Board of Directors

Michael Wissel

Mike Wissel is the Vice President and co-founder of the Central Region Chapter of CCA MD.  He also serves as the Chairman of the State’s Management Committee and as the Acting Chairman of the State’s Board of Directors.  Mike was born and raised in Baltimore County Maryland and works for an Investment Manager.  In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and is actively involved in CCA MD’s habitat and youth programs in his children’s school system.  And, of course, Mike enjoys all manner of fishing – – from jigging saltwater species like striped bass to casting the local reservoirs for bass to fly fishing for trout in our local streams.

Kyle German

Steve Kline

Steve Kline has worked for 20 years on natural resources conservation policy in Washington, the bulk of that time spent specifically on issues important to hunters and anglers. Steve has also advised candidates at the local, state, and national level on conservation issues, and served as an elected delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Steve holds a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and did his undergraduate work at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.  Steve and his wife Kim raise their two kids on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where he spends as much time fishing and bird hunting as possible.

Larry Jennings

From his early years growing up in upstate NY, Larry Jennings has always had an affinity for fishing and hunting that were common activities for his family. Through Larry’s career in the Washington suburbs in Maryland, fishing remained his primary recreation along with a growing interest in birding. In the mid-90’s, Larry began to participate in CCA MD, attending some fishing seminars and banquets and after his first effort in fisheries management yielded a response and support from the state senator, his activism really began.

With a consulting business established, Larry was able to participate in an increasing number of government relations activities of CCA and with a focus on science-based, sustainable fisheries management in the Bay, they became recognized in the legislature for an even-handed approach for balance in commercial and recreational fisheries. Their 2007 Yellow Perch Conservation Act, limiting commercial harvests was approved by the legislature and, within 2 years, recreational anglers were finally able to catch yellow perch routinely.

While working to end the destructive Repletion Program for Oysters by stopping the renewal of the hydraulic dredging, the nadir harvest 0f 25,800 bushels of oysters in the 2004-5 season provided the impetus for bigger changes. The Oyster Advisory Commission was formed with scientists, conservationists, and environmentalists, as well as watermen who had harvested oysters. Larry became actively interested in aquaculture with the Aquaculture Coordinating Council’s bi-monthly meetings and have participated in all work groups formed to date.

Now retired and living in Cape St. Claire, Larry’s focus has remained on the importance of habitat on the Bay and surrounding land for all species. He is also active in CSC groups, he works on restoring the community’s two beaches, protecting them with living shorelines, and incorporating Bay habitats with reef ball reefs and other features that will improve fin fish habitat and shoreline protection. In his spare time, he has designed and planted a fairly large Pollinator Garden and Monarch Waystation on Goshen Farm and will submit applications for grants to complete the native plant habitat around a shallow-water pond created there last fall.

Frank Bonanno

Frank has a 20-year career in accounting, consulting, and financial management. He has spent many of those years specializing in not for profit management. He currently is the Chief Financial Officer for Urban Teachers, recruiting and training teachers in the Baltimore, Washington DC, and Dallas Districts. He has an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert Smith School of Business. Frank has lived in Maryland all of his life and is an avid fisherman, targeting fish year-round throughout the bay and its tributaries.

Donald McDougall

John Bonanno

Matt Baden

Matt resides in West River, MD with his wife, Elaina, and soon to be daughter. Matt works as a Mortgage Loan Officer by day at First Home Mortgage in Dunkirk, MD.

He is an avid light tackle and kayak angler. As a member of the Tournament Committee he has helped establish the Chapter Cup and Angler of the Year for CCA Maryland.

Matt was also the former owner of Jigthebay.com, a local e-commerce business focused on Chesapeake Bay Light Tackle Fishing.

Michael Behot

Mike Behot has been involved with CCA Annapolis for five years. Originally from the northeast, Mike has been fishing and spending time around the water his entire life. The environment and especially the saltwater world are extremely important to him and he wants to ensure his kids get the same or better experiences that he did.

Douglas Clark

Rachel Dawson

Rachel considers herself lucky to have spent her career pairing her personal passion for conservation policy and habitat restoration with her professional experience at organizations like Ducks Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  Rachel received her Master’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy from the George Washington University and her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning from the University of Miami.  Rachel was born and raised on the Delmarva Peninsula, currently lives in Harwood, Maryland—and in her free time, she’s an avid hunter, angler, gardener, volunteer and outdoor mentor.

