2023 Annual Meeting—Reconnecting Watersheds

2023 ANNUAL MEETING. RECONNECTING WATERSHEDS: Innovative Approaches for River Connectivity & Restoration

Featuring a presentation by Chad Sumner
Chad is Principal and CEO of SumCo Eco-Contracting, LLC (“SumCo Eco”), a self-performing heavy-site civil construction firm. Founded by Chad and his brother Travis in 2006, the company has completed hundreds of ecological restoration projects across the Northeast, including dam removals and rehabilitations; river, wetlands, and marsh restorations; coastal resiliency and climate adaptation; invasive species management; and more. His work addresses diverse ecological, environmental, and infrastructure challenges posed by climate change.

The evening will begin with a short business meeting with Board of Directors elections.

Agenda

Draft Minutes of Annual Meeting held June 27, 2022 for approval.

Nominees Details

Bob Brown—for election
Bob has had a life-long interest in working for clean water and making a real difference in his community. He served in Massachusetts state government as an environmental attorney and policy advisor for over 30 years. Bob was Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Water Resources at MassDEP, where he had worked since 1988 in various positions, including leading the agency’s legal work on water pollution control, particularly cases under the Clean Water Act. In 2023 Bob joined the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in Lowell as Senior Program Manager/Staff Attorney. He has twice received the EPA’s Environmental Merit Award. Bob lives in Maynard and serves on the Maynard Planning Board. He loves looking for salamanders on Big Night.

Jeff Collins—for re-election
Jeff is passionate about environmental conservation and connecting people to the natural world, the connection of the entire watershed to water quality and quantity. He is Director of Conservation Science at Mass Audubon, where he leads research and land management programs. Jeff lives in Concord and served on the West Concord Advisory Committee (2014–2019), a Planning board subcommittee. Jeff is OARS’ Vice President and has served on the Board of Directors since 2019. He has been the Board lead on OARS’ Wild & Scenic Film Festival through its 15th season.

Kirk Doggett—for re-election
Kirk connects to the rivers through his love for trout fishing and stocking and water quality citizen science. He is interested in the history and ecology of the Musketaquid watershed that ties the communities together. Kirk is Vice President, Director UX Research at Citizens, focusing on improving the user experience for customers and colleagues across the website, mobile applications, and internal tools. He has also served as Adjunct Faculty at the College of Art and Design at Lesley University. Kirk lives in Acton and has served on the OARS Board since 2019 and is a member of OARS’ Outreach, Education, and Recreation Committee.

Ingeborg Hegemann—for re-election
Ingeborg is a wetlands scientist passionate about education, climate change, water quality, and stewardship. She recently retired from the positions of Vice president and principal of BSC’s Ecological Sciences Group, with consulting experience in environmental science, wetlands assessment and impact analysis, regulatory permitting, and climate change adaptation. She serves on the Stow Conservation Commission and the Stow Board of Selectmen, is a member of the Society for Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Committee review panel, and was on the boards of the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, among others. Ingeborg lives in Stow, is OARS’ President, and has served on the Board since 2014, and serves on OARS’ Governance and Nominating Committee.

This event is free and open to the public