob has more than 36 years experience in successful development and management of international and domestic businesses. Specifically he has more than 15 years specializing in large-scale infrastructure development, financing, construction, ownership, operation, acquisition and divestment. Prior to joining SCC, Bob worked at Mirant Corporation as a Senior Vice President and Head of Asset Management where he managed Mirant’s US operations, responsible for government relations, business development, and coordination of the company’s commercial and operations groups. Bob was also Chief Executive Officer of Mirant Mid-Atlantic LLC, a business unit representing nearly 80% of Mirant’s annual revenues. Previously Bob was a Principal at Private Power Development, an advisory firm providing consulting services to various companies, including a consortium of Japanese and British firms that purchased a multi-billion dollar Asia-Pacific business. Prior to this Bob worked at Edison Mission Energy (“EME”), serving as Chief Operating Officer of EME’s Asia Pacific business, where he grew the business from two assets in the region to one of the largest overseas US investments in the independent power business, with over USD 5 billion of assets and operations in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. From 1984 to 1995 he worked at the US-ASEAN Business Council in Washington DC, and prior to that he was a Vice President at the Council of the Americas, from November 1973 to July 1984, in New York City. He holds a B.A. from Carroll College, Montana and an M.A. from the University of Texas.

Robert Driscoll joined our Board of Directors in 2006.

Mike Eckhart
President, American Council On Renewable Energy
Chairman of the Board Finance & Audit Subcommittee

Mike Eckhart participated in the Oyster Policy Roundtable and has been on the Partnership’s Board since its 1994 inception. Mike has worked as a strategic planner at General Electric Company and as president of United Power Systems, Inc. He is the President of ACORE that works to bring all forms of renewable energy into the mainstream of America’s economy and lifestyle. Mike has an engineering degree from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He enjoys sailing out of Annapolis with his wife and two teenage daughters. Mike has been a member of Maryland Watermens Association for many years.

Dan Lyons
Vice President, Eastern Seaboard Packaging

Jim Perdue
President, Perdue Farms Inc.
Member of the Board Development Subcommittee

As Chairman and CEO of Perdue Farms, Jim heads the company’s executive team and is responsible for developing the company’s vision and growth strategies.

Jim grew up in the family poultry business, but left after high school to attend college to pursue his interests in biology. He received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and his master’s degree in marine biology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth doing growth rate research on the Malaysian prawn.

In 1983, Jim earned a doctorate in fisheries from the University of Washington in Seattle where he studied survival of the Japanese oyster (C.gigas) to summer mortality through genetic selection. He then returned to the family business and in 1989, Jim earned his MBA from Salisbury State University, becoming Chairman and CEO at Perdue Farms, Inc. in 1991.

Ed Rich
Senior Consulting Engineer, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Ed is a Senior Consulting Engineer for Northrop Grumman in Maryland. He represents the Windjammers Association on the Oyster Recovery Partnership Board of Directors. He makes his home in Annapolis with his wife and daughter, and is an active member of the Annapolis sailing community.

Bill Sieling
Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association

Bill began his career in the army, serving from 1965-1967. He then joined the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a Fisheries Extension Agent, spanning 20 years, working with watemen and processors to better the industry. Bill later switched to the Department of Agriculture as Chief of Seafood Marketing for 12 years. Bill, now in retirement, works as Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association. He is a graduate of Washington College . Bill is an original Partnership Board member since the beginning in 1994. Bill and his wife Anne make their home in Bay Ridge MD.

Mark Stemen
Virginia Division President, Washington Homes
Member of the Board Development Subcommittee

Mark is VA Division President for Washington Homes, Inc./ a K. Hovnanian Company. In addition, Mark is the Mid Atlantic President of K. Hovnanian’s Four Season Active Adult Communities and is currently developing major retirement communities in Virginia and Maryland. Mark joined the Partnership board in 2001. He is an active member of the National Council on Seniors’ Housing, National Association of Home Builders, Urban Land Institute and the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association. Mark is a graduate of the University of Michigan, has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Wayne State University, and has a law degree from Emory University.

Henry "Bud" Virts
Retired Secretary of Maryland Department of Agriculture
Member of the Board Development Subcommittee

Bud, a St. Mary’s County farmer and veterinarian, began his career in state government 15 years ago when he was named assistant state veterinarian at the Maryland Department of Agriculture. He went on to become state veterinarian and served as deputy secretary of Agriculture from 1994-1998 and served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1998-2001. Bud did his undergraduate work at the University of Maryland and received his doctor of veterinarian medicine degree from the University of Georgia in 1956. Bud is an active member of his community, and is now busy running his Trent Hall bed and breakfast with his wife Nancy.

Dale Wright
Agent, Chase Fitzgerald Real Estate
Member of the Board Policy Subcommittee

Dale has been a Board member since 1994. He is a senior agent for Chase Fitzgerald Real Estate. Before starting his career in real estate Dale was the General Manager for Channel 2 in Baltimore Maryland. Dale and his wife Stephanie make their home in Baltimore MD.