Campbell Foundation’s executive director to retire

The Executive Director of the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment will retire on December 31, 2014, according to an announcement from Campbell Foundation President Samantha Campbell.

Verna Harrison has worked with the foundation, which awards grant funding to reduce pollution and protect fish, shellfish and their habitats in the Chesapeake Bay, for more than a decade. She expects to remain involved with environmental work after her retirement.

“It is time to try something new, professionally and personally,” Harrison said in Campbell’s announcement. “I expect to remain involved with Chesapeake and environmental work, but at a different pace, enabling me to spend more time with my family. As one of my friends at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently stated, I plan to follow the advice of a river: slow down and meander, stay current and go with the flow.”

Plans to search for a new executive director have not been developed. According to the announcement, the foundation “expects to take time to process the transition.”

“As the Campbell Foundation’s first executive director, Verna made a tremendous contribution… advancing restoration of the Chesapeake watershed,” Campbell said. “Thanks to Verna and her team, the Bay’s future is brighter, organizations throughout the watershed are better… prepared to meet the challenges of Bay restoration and protection, and our foundation’s mission has been immeasurably advanced.”