PHOTO: Laura McKay of the Virginia CZM Program (center) is handed the MARCO gavel by outgoing Chair Gwynne Schultz of Maryland DNR (right). MARCO Executive Director Kate Killerlain Morrison accompanies on left.
MARCO is very pleased to welcome Laura McKay of the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as the new MARCO Chair. The MARCO Chair is a two-year position that rotates among the five member states and is responsible for convening MARCO business meetings, building consensus and providing leadership on vision and programmatic direction. The Chair also frequently represents MARCO to the public and serves as supervisor of the MARCO Executive Director who in turn guides the day-to-day implementation of MARCO programmatic efforts.
Laura McKay has been Manager of the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (a network of state agencies and coastal localities) since 1994. The Program implements laws and policies to protect and enhance coastal resources. The program addresses dune, beach, wetland and underwater lands management, coastal water quality, fisheries and aquaculture, wildlife habitat protection and restoration, land conservation and acquisition, public access and ecotourism, federal consistency with state coastal laws and sustainable economic development. She is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean and serves as one of two of Virginia’s representatives on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body. Laura has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Smith College and a Master’s in Public Administration/Policy Analysis from the Rockefeller Institute of Public Affairs at SUNY/Albany.
Gwynne Schultz of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources served as MARCO Chair for the past two years. Under Gwynne’s leadership MARCO has brought in significant programmatic funding, grown from one to four staff and has supported the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body’s (MidA RPB) ocean planning efforts. She has been an inspirational leader and highly respected face of the partnership, and will continue to play an active role as the Maryland representative to MARCO. Gwynne will also continue in her role as State Co-lead on the MidA RPB.