Carl Wagner
Carl Wagner is an avid fisherman, hunter and outdoorsman who's lived and worked in Maryland for 30 years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Naval Academy in 1983 and earned his Masters Degree from John Hopkins University in 1993.
He currently holds a Maryland real estate license and is active in developing and building homes and communities in Anne Arundel County.
Carl served on the Chesapeake Chapter of the Safari Club for over 10 years. He has traveled extensively for big game hunting. Ducks Unlimited is another organization Carl has actively supported for over 5 years in various chapters throughout Maryland and DC.
Having been in the military, Carl devotes time annually to the Wounded Warriors Organization and participates as a mentor and escort for disabled veterans on hunts.
Carl has worked collaboratively with Maryland legislators, advocating and testying for hunters' rights and policies. He has most recently assisted with the development and passage of the Apprentice Hunting Bill and is currently working on a bill to allow Sunday hunting state wide.
Carl's life-long passion and appreciation for hunting, fishing and the outdoors has led to his involvement in the Maryland Sportsmen's Foundation.
Stephen R. Holt
Stephen moved out to Annapolis, MD in the fall of October 2007 to join Annapolis-Based Financial Planning & Wealth Management Firm, Premier Planning Group where he has since become a Partner and has also co-founded PPG Wealth. PPG focuses on working with individuals and putting together tailored financial plans and investment strategies to solve for their future wants and needs while at the same time addressing potential risks that could arise in the future and de-rail their current plan.
While Annapolis is home now, Stephen lives in the Admiral Heights community in Annapolis with his long-time girlfriend, Cat Marucci. It was growing up in Southern Illinois where his roots and love for the great outdoors began. He was introduced to hunting and fishing by his father and grandfather at a very young age. Fishing for bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish on weekends or after school with Grandma & Grandpa at their little “honey wholes” was priceless during spring and summer. His dad had a love for up-land bird hunting as well as chasing white-tail deer. Stephen still makes the annual trek back to Southern Illinois for one of the Illinois Firearm Deer Season weekends to hunt with his dad, it’s one of his favorite weekends of the year.
When Stephen isn’t working with his clients, he’s devoted to improving his community. He volunteers on and serves on numerous non-profits boards and committees. He sits on the Asset Management Committee for the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, is an Executive Committee Member for the Anne Arundel Estate Planning Council, Founding Board Member for the Lifting Anne Arundel giving circle, CASA Supporter, Board Member for the Friends of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, a founding 100 member for Annapolis Green, Chairman for Annapolis Ducks Unlimited as well as a State Volunteer for Maryland DU, and is currently acting as the interim chair for the Chesapeake Chapter of Safari Club International.
As an avid outdoorsman, Stephen appreciates and understands just how special of a place Maryland is to live and call home. From the mountains of Western Maryland to the beaches of Ocean City, it is a playground for outdoor and wildlife enthusiasts. He joined and supports the Maryland Sportsman’s Foundation because he feels that it’s our duty to protect our natural resources and to be a voice for Marylander’s so that we can all participate and enjoy the fruits that our state has to offer.
David M Sutherland
David M Sutherland is a native of Louisiana and moved to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in the mid 80’s.
He has always had a passion for hunting and fishing. David has spent the majority of his career as a professional conservationist. He started out as a volunteer with The Nature Conservancy and became the Sr. Vice President of Real Estate for The Conservation Fund.
He has been instrumental in conserving more than 4.3 million acres thru numerous national and local partnerships.
David has worked hard for Sportsmen in Maryland as Chairman of Maryland’s Sportsmen’s Foundation which
Is now Maryland Sportsmen’s Foundation beginning in 2003.
In addition, he was Chairman of the Governor’s Commission to Protect the Chesapeake Bay through Sustainable Forestry.
His contributions have been recognized thru various Awards
Chevron Conservation Award
BLM Conservation Award
FWS Conservation Award
South Carolina Conservation Award
Maryland Conservationist of the Year
Farmers Feeding the Hungry Sportsmen's Award
Steve Linhard
Steve Linhard brings a wealth of experience in management, fiscal oversight, and board leadership and is highly knowable about Maryland’s educational systems and environmental and natural resource management issues. Professionally, Mr. Linhard currently serves as the Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Chesapeake Medical Imaging, a premier regional radiology provider. Previously, he has served as Chief Administrative Officer at St. Mary’s Schools and Parish, Annapolis; Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at St. John’s College; and the Controller at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He has served in leadership positions on many non-profit boards and local, state or federal councils, including the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (Council Member), Ducks Unlimited-Annapolis Chapter (Treasurer, former Chairman), Maryland League of Conservation Voters (former Treasurer and Board Member), Severn River Commission, and Annapolis Environmental Commission.
Steve has also served as a member of the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel of NMFS as well as a US advisor to ICCAT. In addition to these roles, Steve has served on transition teams for Governors Hogan and O’Malley as well as Annapolis Mayor Moyer. Steve is a graduate of Washington College in Chestertown, Md. with a Degree in Business Management.
