Board of Directors

Ben Beale has served as the Extension Educator for Agricultural Sciences with the University of Maryland Extension office in St. Mary’s County since 2000. His main programming efforts include assisting growers with vegetable and small fruit production, grain and tobacco production and alternative crop development. Most recently, he has been involved in programming to help farmers manage herbicide-resistant weeds and the creation of a beginning farmer program in Maryland.

His current research projects include small fruit cultivar evaluation trials, high tunnel vegetable management, several herbicide efficacy trials for control of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth and common ragweed, and evaluation of tobacco fertility programs. Beale holds a BS degree in Agricultural Sciences, an MS degree in Management and Marketing and is a Certified Crop Advisor. Ben grew up on a diversified farm in Southern Maryland and enjoys working on the family farm in his spare time.

Dr. Craig Beyrouty joins the University of Maryland from Colorado State University, where he most recently served as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. In that role, Dr. Beyrouty was the chief administrative and academic officer for the college, leading and overseeing the college’s programs, budgets, and related activities, including resident instruction, research, outreach, and international activities. Dr. Beyrouty concurrently served as director of the Agricultural Experiment Station for Colorado State University, which operates research centers in eight locations throughout Colorado and provides broad-based funding for agricultural-related research. Previously, he held positions as professor and head of Agronomy at Purdue University and professor at the University of Arkansas. He has led and participated in international research, teaching and administrative activities all across the world, in places such as Rwanda, Tokyo, Madrid, and Moscow.

Dr. Beyrouty is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. He has served as vice chair of the International Rice Root Working Group and president of the Plant Root Environment Working Group. In 1983, he received the George Scarseth Research Award. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in soil chemistry from Purdue University and a B.S. in soil science from Cal Poly State University. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, he mapped soils for the Soil Conservation Service and was a research scientist for Castle and Cooke Foods in Illinois.

Bob Bolton is the owner and operator of Groff’s Content Farm in Rocky Ridge, Maryland. The farm specializes in producing grass-fed and finished beef, lamb, Berkshire pork, and pastured poultry, serving customers through farmers' markets and online across the DMV area.

Before transitioning to full-time farming, Bob had a 38-year career with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He worked as a Range Conservationist, Area Manager, and Invasive Species Specialist in Nevada and Oregon, later moved to Washington, D.C., as a budget analyst for wildfire and prescribed fire programs, and concluded his career as the Senior Rangeland Program Lead, where he oversaw budget management, regulation, and policy development for national rangeland programs.

Raised on a wheat and cattle farm in Dufur, Oregon, Bob's connection to agriculture began early. He earned dual bachelor's degrees in Rangeland Management and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. While working for the BLM in Oregon, he simultaneously ran an alfalfa and grass hay farm for 17 years, further deepening his hands-on agricultural experience.

Delegate Regina T. Boyce was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and is the vice-chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee. She graduated from Towson University and then from the University of Maryland Baltimore with a Master's in Business Administration. She represents District 43A in Baltimore City, where she also served as community liaison for the Baltimore City Council president and then deputy director of neighborhood relations.

Dr. Allison Colden is the Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. She previously served as CBF’s Maryland senior fisheries scientist for six years when she spent time advocating for sustainable fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. She also serves as Maryland's legislative representative to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and as an appointed member of Maryland's Oyster Advisory Commission. 

While at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, from which she received a PhD in marine sciences, Dr. Colden focused on work that aimed to increase the efficiency of native oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay and later oversaw CBF’s oyster restoration program in Maryland.

Senator Gallion was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2018 and represents District 35 in Harford and Cecil Counties. He is a member of the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee. Gallion is a full-time farmer in Harford County at Hopewell Farm, where he raises dairy and beef cattle and grows hay.

Brett Grohsgal was trained in plant management from age five on, learning rose pruning et al from matriarchs of the Italian family side. He got his Bachelor’s in Botany from UC Berkeley in 1987 and his Master’s in Soil Science from NCSU in 1989. Brett chef-ed in 9 restaurants and was line cook in 6 others to pay the way through college and land purchase. He left his doctoral research to marry Chris Bergmark (Crop Physiology, NCSU) in 1991 and to save $ for a farm. From 1996 on, Even’ Star Organic Farm (103 acres) is about vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers; does 12-month cropping; breeds diverse crops against climatic stressors; and embraces biodiversity stewardship. Even’ Star Organic Farm (certified since 1998) markets via a large CSA, wholesale accounts, and farmers’ markets. Brett has published articles for farmers on crop breeding, buying and managing soils, winter cropping, risk management, Lyme disease, delivery logistics, etc. He is bad at welding, tractor repair, replacing workers with tech, relaxing, and tact. Brett is good at plants, marketing, training and retaining workers, adapting to weather, and foods — so many foods.

