Board of Directors & Advisory Council

Andrea Kane has over 25 years of education experience, including ten years at the central office level. Dr. Kane has earned the characterization as a visionary leader. In collaboration with school district, business, and community partners, Dr. Kane has been effective in leading large suburban, urban, and small rural districts. Some of Dr. Kane’s most notable accomplishments have been in the area of leading school districts during times of change and challenges associated with academics, state mandates, and leadership. By employing strong communication skills, active listening skills, astute fiduciary competence, and political savvy, Dr. Kane has been successful in building trust, transparency, and stability during transitions and keeping the focus on that which benefits students.

Bob Hoyt is one of the founders and principals of EcoLogix Group, where he focuses on helping clients partner with stakeholders to further stewardship, environmental education, environmental justice, and natural resource restoration programs and policies. Bob led the EcoLogix Group team that designed and implemented the highly successful stakeholder strategy that led to the development of the Port of Baltimore’s Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility and the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center.

Prior to founding EcoLogix Group in 2002, Bob served as assistant secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, senior vice president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, associate professor, Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg, PA Campus, and a deputy attorney general for the state of New Jersey. While in these roles, he has served on many boards and committees including the DC Water Board of Directors (chair of the Environmental Committee), Chesapeake Bay Trust Board of Directors, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Board of Directors.

From 2007-2014, Bob served as director of the Department of Environmental Protection for Montgomery County, Maryland, an agency responsible for developing and implementing the County’s stormwater, air quality, recycling, water quality monitoring and other environmental programs. During Bob’s tenure there, the County had the highest recycling rate in the State, implemented one of nation’s most stringent Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, and created the Montgomery County Green Business certification program.

Rejoining Ecologix Group in 2014, Bob helps clients understand and effectively respond to issues such as environmental justice, cumulative health impacts, or stormwater management by building understanding among the array of stakeholders having diverse perspectives on these matters. Bob currently serves as chair of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).

Bob’s educational background includes a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Princeton University. Bob is an accomplished public speaker with experience in legislative testimony, citizen meetings, and media relations.

When he is not working, Bob enjoys running marathons, swimming, gardening, and sailing.

Growing up with a Father who is a Wildlife Biologist, Carly Ferguson was introduced to caring for our environment and spending every minute outside at a very early age! She has worked in the field of outdoor and environmental education for over 15 years.

Currently, Carly is a Teacher at the Carroll County Outdoor School at Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster, MD. Each week, she instructs sixth graders from the district’s middle schools. She teaches students to investigate and act upon relevant local environmental issues, with the goal of positively impacting the environment. In addition, Carly is a Resource Teacher for Carroll County elementary schools, helping to facilitate their process to become a Maryland Green School and leads outreach projects on their school grounds. Carly’s prior experience as an Outward Bound Instructor for the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School allows her to lead professional development and team building exercises for the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and Carroll County Public Schools staff throughout the year. Finally, Carly is an Adjunct Faculty at Carroll Community College and takes adults outside to learn about the environment as a Hiking Instructor.

Carly Ferguson has a M.A. from West Virginia University in Secondary Education and a M.S. in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources Management from WVU as well. She was able to fuse her two passions and found her dream job at the Carroll County Outdoor School teaching outdoor and environmental education. Carly is originally from Wells, Maine but now calls Gettysburg, Pennsylvania her home. You can find her outside with her family and dogs, adventuring and enjoying anything outside!

As Director of Conservation Community Engagement, I work collaboratively with community residents and stakeholders to develop relatable environmental programs and projects which meet the needs of the community, and ultimately facilitating and implementing these efforts, directly where people are, within their communities. One of the programs that I coordinate is our Urban Conservation & Education Summer Internship Program, designed to provide opportunities for local Baltimore college students to experience environmental stewardship and to expose students to career options in the conservation sector. Additionally, through my involvement in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program’s Diversity Workgroup as well as the State of Maryland’s Project Green Classrooms, we frequently discuss career pathways and pipelines within the environmental field, especially through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, in order to ensure that students not only have opportunities for entry into the field but for matriculation as well. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy, Wildlife Ecology and Management concentration, from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Delaware. I have over 10 years of experiences in environmental education and community engagement, through naturalist positions with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and Delaware Nature Society respectively.

Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Bucknell University, an M.S. and PhD in Zoology from the University of Georgia, and an M.A. in Education from Salisbury University. She taught middle school science at Pocomoke Middle School before moving across the bay to take a position at Towson University, where she has been been teaching for 25 years. Sarah’s interests lie in the areas of science education and environmental education. Her courses for preservice teachers all include outdoor components, and many include service learning. Sarah has built relationships with many local nonformal educational institutions, and she often teaches her classes off campus at these local organizations- she has had her students learning and leading programming at the Maryland Zoo, Irvine Nature Center, Oregon Ridge Nature Center, and the National Aquarium. Sarah’s involvement in science education initiatives and environmental education initiatives has led her to hold several positions of leadership at the national level, most notably with the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Education Advisory Council (NEEAC), the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Sarah was a founding member of MAEOE’s EE Certification Committee.