Staff

Ben Alexandro, Chesapeake Conservation Partnership Program Director

[email protected]

Ben is well versed in partnership building, conservation science and policy issues. He championed several policy victories to protect forests, clean water and the Chesapeake Bay. Ben led advocacy efforts on public lands and waters conservation issues while he was the senior government affairs advocate at the League of Conservation Voters. He also spent six years working to conserve the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the Maryland League of Conservation Voters where he most recently was the water program director and the Maryland lead for the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Before graduate school, he coordinated the Potomac Watershed Partnership with the Cacapon Institute.

Ben has a master’s degree in conservation biology and sustainable development and a M.P.P. in environmental public policy with a focus on nonprofit management and leadership from the University of Maryland. He also earned a bachelor’s in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware. Ben started his career in field research chasing bears, netting bats and tagging birds but now mostly chases around his young son with his wife in Crofton, Maryland.

Jamal Childs, Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps Member

[email protected]

Jamal Wali Childs Jr. is assisting the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership as a Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps member through the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Jamal will be spending his time researching, analyzing, preparing memoranda and presenting on key strategies to support the CCP’s goal of conserving 30% of watersheds land by 2030. Jamal has a bachelor’s degree in health science from Coppin State University where he also served as a sports medicine intern.  In his free time, Jamal plays lacrosse, creates art, runs a podcast and performs spoken word poetry.

Chase Douglas, CCP Program Coordinator

[email protected]

Chase Douglas is a native Marylander from Montgomery County. As the CCP program coordinator, Chase works to grow and strengthen new and existing partnerships while also providing technical support to CCP partners. Chase previously worked with the Friends of the National Zoo as their partnership coordinator and operations support coordinator, and most recently, he was one of the visitor services managers at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

Chase has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a minor in biology from Salisbury University. While completing his studies, he held an internship with the Salisbury Zoo’s education department, where he cared for their ambassador species and brought them to local community events to educate people about how they could support conservation efforts. When Chase isn’t working he loves theater, all things Disney, volunteering with his church, kayaking, skiing and playing board games with his wife.