Bob Gallagher, Chairman
Bob Gallagher founded the West/Rhode Riverkeeper organization in March 2005 after 35 years of practicing law in Washington, D.C. He served as Riverkeeper until July 2008 and then as Executive Director through 2009. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors, where he helps direct policy and guide the direction of the organization. He serves as a trustee of the Chesapeake Environmental Protection Association and sits on the board of directors of the Scenic Rivers Land Trust. He was appointed by the County Executive to the Maritime Industry Advisory Board and by the County Council to the Impact Fee Advisory Committee. He enjoys sailboat racing on the Chesapeake and lives with his wife, Cate, in Shady Side.
Virginia Clagett
Dr. George L. Donohue
Mike Lofton
Ellen Ponder
Donna Schlegel
Donna is owner and manager of Chalk Point Marine and with her husband, Alex, operate Hartge Yacht Yard. Her boating background began in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska commercial fishing industry. In her twenty-five years of experience in marina and boatyard management, she has been an active supporter in the advancement of marine industry standards and safe boating practices. As a skilled seaman who has sailed upon most U.S. coastal and inland waters, she has also skippered and navigated numerous offshore passages and made landfall in several foreign countries. The Schlegels take great pleasure in living on the shores of West River.
Jennifer Steele, Secretary
Jennifer is an Audit Director with Legg Mason, a leading global asset management firm based in Baltimore. Prior to joining Legg Mason in 2004, she worked as a manager in the internal audit consulting practice at Protiviti, and as an external auditor at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young serving clients in a wide range of industries including non-profits. Jennifer is currently a Board Member for the Ponder Cove Beach Club in Mayo, Md. She grew up boating with her family and now enjoys exploring the Bay with her husband and two children. They reside in Edgewater along the Rhode River.
Tony Syme, Treasurer
Tony was a co-founder and President of NLX Corporation, a local technology-oriented systems integration company, specializing in the development and support of simulation and training systems for the military and commercial industries. Prior to joining NLX, Tony held management positions at Quintron Corporation, where he was responsible for the overall operational performance and technical direction of flight training systems on several USAF programs. When he’s not enjoying his waterfront view of the West River, he now spends his time as a technology business consultant. Tony lives in Shady Side.
John Van Alstine
John is a waterman who makes his living on the West and Rhode Rivers. He works alone on his 40-foot wooden boat, the Patricia Anne. John is the Director of Anne Arundel County Working Watermen. He fishes from the Potomac River to the Susquehanna Flats in the upper Chesapeake Bay. He lives on Church Creek in Galesville, where he sells oysters and crabs.
John Wyss
John is a partner at the Washington, DC law firm Wiley Rein LLP. He has been with the firm since its founding in 1983 and represents and counsels clients in matters involving patent litigation, antitrust and trade regulation and general commercial litigation. John and his wife, Joanne Comstock, have a home on the West River near Parrish Creek. During the last several years, John has been working with SACReD and the Chesapeake Legal Alliance to prevent environmentally insensitive development in the Critical Area near Shady Side.
