Congratulations, Al, on being the Alliance’s 2026 Fran Flanigan Award Winner!

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.

In 2001, The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay established its Environmental Leadership Award in honor of Frances H. Flanigan’s 23-year career of leadership and partnership building throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed as Executive Director of the Alliance.

This award recognizes a person who has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the restoration and protection of our watershed and made a meaningful, lasting impact on the environment. We’re thrilled to award Al McCullough as our Fran Flanigan Environmental Leadership Award winner!

Albert McCullough was a scientist, engineer, mentor, and Chesapeake Bay advocate whose legacy lives on in restored waterways and inspired lives.

Al’s expertise in shoreline forensics, tidal marshes, and more has led to many of the design innovations used in living shoreline designs in Maryland and across the watershed. His ingenuity, dedication, and leadership have created a lasting legacy for Chesapeake Bay coastal restoration.

Join us as Alliance CEO, Kate Fritz, sits down with Al’s son, Seth McCullough, to discuss Al’s work in Maryland and with the Alliance.

Kate: What do you think your dad would say about winning this award?

Seth: I’ve been thinking about this a lot and knowing my dad, he knew a lot, but he was still very humble and I feel like he’d be incredibly honored first and foremost, but probably a little uncomfortable having attention completely focused on him. He believed that this kind of recognition belongs to the whole network of people who make restoration work possible–communities, nonprofits, engineers, scientists, contractors, regulators and volunteers. A lot of people go into this, but I think he would still appreciate this award. And it’s tied to Fran Flanigan’s legacy because her work was about bringing people together, building bridges, and getting people involved in the future of the Chesapeake Bay, which he was extremely passionate about.

I think he would probably say that the most meaningful part is not the award itself, but the fact that the work mattered to people and helped move restoration forward. I think he would also see it as a reminder that environmental progress is never really one person’s accomplishment. It happens when a lot of people decide to care about the same place. I feel like he was a great, boisterous voice to get people excited about this kind of work.

Kate: So, Seth, from your perspective, what does it mean to you for your dad to win this award?

Seth: It means a lot to me because he was not only a great father, but also a great mentor. I think this award in particular perfectly encapsulates what was important to him, because he didn’t really just build a career around environmental restoration. He built a life around trying to leave places better than he found them. He would always tell me that, and his biggest passion was seeing the projects actually go into the ground and make a difference. I think what makes me most proud is that he never seemed motivated by recognition. He was motivated by the work, the people, and the belief that the Bay and its communities were worth fighting for. This award feels like recognition not just of individual projects but of the quiet, steady, practical commitment he brought to this work for decades.

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

 

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Visit our Taste landing page to leave a personalized message for Al and all of our other award winners.

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Join us at the Taste

We can’t wait to celebrate Al at our annual Taste: Celebrate the Chesapeake event on September 24, from 6-8 pm at The Atreeum at Soaring Timbers in Annapolis.

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