Isabel leads ShoreRivers’ work to protect and restore Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. Isabel is a member of the Board of Directors for the Gunston School in Centreville. Isabel was hired in 2011 by the Chester River Association, one of ShoreRivers’ legacy organizations, where she served as the Policy Specialist for two years and then as the Chester Riverkeeper for four. In these positions she gained experience in local and state advocacy, local enforcement monitoring and compliance, water quality monitoring, and on-the-ground restoration. When ShoreRivers was created in 2018, Isabel served first as the Regional Director and then as the Deputy Director until becoming Executive Director in 2021.

Isabel received a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, where she concentrated in coastal environmental management, and a B.S. from Bucknell University with a major in animal behavior.

Josh Hastings, Councilmember (District 4), was elected in November 2018 and re-elected in November 2022. Josh is the Founder and Principal of Sound Mind Strategies. Having grown up on a poultry farm and Maryland’s very first certified organic farm, he has a deep appreciation for (and understanding of) the complexities of agriculture, environmental sustainability, natural resources, and land use. Prior to creating Sound Mind Strategies in 2024, Josh spent 15 years working in state and local land use policy, and within nonprofit leadership. He is the past Executive Director of Forever Maryland – a statewide nonprofit that supports the conservation of forests, farms, parks, critical habitat, and Maryland’s most vital lands. Before joining Forever Maryland, Josh spent a decade within the Maryland land trust community (including a few years serving as the Deputy Director of the Lower Shore Land Trust and seven years as the Policy Manager at Eastern Shore Land Conservancy) and two years as the Legislative Assistant to the Chair of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, in the Maryland State Senate. 

He currently serves on the board of the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, is a member of the Salisbury-Wicomico Metropolitan Planning Organization, and serves on the Wicomico County Commission on Aging. Josh has led numerous vital partnerships and collaboratives including: the Delmarva Land and Litter Collaborative, the Partners for Open Space coalition, and the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network. In 2019, Josh was appointed by Gov. Hogan to serve on the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council’s Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) and served a previous gubernatorial appointment on Maryland’s Rural Legacy Advisory Committee. 

In December 2023, Josh Hastings was chosen to receive the prestigious Maryland Sustainable Growth Award – in “Leadership and Service” – for his work to create the Maryland Greenspace Equity program and to set a new state goal of protecting 40% of Maryland land by 2040. Josh is an Institute for Policy Studies – New Economy Fellow, a LEAD Maryland (Class VIII) alumnus, and a University of Maryland “Academy of Excellence in Local Governance” graduate. He has earned two bachelor’s degrees from Salisbury University, in business and in political science, and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He and his wife, Alyssa, live in Salisbury, MD.

Heikes is president of Belle Aire Farms Inc., a grain farm operation in St. Michaels. He and his wife, Laura, live at Belle Aire Farm, which was purchased by his great-grandfather in 1904. His operation harvests multiple farms in Talbot County and also offers diverse real estate maintenance services, including land clearing, road maintenance, snow removal, custom farming and consultation on property management for waterfowl and deer hunting. He currently serves on the Talbot County Farm Bureau board of directors and the Maryland Farm Bureau Wildlife Advisory Committee.

Joe Hinson has had a long and varied career in forestry. He started here on the Eastern Shore as a land management supervisor for Chesapeake Corporation, responsible for the management of many young stands that are now mature, beautiful forests. From there, he traveled to Washington, D.C., as a lobbyist for the national timber industry specializing in private forestry issues. In 1982, he was named Executive Director of the Idaho Forest Industry Council, representing the large industry in that state, a position he held for 15 years. In 1998, he founded Northwest Natural Resource Group, LLC, a consulting firm that has specialized in resolving complex natural resource issues at the highest levels of state and national government. He now maintains a “semi-retired” consulting business and is the current President of the Maryland Forests Association.

Amy joined the Maryland/DC chapter in 2011 and leads our efforts to improve water quality in agricultural landscapes across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Her collaborative efforts are focused across multiple states, working with TNC colleagues as well as farmers and agribusinesses to implement change in agricultural systems to meet our ambitious goals. This work directly supports TNC's global goal of reducing nutrient runoff in agricultural watersheds with the goal of improving water quality and reducing dead zones in our estuaries.

Jones founded Eastern Shore Agriculture Sustains LLC, based in Earleville, in 2015. It matches scale-appropriate local food producers with demand, including generating economic impact assessments for regional, local food system stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and aims to provide producers, consumers and stakeholders with market information that supports a new sustainable, local food value chain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Hampshire College, and a master’s degree in resource economics from the University of Delaware. He currently volunteers as a board member for Future Harvest.

