Congratulations, Jeanne, on being the Alliance’s 2025 DC Watershed Champion!

The Alliance’s annual Taste celebration presents an opportunity for like-minded clean water advocates to gather and celebrate our beautiful watershed and all we have accomplished to protect it. Each year at the Taste, the Alliance recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Chesapeake watershed through innovative thinking and developing impactful partnerships.

Jeanne Braha has dedicated her career to connecting people with nearby nature to catalyze environmental stewardship. From her first job at a tiny nature center to roles at the National Wildlife Federation, the National Academy of Sciences, Alice Ferguson Foundation, and Rock Creek Conservancy, she has worked globally and locally to empower communities, often through public lands partnerships. She currently serves as executive director of Rock Creek Conservancy.

Join us as Alliance CEO, Kate Fritz, sits down with Jeanne to delve into her work in the District and the Alliance.

Q: Could you talk about your work with the Alliance and how you’ve interreacted with us over the years?

A: Yes, the Rock Creek Conservancy, but I would also say all the nonprofits in the District are so lucky we have the Alliance as a partner. As a watershed-wide organization, the Alliance does a lot of work at the District-wide scale. Those of us who work on watersheds that represent only a portion of the District can work with the Alliance to stay connected, to network, and to think about collective action and strategies, whether it’s at a policy level or a project level. We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Alliance on two primary projects. One is a community science water quality monitoring project. It was a bacteria monitoring project and I was very grateful for because most people don’t realize that Rock Creek is more impaired than most of the other waterways in District. The other project that we’ve worked on is workforce development green infrastructure maintenance project, through which the Alliance provided really incredible technical support and training our team. We were then able to do the maintenance to make sure that the infrastructure continues to be an effective part of the District’s stormwater solutions.

 

Q: This work is challenging. As a former Executive Director you know the long hours and challenges that come from all directions, but can you share what brings you hope for the future, and inspires you to jump out of bed in the morning to continue doing this important work?

A: I think it’s our thousands of volunteers. They don’t have to get out of bed on a Saturday morning and pull invasive plants out of the ground at risk of being stung by an insect or getting poison ivy, but they do, which is incredible to me. And the volunteers who knowingly (with gloves) stick their hands into bacteria-contaminated water. That really inspires me, and knowing that my son is inheriting this world, and still loving Rock Creek – running the trails, hiking in the woods, and having that peaceful place to go to escape the insanity for a little bit.

 

Listen to the full interview below to learn more about Jeanne!

Get your Taste tickets starting July 9th