Joe Evans

Joe Evans is a founding CCA-Maryland board member, former boat builder, environmental filmmaker (Nat. Geo Today), Bass Pro Shops marketing and promotions manager, outdoor writer, Orvis-endorsed fishing guide, Maryland DNR Fisheries information & communications officer, and the former Editor in Chief of Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

Dennis Flemming

Dennis Fleming is employed as a Marina & Campground Manager in Newburg on the Potomac River. He spent 27 years as the Environmental Resources Manager for Charles County Government. He is also a former Commissioner to the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, President of the Mason Springs Conservancy, Former President of CCA Southern Maryland. Captain Fleming is also a fishing guide and has been fishing the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River since 1972.

Toby Frey

Sewell “Toby” Frey grew up in Cambridge MD on the Choptank River. He was sailing at the age of 11 and has sailed and fished the Chesapeake and it’s tributaries for over 60 years.

Toby holds an Associate’s Degree in Arts and a B.S. in Business Management with Advance Studies in Railroad Management. His careers started as a USAF Fighter Pilot, then Airline Pilot, Corporate Pilot Instructor and then flying surveys for DNR of Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey as well as Universities doing bird counts for 15 years.

During the moratorium on Striped Bass in the late 80’s Toby took over Eagle Farms Fish Co. raising Hybrid Striped bass & Pure Striped Bass in aquaculture, producing over 200,000 pounds a year in salt water, a unique feature on the East Coast. Eagle Farms also did the Striped Bass mitigation project for Delmarva Power Co. for 3 years. During that time Toby was a member of the Maryland Aquaculture Association.

Today, Toby is a member of Coastal Conservation Association and sits on the board of the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland, he is appointed to The State of Maryland Sport fishing Advisory Commission and is a member of the Mid Shore Fishing Club and the Cambridge Yacht Club.

Toby resides in Oxford MD with his wife of 45 years. They have one son, Sewell Jr.

Chip Heaps

Chip Heaps is the Senior Director of Development in the Mid-Atlantic for Ducks Unlimited where his region is Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and DC. As a DOD he is responsible for identifying, cultivating and soliciting major gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations to support the conservation mission of Ducks Unlimited. He works closely with volunteers as well as conservation and development colleagues on initiatives and proposals for his donors and prospects. He started in this position in July 2008 and prior to that was Senior Regional Director working in the states of Maryland and Virginia for Ducks Unlimited.  As the Senior Regional Director (RD) he was responsible for organizing, servicing and maintaining all Ducks Unlimited committees and fundraising events within his region. He was responsible for developing and establishing new Ducks Unlimited area committees and fundraising events and ensuring compliance with operating and reporting procedures for fundraising activities within the region. He acted as a representative of National Headquarters to further promote Ducks Unlimited to members of the local media and conservation organizations. He joined the staff of DU in June 1990 after working as a volunteer for many years in Maryland.

Chip is a 1979 graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA with a BS degree in Biology.  Prior to coming to work for DU, he was in sales with The Thornley Company, a family owned business in Wilmington, DE and before that was Safety, Health and Environmental Manager at Cello Corporation in Havre de Grace, MD for 10 years.

In addition to his DU responsibilities, he is also Vice-Chairman of the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Advisory Committee, Board member of Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and Board member of the Maryland Wood Duck Initiative.

Chip resides in Chestertown, Maryland with his wife Patty.  They have two children, Lindsay Warren and Chad Heaps. Lindsay is a graduate of the University of Richmond, Graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School who is now a Physician’s Assistant at St. Mary’s Hospital. Chad is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, has a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from University of Chicago and works at New Market/Afton. They have 2 grandchildren and another on the way.  In his spare time, he enjoys all kinds of hunting, fishing and golf and is looking forward to help grow CCA Maryland’s Program and continue to spend more time on the water and improve his fishing technique!

John Kelly Jr.

