Staff

Stephan Abel
Executive Director

Stephan has been the Executive Director of the Oyster Recovery Partnership since 2007. Prior to joining the Partnership, he was the Executive Director in the Office of Communications and Marketing at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

He enjoyed a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy, has held management positions at Sallie Mae and Careerbuilder, and earned a B.S. from Villanova University, a M.B.A. from George Washington University and is a graduate of the Naval War College. A lifelong sailor on the Chesapeake Bay, he is married with two children and resides in Annapolis.

Penny Jurick
Director, Finance and Program Support Services

Penny oversees the organization's finances, human resources and many of the day-to-day operational and support elements that keep the organization running smoothly. She has 22 years accounting and management experience. Before the Partnership, she worked as Executive Account Manager for a worldwide logistics company.

Penny resides in Glen Burnie with her husband Bob and two children, Alina and Jeremiah, all Chesapeake Bay lovers. She and her family have spent many years on the Chesapeake Bay and are eager to get involved in restoration activities.

Heather Epkins
Director, Marketing, Communications & Partnerships

With more than 15 years of media, public relations and marketing experience, Heather has served as the Communications Director for America’s Travel Industry Association in Washington, D.C. as well as a broadcast journalist, on-air TV and radio personality and Capital Hill press secretary for a California congressman. Heather has a B.A. specializing in Journalism at Virginia Tech, a Masters of Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and is completing her Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Maryland. Heather lives in Edgewater with her husband and two dogs and spends her free time on the water, cycling and playing piano.

Bryan Gomes
Coordinator, Shell Recycling Alliance

Bryan brings 14 years of environmental education and public outreach experience to ORP. He has a B.A. in Marketing/Psychology and a MEd. in Post Secondary Education from Salisbury University. Bryan is passionate about the outdoors. He has thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and as a lifeguard lived in a tent on the beach at Assateague State Park. Bryan has also served as a Park Ranger for Anne Arundel County and the Maryland Park Service, as well as a Director/Coordinator of various summer camps in the Annapolis area. Bryan loves to travel and spent two months in New Zealand learning about aquaculture and sustainable resource management this past year. Bryan lives on the water in Annapolis and enjoys swimming, biking, paddling, playing ice hockey and moonlighting as a DJ.

Eddie Walters
Director, Field Operations

Eddie is a graduate of the University of Baltimore, but spent much of his life as a commercial waterman on the Chesapeake Bay. Eddie joined the Partnership in 2000 and oversees the ORP’s UMCES Horn Point field program, staff and on-the-ground operations. Eddie’s father spent 20 years with DNR, finishing his career as Captain of the state vessel “Fifty-Fifty”. Eddie spends much of his free time playing golf with his wife Sam, Asst. Vice President of Farmers Bank in Annapolis, & daughter Nicole.

Steven Allen
Senior Manager, Aquatic Restoration & Scientific Diver

Steve Allen is the on-the-water program manager and the staff scientific diver at the Oyster Recovery Partnership since March 2008. Prior to his current position, he was the Lab Manager and Scientific diver for Paynter Labs at the University of Maryland. Prior to moving to Maryland, he worked for the pharmaceutical company Novartis, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a microbiologist. Steve received his Masters in Marine Biology from the College of Charleston for studying the effects an intertidal habitat had on the physiology of Pacific Oysters. While in Charleston, completing his Masters, he worked as a Microbiologist at NOAA, performing fecal coli form source tracking over public oyster beds. Steve received his BA from the University of Long Island, Southampton College in Biology/Marine Molecular Biology. An avid fan of music, he is married with two dogs and a cat and resides in Edgewater, MD.

Beccah Pruitt
Programs Coordinator, Outreach and Education

Beccah Pruitt served as ORP’s summer/winter intern for two years. She is integral in assisting all facets of ORP office operations. She also has been active at Frostburg State University, where she has a 4.0 GPA, has been extremely active on campus and was elected President of Inter-Varsity. Her love of the Chesapeake Bay helps her educate others about the importance of oysters during ORP outreach and education initiatives.

Zachary White, Mike McWilliams, Guy McWilliams, Christopher
Reynolds Walker, Zachary White, William Willey, Joshua
Wingfield, and Chris Woodfin

ORP Field Crew

Staff

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