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PRESIDENT'S PROFILE

WILLIAM C. BAKER

After graduation from Trinity College in 1976, William C. Baker came to work for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) as an intern at the request of one of CBF's trustees, Truman Semans. As President and Chief Executive Officer of CBF since 1982, Mr. Baker leads the largest not-for-profit conservation organization dedicated solely to preserving, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

CBF has a $22 million annual operating budget and is supported by 200,000 members from every state in the Union and 14 foreign countries. CBF is staffed by 160 full-time employees who operate out of state offices in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, DC as well as 16 separate environmental education centers. CBF’s lawyers, scientists, and environmental advocates help shape state and federal Bay policies that protect and restore natural resources throughout the six-state Chesapeake Bay watershed.

CBF’s education centers engage approximately 40,000 students and teachers in hands-on field experiences annually. Overall, CBF environmental education programs reach as many as 200,000 people annually through teacher trainings, classroom curriculum, and restoration projects.

Under Mr. Baker's leadership, CBF received the nation's highest environmental honor — the 1992 Presidential Medal for Environmental Excellence. In 1993, The National Geographic Society presented CBF with its annual Chairman's Award.

CBF has received nine other prestigious national awards

  • The Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution
  • The National Wildlife Federation's National Conservation Achievement Award
  • The Gulf Oil Conservation Award
  • The Izaak Walton League of America's Chesapeake Bay Conservation Award
  • The American Farmland Trust's Conservation Award
  • The Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Learning Award 
  • The Water Pollution Control Federation's Schlenz Medal.
  • The 2000 American Fisheries Society's Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award
  • The 2007 Garden Club of America Eloise Payne Luquer Medal

Mr. Baker's Board of Trustee affiliations, commissions, and committees

  • Baltimore Community Foundation (Board Member)
  • Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company (Director)
  • The Chesapeake Crescent (Board Member)
  • Central Maryland Transportation Alliance (Director)
  • Greater Washington Board of Trade Green Committee (Member)
  • Garden Club of America (Honorary Member)
  • Institute for the Venice Lagoon (Founding Member)
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School (Vice Chairman)
  • Johns Hopkins President’s Task Force on Climate Change
  • Living Classrooms Foundation (Founding Member)
  • Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Advisory Committee
  • Metropolitan Washington Smart Growth Alliance (Founding Member)
  • Restore America’s Estuaries (Board Member and former Chairman)
  • UMBC Board of Visitors
  • Washington College (Trustee, 1988-2000)

Mr. Baker's Awards and Honors

  • Washingtonian Magazine's "Washingtonian of the Year" Award (1988)
  • Honorary Doctor of Public Service, Washington College (1991)
  • Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Baltimore (1992)
  • Distinguished Service Award, The Potomac Conservancy (2007)
  • Baltimore Magazine “Power 50” (2007)
  • The Daily Record “50 Most Influential Marylanders Award” - Civic Leadership (2007)
  • Washingtonian Magazine “Power 150” Advocacy Award (2007)