His interests include Atlantic offshore and Chesapeake Bay fishing on his sport fishing boat HOT TUNA, cruising the Bay with his family, and waterfowl hunting with friends. Steve resides in Annapolis with his wife Tricia and daughters Reagan and Corinne.
Roger Trageser
Roger is a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. While still a junior he began working summers and weekends with a local electrical contractor. He obtained his Master Electrician’s license in 1984 and started his own company, Team Electric, in 1985.
While always enjoying sports and the outdoors he didn’t take a truly serious interest in fishing until 1990 when he and five other individuals formed Chesapeake Bass Anglers which is one of a number of clubs within the Maryland Bass Nation (MBN). The Maryland Bass Nation is just one of over sixty individual organizations under the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society umbrella. Through the years Roger served in various officer positions starting out as a region secretary and eventually becoming the MBN president in 2004.
In 2007 he became more involved with the fishing community on a state level. He worked with other likeminded individuals to increase license fees that contributed directly to a much needed influx of revenue to the states Fisheries Service. He became a member of the Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission in 2010 and is acting Chairman of the Black Bass Advisory Sub-committee.
Roger Trageser is a native Marylander born in and still residing in Baltimore City.
Kate Fritz
Kate Fritz has lived in 5 of the 7 Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions, and now calls Annapolis, MD her home. Her first introduction to the tidal portion of the Chesapeake Bay was through her undergraduate work at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she majored in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies. She spent her summers on and in the St. Mary’s River studying SAV and helping collect water quality data with the St. Mary’s River Project.
As a life-long learner, Kate earned an Executive Master of Natural Resources focused on Leadership in Sustainability from Virginia Tech, as well as a masters degree in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland University College. She is also a Maryland Qualified Professional Forester (QPF) and a LEED Green Associate certified professional. Kate has held positions in both the private and public sectors, starting her career as a Field Biologist with the Annapolis firm, Environmental Systems Analysis. After spending two years collecting water quality data related to land development, Kate wanted to help improve water quality through better land use policy, and moved her career to the Planning Department in Prince George’s County. There she spent seven years researching and writing water-related land use policies to help guide where, and how the county should grow over the next few decades.
From 2014-2017, Kate served as the Executive Director of the South River Federation (SRF) located in Edgewater, MD. For the three plus years she led SRF, she grew the organization into a well-respected advocate for local ecological restoration efforts, and helped build a multimillion dollar stream restoration and stormwater reduction program that is informed by data collected from a highly-regarded monitoring program that tracks the health of the South River.
Kate’s interest in the Chesapeake Bay extends beyond her love of kayaking and fishing, and has led her to many volunteer opportunities locally. She is a certified Master Watershed Steward, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA). As a believer in the linked nature of the environment and social issues, Kate has been an active leader with Anne Arundel Women’s Giving Together, a women’s giving circle, focused on women and female issues locally.
David Sikorski
David Sikorski is a native Marylander and lifelong sportsman. David started his career in a family building and real estate business in new home construction and sales, property management, and as a licensed realtor. Given his interest in policy and a love for fishing, hunting and the outdoors, he gravitated towards Coastal Conservation Association Maryland(CCA Maryland) in 2005 and began volunteering for various roles in the organization.
After spending some time serving on CCA Maryland’s Government Relations Committee, he was appointed to the Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission in 2010, and continues to represent the organization at the commission. David also represents recreational anglers in Maryland as a member of the striped bass and menhaden advisory panels for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
After volunteering for over a decade, David was hired as the Executive Director of CCA Maryland in early 2017, and continues in that role leading the organizations day to day operations.
John Griffin
John Griffin, Chesapeake Conservation Partnership Program Manager
As Partnership Coordinator, John works to advance large landscape conservation initiatives in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by convening diverse, multi-disciplinary stakeholders. The Partnership seeks to extend the conservation of large landscapes throughout the region to benefit multiple values, including sustainability; scenic, historic and cultural heritage; working lands; important bio- diversity and wildlife habitat; water quality and supply; and overall quality of life. John is the former Secretary of Maryland Department of Natural Resources under two Governors, the Deputy Secretary of the department, the General Manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, and served as Chief of Staff for Governor Martin O’Malley.
He brings decades of experience with resource conservation and environmental protection as well as relationships across the Chesapeake watershed. John holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Niagara University and Master of Arts in social work from the Catholic University of America. He has five children and three granddaughters and lives in Annapolis with his wife Michele and their twin
Dale Dirks
Dale Dirks is a recreational saltwater angler captaining a sportfishing boat (HEATWAVE) on the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. He is the former president of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association (MSSA), served as the organization’s vice-president and legislative chairman, and received its prestigious Captain of the Year award four times.
Mr. Dirks previously served as a governor’s appointee to Maryland’s Sportfish Advisory Commission.