John E. Kelly, Jr. is the Founder and President of Kelly Generator and Equipment, Inc. established in 1992. He started the company with three employees and today has 85 employees with over forty technicians. John began in the electrical trades and quickly recognized the importance of standby on-site power generation both as a business opportunity and the positive contribution it serves in maintaining electrical power 24/7. He attended the University of MD University College and attained and still holds his license as a Master Electrician in the state of MD. John is a past President of the Electrical Generating Systems Association (EGSA) and served on the EGSA Strategic Planning Committee. John has previously been an invited speaker at the Power Gen International Conference and as the EGSA representative speaking at the 2006 FEMA Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Shawn Kimbro

Shawn Kimbro is the author of three popular fishing books, Chesapeake Light Tackle, An Introduction to Light Tackle Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, The Right Stuff, Gear and Attitudes for Trophy Light Tackle Fishing, and How To Catch Chesapeake Panfish. His books are instructional and inspirational with a strong emphasis on environmentalism and ethical fishing. A frequent speaker to fishing clubs, conservation groups, and environmental organizations, he is recognized and respected across the Chesapeake region as a leading voice for stewardship within the fishing community. His innovative and conservation-oriented fishing techniques have been featured in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, The Annapolis Capital, Chesapeake Bay magazine, Angler’s Journal, Field & Stream, Saltwater Sportsman, and other publications. His how-to fishing videos have garnered over a million views on YouTube and on other social media outlets, and his blog, ChesapeakeLightTackle.com is one of the most visited fishing websites in the region. When he isn’t fishing, he is the director of the Sleep Medicine program at George Washington University.

Tony Kreindler

Tony is the founder of The Brookmont Group LLC, a government relations firm in Washington, DC, that works with companies, non-profits and philanthropists to shape advocacy in energy, environment and natural resources. He spent more than a decade leading bipartisan lobbying strategies, high-impact stakeholder coalitions and integrated communications campaigns for global non-governmental organizations. Prior to his career in advocacy, Tony served as chief executive officer of an industry-leading data and news service. He began his career as a reporter covering Congress and the Executive Branch. Tony lives in Maryland with his wife and four children. He is an avid fly fisherman and waterfowler who is active in conservation policy and projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. He also serves on the advisory board of the American Conservation Coalition.

Ken Lewis

Ken Lewis grew up in North Carolina fishing with his father on the coast and in local farm ponds. During his medical training, he fished in Florida and in the Pacific Northwest. Subsequently, he have enjoyed fishing in Central America and especially in Baja California. In about 1995, when the Maryland CCA chapter was organized, he joined and became involved in all of its activities, especially advocating for sustainable management of all of our marine species. At the time there were other recreational angling groups but none challenging current management practices. Since Ken retired in 2000, he has had time to research fisheries issues and work to educate our state legislators on needed management changes that were not being addressed by DNR.

Ed Liccione

Ed was owner and president of a food brokerage business in the Philadelphia area that employed over 300 people.  He sold the business and eventually moved to the eastern shore of Maryland in 1999 where he and his wife Candy still live.  Candy owns a craft and mosaic shop in Grasonville Maryland. Ed is a full time recreational fisherman in the Chesapeake Bay but has found the time to fly fish in Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, The Florida Keys, The Bahamas, Mexico, Bermuda and Cuba.  He has also fished blue water in Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Baja but the fly rod is his weapon of choice.

Ed is a past Chairman of CCA Maryland, having held that position for six years. Ed is a past president of the CCA Kent Narrows chapter and co-founder along with Joe Cap of the annual Kent Narrows Catch and Release Tournament.  He served on The Task Force for Fisheries Management for the state of Maryland.

He serves on CCA Maryland’s Management Committee and Government Relations Committee.  Ed is one of the original members of the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) and currently serves as its treasurer.

Bob Lombardi

Mike Medinger

Mike Medinger is currently a board member and has previously served as the Baltimore Chapter President.  He has been involved with CCA MD for over 18 years and is proud of all the accomplishments and growth of the organization.  His passion for fishing and conservation started as a teenager in Ocean City, NJ, where he worked as a first mate on a tournament winning sport fishing yacht.  After college and when work moved him to MD, he quickly learned to love the Chesapeake Bay and has been on the water as much as possible since.  In particular, he and his wife enjoy teaching their two teenage children and friends about the complex ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay.  When not fishing or eco cruising, they enjoy spending time at the Annapolis Yacht club.

Mike is currently employed by Wells Fargo, where he serves as the Greater MD Investment Manager for the Private Bank.  He also serves on the board of The Family Tree and CFA Society Baltimore.

Bill Montgomery

Bill has been an active member of the Coastal Conversation Association since 2009. Over the past 10 years, he has worked closely with his local chapter, supporting annual events including banquets and fishing tournaments. A Life Member, Bill became a CCA Maryland board member in May of 2016. He brings over 41 years of business management knowledge and experience to support the work of CCA. His lifelong passion for fishing, camping and the outdoors in general and the love of the Chesapeake Bay area drive his enthusiasm for this work.

