March 23, 2022
New Leadership for Arundel Rivers Federation
ARUNDEL RIVERS FEDERATION ANNOUNCES MATTHEW JOHNSTON AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
March 23 2022
Arundel Rivers Federation is pleased to announce that Matthew (Matt) Johnston has been appointed as the new Executive Director for the organization.
Mr. Johnston is a recognized expert in clean water and environmental policy. For the past three years he served as Environmental Policy Director for Anne Arundel County’s Office of the County Executive. In this position, he helped design, fund, coordinate, and implement Anne Arundel County’s environmental policies and programs.
Over his career, Mr. Johnston has built partnerships with communities, state, local and national leaders, watershed organizations, and environmental advocates from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Lynn Johnson Langer, Chair of the Federation’s Board of Directors, stated, “We are very fortunate to have someone with Matt’s leadership skills and experience join us as we grow our organization. We look forward to working with him to further our mission.”
“The South, West and Rhode Rivers are my home. They are where my family kayaks and where my son learned to swim. So I am honored to have the opportunity to advocate for the protection of these waters and the quality of life they bring to my family and my neighbors,” stated incoming Executive Director, Matt Johnston. “Clean water requires sound science, sound policy, and robust stewardship. These will be the principles that drive our work at the Arundel Rivers Federation as we build a coalition of residents, communities, and businesses to deliver clean water.”
Prior to becoming the County’s Environmental Policy Director, Matt was Senior Policy Analyst with the US EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program, and faculty member of the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. As Senior Policy Analyst, he assessed policies from all corners of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to ensure draft legislation, regulation, programs, and planning documents would adequately protect local water quality and the Chesapeake Bay.
He also served as the Coordinator for the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee at the non-profit Chesapeake Research Consortium based out of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.
Mr. Johnston has a Master of Public Affairs degree in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from the Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree in Political Science, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History from the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
Most importantly though, Mr. Johnston has a passion for clean water.
Arundel Rivers Federation is confident that Mr. Johnston will lead the Federation into an exciting new period that will allow us to build on our reputation as a local leader in restoration and clean water advocacy.