He is now very active in the Annapolis Anglers Club, serving on its leadership team and co-chairing its annual charitable tournament benefitting the Maryland-based EVAN Foundation.
Professionally, Mr. Dirks is the president of the Health & Medicine Counsel of Washington, a federal government relations firm in Washington, D.C. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Maryland University College.
Marian Knode
Marian is a native Marylander.
Marian retired as a Director of Technology Center 2600 which examines applications directed to electrical engineering. She joined the USPTO in 1989 as a patent examiner in Group 180, which was newly responsible for biotechnology applications. Marian was promoted to Supervisory Patent Examiner in 1994 and served in that capacity in Technology Centers 1600 and 1700. She also served as a Special Program Examiner for Technology Center 1700 and as a Supervisory Trainer for the Training Art Unit in Technology Center 2600. Marian served on a detail at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, and also served as Acting Director for TC 1700. She was awarded two Bronze Medals and an Exceptional Career Award. Marian was a recruiter for the USPTO. She represented the USPTO at a number of venues including the Society for Industrial Microbiology, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Advanced Patent Law Institute, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society's National Meeting, and the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair. She worked closely with the Inventors Assistance Program and was a representative of the USPTO at several workshops and conferences. Prior to joining the USPTO, Marian was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Marian graduated from The Catholic University of America with a B.S. in Medical Technology.
Marian is active in Annapolis Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, president of the Ladies of the Elks #622, and Parish Corporator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Edgewater. She has participated in Maryland’s Becoming Outdoors Woman (BOW) program for over 10 years and has participated in BOW programs in other states.
In her spare time she enjoys fishing, goose hunting, trap shooting and experiencing outdoor activities.
In Memoriam
James Gracie
Mr. Gracie, during the past forty-six years, has developed expertise in overall watershed management techniques for stream and wetland protection, stream and wetland restoration, and fisheries management. His experience includes developing water quality monitoring efforts throughout the country, advancing the science of stream restoration in conjunction with Maryland State Highways projects, and private development plans providing more than two dozen restoration designs and supervising construction on fifteen of them. He has also conducted studies for temperature modeling, in-stream flow regimes and mitigation plans for the restoration of streams associated with reservoir construction and management. Mr. Gracie has trained hundreds of individuals in short courses on applied fluvial geomorphology and stream restoration.
Mr. Gracie's participation and leadership in state, local, regional, and national natural resource conservation efforts has provided him with extensive experience in water resources management. As twice chairman of the Board of Trout Unlimited, he provided leadership for an international conservation organization of 50,000 members and 350 local chapters in the United States interested in stream and fisheries management. Mr. Gracie organized and managed the Trout Unlimited chapter in Maryland and the Middle Atlantic council. He also assisted in the development of the Maryland citizen's organization, Save Our Streams, and served as Vice Chairman of the organization's Steering Committee. During this period, Mr. Gracie formed and managed the Maryland Cold Water Coalition, a coordinating body for groups concerned with the water quality of Maryland's streams. He also served as Director and Executive Committee member of the Maryland Wildlife Federation from 1979 through 1981.
Mr. Gracie currently serves as chairman of the Maryland Aquatic Resource Coalition, a coalition of recreational fishing organization with 120,000 members in Maryland; as well as a Governor appointed Member of the Maryland Sportfish Advisory Commission.
Capt Ed O’Brien
Edward O’Brien started his young life in the Marines in 1954 and discharged as Sergeant. In 1957 he started working for McDonnell Aircraft in Saint Louis, Missouri. While there he became a part of the Project Mercury Team. He then went on to work for Martin Marietta in Baltimore, Maryland in 1962 in procurement. Edward became affiliated with the Universal Match Corporation in 1963. This defense contractor in Washington, D.C. worked with agencies and congress. LaBarge Company a defense contractor in Washington, D.C. took him on as an Officer in 1969. He also served as a Director of Control Video which was the genesis of AOL.
The place Edward always wanted to be was on the bay fishing. In 1973 he started his charter fishing business. Semper Fidelis I on the Magothy River, Semper Fidelis II out of Solomon’s Island and Semper Fidelis II and III from Chesapeake Beach with his son Captain John O’Brien until 2017.
Some of his many accomplishments have been working closely with Maryland Governors, the Department of Natural Resources, the previous and current administration. He also worked closely with the Coast Guard and received the Meritorious Public Services Award. This award was in recognition of notable services that have assisted greatly in furthering the aims and functions of the Coast Guard. In 2018 Edward was also awarded by the Governor of the State of Maryland, recognition of the dedicated service and his contribution to the Department of Natural Resources Sports Fisheries Advisory Commission and the leadership demonstrated on behalf of the Charter Boat Captains.
Edward now serves as Vice President of the National Charter Boat Association. He previously served as an officer of the Maryland Charter Boat Association. He is a member of the Maryland Watermen’s Association and a previous member of the Maryland Saltwater Sportsman Association. Edward is the proxy for the Maryland Legislature at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission which he approaches with the utmost importance.