[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 10, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF MR. WILL BAKER

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 2021

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to honor 
Mr. Will Baker as he retires after more than 40 years as director of 
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), the nation's premier nonprofit Bay 
watchdog. Guided by its mission to ``Save the Bay,'' the CBF strives to 
ensure that future generations may have the privilege of enjoying this 
national treasure.
  Mr. Baker began his career at the CBF as an intern in 1976, shortly 
after graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Just 
five years later, in 1981, he was appointed as the organization's next 
president. Under his leadership, the foundation has grown from a small 
organization with three staffers to the nation's largest independent 
conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Chesapeake 
Bay. The CBF now boasts 300,000 members and 200 employees in offices 
located in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of 
Columbia. CBF oversees 16 separate environmental education centers 
throughout the region that host an award-winning program that has 
provided meaningful watershed experiences to more than 1 million 
students.
  With Mr. Baker at the helm, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has 
received well-deserved recognition for its outstanding work. Most 
notably, the CBF received the 1992 Presidential Medal for Environmental 
Excellence, the nation's most prestigious environmental accolade.
  Mr. Baker has been recognized by organizations too numerous to 
mention in their entirety. He has received honorary degrees from the 
University of Baltimore, Washington College and St. Mary's College. He 
was presented the Circle of Excellence Award by The Daily Record, named 
to Baltimore Magazine's Power 50, and received the Speaker's Medallion 
from the Maryland House of Delegates.
  Outside of his work for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Mr. Baker has 
contributed his time and talents as a member of the Johns Hopkins 
Medicine Executive Committee, as a trustee to the Central Maryland 
Transportation Alliance and as a member of the Board of Visitors to the 
University of Maryland Baltimore County.
  On a personal note, I have deeply enjoyed getting to know and working 
with Mr. Baker over the years. He is not just a passionate and 
effective steward of one of our nation's most precious resources, he is 
a kind and decent person. Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me today 
to honor the career of Mr. Will Baker. His commitment to the betterment 
of his community and to the Chesapeake Bay should serve as an example 
to us all.

                          ____________________