Rych Pullen

Rych is an avid light tackle angler who can usually be found fishing the waters of Eastern Bay with his wife Carla and son Keefer. He is involved with the CCA to help support the fishery and ensure that Keefer and other young anglers will have a healthy waters to fish for years to come.

Eric Packard

Eric is the newest commissioner to the Maryland Sports Fisheries Advisory Commission. Representing the tidal and non-tidal recreational anglers in southern Maryland.

Eric is a contributing writer to FishTalk Magazine, providing content with respect to kayak fishing, shoreline fishing and weekly reports with respect his fishing around the Chesapeake Bay region, fresh and saltwater.

Eric is the Native Kayak pro staff for Patuxent Adventure Center in Solomons, Maryland.

Eric is a self-taught artist making a variety of art each day, including oil paintings, ink or pencil drawings, and oil pastels. He sells his art out of his online store, Apple Green Arts.

Eric started his professional career in 1984 as a fire sprinkler fitter apprentice with Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669. Once he completed his apprenticeship his duties as a journeyworker included installation of fire sprinkler systems, day work, and inspections of fire sprinkler systems and their water supplies. In 1996 he took on the added duties of an instructor for Local Union 669 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee in the southwest region of Ohio. In 1998 Eric was hired as the Director of Apprenticeship for Local Union 669 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee in Columbia, Maryland. He managed the $4mil ERISA program with an office staff of 11 and training staff of 31 part time instructors, training 3800+ apprentices in 46 states via distance education. The United Association of Plumbers and Pipe fitters (UA) hired Eric in 2007 as one of their Training Specialists. He worked in that position until November 2011 when he became the Funds Administrator of the UA’s International Training Fund. A $21mil ERISA program focusing on the recruitment and training of over 300,000 members in the United States and Canada. Managing an office and staff of 16 office professionals.
In December 2015 Eric became the IT Director for the UA’s national office. Managing an office staff of 21 software writers, data managers, network managers and additional staff, he developed and updated the UA’s software and IT network. Eric graduated in 2003 from the UA’s Instructor Training Program, as a certified instructor. Eric graduated in June of 2004 with a BA in Labor Education and Labor Studies from the George Meany Center for Labor Studies-National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD and with an AAS degree in Industrial Education from Washtenaw Community College in August, 2004 in Ann Arbor MI.

Mr. Packard was a principle member on several NFPA committees, the Technical Correlating Committee on Automatic Sprinkler Systems; Technical Committee on Sprinkler Installation Criteria; Technical Committee on Residential Sprinkler Systems; Technical Committee on Inspections, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Systems and served as alternate on the Technical Committee on Hanging and Bracing of Water- Based Fire Protection System. Eric retired in 2016 and now resides in Southern Maryland selling his art and spends his time fishing when not spending it with family and friends.

John Rodenhausen

Dan Wrinn

Dan Wrinn grew up in the small town of Wallingford, CT where he spent his free time chasing native brook trout in small brooks and streams.  When he wasn’t fishing he could be found chasing turkeys and grouse in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains or hunting waterfowl in the marshes of the Connecticut River.  His passion for the outdoors led him to an internship in the governmental affairs office of Ducks Unlimited in Washington, DC the summer of 1994, and the rest you can say is history.  That internship turned into a full time position with DU where he focused on natural resource appropriations and developing the conservation title of the 1996 Farm Bill.  After five years, he left DU and worked on conservation and water policy for the Delaware River Basin Commission, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.  From there he spent two years as a Regional Representative for the National Wildlife Federation focusing on educating and organizing sportsmen and women about the impacts of climate change on hunting and fishing.  Eventually his love of wetlands and waterfowl called him back to DU where he currently is DU’s National Director of Government Affairs.  Dan’s commitment to science-based natural resource management and policy is what drew him to Maryland CCA.  “The Chesapeake Bay In particular is a local, national and international environmental treasure and the ecological threats it is facing are complex and growing.  That’s why Maryland CCA’s ability to reach anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, businesses and policy-makers is critical to putting the Bay on a long term track of sustainability and restoration.  This will not happen over night and Maryland CCA has proven itself to be in it for the long haul.  So am I.”

Trent Zivkovich