CBF’S Ann Jennings Receives Enviromental Leadership Award

LEXINGTON, VA. – The Virginia Environment Symposium has presented its 2009 Erchul Environmental Leadership Award to Ann F. Jennings, Virginia executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).

The Erchul Award recognizes a Virginian who has made significant individual efforts to better the environment through vision, expertise, commitment, integrity, communication skills, accomplishments, and diplomacy. The award is named for retired Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Ronald A. Erchul, the founder of the Environment Virginia Symposium, hosted annually on the VMI Post. Capt. Erchul presented the award to Jennings at this week’s 20th annual symposium in Lexington.

As Virginia executive director, Jennings oversees CBF’s environmental and legislative advocacy, resource protection, land conservation, and grassroots programs in the Commonwealth. Prior to becoming executive director in 2005, she served as assistant director and senior scientist of the Virginia CBF office. A certified wetland scientist, Jennings has been responsible for CBF’s policies on wetland protection, farm nutrient runoff, and watershed restoration. She continues regularly to work with the Virginia General Assembly on these and other issues.

Her nomination for the Erchul Environmental Leadership Award reads:

Ann possesses a unique ability to meld scientific expertise, dedication to the environment, and regional diplomacy into visionary solutions. She was instrumental in helping bring together developers, consultants, and environmental groups to enable Virginia to regulate isolated non-tidal wetlands and to prevent “Tulloch ditching and draining” of wetlands in the 2000 legislative session.

More recently, her leadership within the Virginia Waste Solutions Forum with the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association and the Agriculture and Conservation Partnership for Water Quality provide additional examples of her passion for environmental improvement and ability to lead others sharing this same passion. Ann’s ability to unite organizations and individuals with broad interests and backgrounds demonstrates integrity and commitment.

The award includes a $1,000 donation to CBF.

Prior to joining CBF in 1996, Jennings was a biologist for eight years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She holds degrees from Virginia Tech and Texas A&M University and is a graduate of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute.

Other awards presented included:

"County Wins Bronze State Environmental Award," Staunton News Leader, April 7, 2009.

"Virginia Governor Honors Roanoke Cement Company," Business Wire, April 6, 2009.

"Dometic Awarded Virginia Governor's Environmental Excellence Award," Layover.com, April 2, 2009.

-VMI-