The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is pleased to announce that Carmera Thomas-Wilhite has joined the organization as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. CBF is dedicated to a thriving Bay that provides for the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of the nearly 19 million people who call the Bay region home.
Generations of racism and discriminatory policies have created a society where the burdens of an unhealthy Bay are not borne equally. Equitable solutions to these issues require the voices and input from the communities disproportionally impacted. But for too long, the environmental movement, CBF included, has not provided adequate space for these leaders.
Ms. Thomas-Wilhite returns to CBF after serving as the Director of Urban Conservation Initiatives at The Conservation Fund. Before joining The Conservation Fund, Carmera was the Baltimore Program Manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where she began her career as a member of the inaugural class of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps.
“We are thrilled to have Ms. Thomas-Wilhite back as we continue our work to become a more inclusive and just organization,” said CBF President Hilary Harp Falk. “Her leadership in equitable access to the outdoors and developing meaningful partnerships will build a better CBF and stronger clean water movement.”
In this position, Ms. Thomas-Wilhite will lead CBF’s internal efforts to build equity into all facets of the organization and external efforts to advance meaningful engagement with underrepresented communities, especially those impacted by environmental injustices in the Chesapeake Bay region.
“The effects of pollution and climate change touch the lives of all of us, so it is essential that all have a voice in the solutions,” Carmera Thomas- Wilhite said. “I am committed to help make that happen, both within CBF and across the broader Bay restoration community.”
Ms. Thomas-Wilhite currently serves as the Vice Chair of the board for Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy, a board member of Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc., and is a member of the Anne Arundel County Citizen Environmental Commission. Carmera earned her B.S. in Biology from North Carolina Wesleyan University. She enjoys camping and spending time with her friends and family, especially, her husband and dog.
Ms. Thomas-Wilhite has roots in this area, spending summers at her grandparents’ house fishing and swimming in the Severn River with her cousins. She and her husband live in Crofton.