Mattox is a returning member, having previously served on the Center's Board of Directors for over a decade. He cycled off the Board after reaching the end of his term in 2019 but was asked to rejoin once he again became eligible.

Mattox, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, got his professional start in agriculture farming certified organic produce before advocating for sustainability and Chesapeake Bay cleanup. As the owner and operator of Three Maples Certified Organic Farm in Hebron, Md., he raised and managed sheep for meat production and grew eight acres of organic produce. 

He later went to work for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension as a farm management educator. There, he worked with small farm operators, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers with limited resources, provided educational materials and conducted one-on-one or group training. Upon retiring in 2020 after 16 years of service as an Extension educator, UMES said a key to Mattox's success was his deep knowledge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture farm programs, which enabled him to help small farmers make good use of the opportunities available to them.

Ernie Shea is the President of Solutions from the Land (SfL), a not-for-profit organization that incubates and supports farmer-led, multi-stakeholder platforms that inspire, educate, and equip agricultural partners to innovate and lead efforts to sustain productivity, enhance climate resilience, and contribute to local and global goals for sustainable development. SfL brings agricultural thought leaders to the forefront of conversations about the food system, the environment and the future.

Shea has over 40 years of experience at the global, national, state and local level, where he has designed and facilitated initiatives to enhance the effective functioning and ability of agricultural landscapes to sequester carbon, protect water quality, improve public health, and ensure a growing and resilient food system.

Early in his career, Shea worked for the State of Maryland, where he held a number of senior leadership positions, including Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Agricultural Development and Resource Conservation with responsibility for soil and water conservation, land preservation, domestic and international marketing and other service-oriented programs designed to strengthen the state’s agricultural industry.

From 1986-2004 Shea served as Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). As CEO of NACD, Shea represented and facilitated the effective functioning of the association consisting of nearly 3,000 local units of government, 17,000 public officials and 7,000 employees with combined annual budgets exceeding $1 billion.

Among his current activities, Shea facilitates the 25x’25 and North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliances and coordinates SfL’s state-level climate-smart agriculture work program.

He serves as Vice President of the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and is involved with the Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort focusing on agricultural, conservation and bioenergy projects.

He is also the Founder and Principal of Natural Resource Solutions (NRS), LLC, a conservation and natural resource policy and program consultancy.

Ernie and his wife Karen reside in Lutherville, Maryland, where he serves on the Board of the Lutherville Community Association. They enjoy sailing and spending time with their three grown children and eight grandchildren.

Thompson, as the owner of Thompson Ag Consulting, LLC, serves as the Executive Director of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board; Maryland Grain Producers Association; the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data; and the Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association. After graduating from Washington College with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Thompson worked in the Maryland State Legislature as chief of staff to Delegate Cathy Vitale. While pursuing her Master of Science in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, she worked at the Maryland Farm Bureau Government Relations office in Annapolis and then worked for Maryland Agricultural Associated doing government and public relations before starting her own firm. 

Thompson Ag Consulting has since had numerous clients utilize its association management services, including Bayer Crop Science, Growmark FS, CropLife America, the Maryland Pork Producers Associations, Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Advisers, Maryland Green Industries Council, and Maryland Arborist Association. Thompson lives in Queenstown, where she also farms with her husband and three children.

William F. Willard, Sr. (known as Billy throughout the company) is CEO of Willard Agri-Service. Billy is a son of company founder, De Willard, and he has extensive experience in farming and agricultural business. He graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Ag Economics. He did additional postgraduate work at Purdue. Billy then joined the family business at Willard and also began operating the family farm located in Poolesville, MD. Today, Billy continues to operate the family farm with his son, Billy Jr. This gives Billy the unique perspective of being both a farmer customer and a supplier. At Willard Agri-Service, Billy oversees operations for the five plants servicing seven states.

Billy is active in the community, serving on the Montgomery County Agricultural Center board, the University of Delaware Ag Advisory board, the St. John’s College High School board, and the board of the Damascus Community Bank. Billy has also served on the Small Business Advisory Committee for the Richmond Federal Reserve Board.

Christopher S. Zarba has a 38-year career serving as a scientist and manager at the Environmental Protection Agency.  During his career, Mr. Zarba led various science-based efforts to support Agency programs and activities, including leading teams to develop the science for cleaning up hazardous waste sites, identifying and designating ocean disposal sites and writing regulations to protect wetlands.  Mr. Zarba served in a variety of management positions, including Director of EPA’s National Centre for Environmental Research, Chief of Staff for EPA’s research office and Director of the agency’s Science Advisory Board Staff Office.