Isabel Hardesty

Background

About Isabel Hardesty

As Executive Director at ShoreRivers, I lead our work to protect and restore Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. I serve on the Board of Directors for the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and for the Gunston School in Centreville. I was hired in 2011 by the Chester River Association, one of ShoreRivers’ legacy organizations, where I served as the Policy Specialist for two years and then as the Chester Riverkeeper for four. In these positions I gained experience in local and state advocacy, local enforcement monitoring and compliance, water quality monitoring, and on-the-ground restoration. When ShoreRivers was created in 2018, I served first as the Regional Director and then as the Deputy Director until becoming Executive Director in 2021. I received a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, where I concentrated in coastal environmental management, and a B.S. from Bucknell University with a major in animal behavior. Previously, I worked for the Ocean Conservancy in Washington D.C. conducting research in to the impacts of trash, eco-tourism, and renewable energies on ocean ecosystems.