Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Mauricio Rosales, Ryan Davis, & Jenna Becket

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Introduced by Tom Baum

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay works with communities, companies and conservationists to restore the lands and waters that flow in the Chesapeake Bay. The Alliance’s Pennsylvania office is located in Lancaster and for the last 5 years  has been collaborating with multiple corporations and partners to implement best management practices (BMPs) such as riparian forest buffers and manure storage facilities on farmland. These BMPs help to improve the water quality of our local streams and rivers and increase biodiversity. Partnerships with businesses such as Turkey Hill Dairy, The Hershey Company, Land O Lakes, and others help us connect with local farmers and accelerate impact on the ground. 

Mauricio Rosales

Mauricio Rosales is the Agriculture Projects Manager based in the PA office. He is in charge of outreach efforts with farmers.

Born and raised in Ecuador, Rosales graduated in 2012 with a degree in Farming Science in a local university in his hometown Quito. Soon after, he immigrated to the U.S. and started working on a 600-cow dairy farm in WI as one of the herdsman and stayed there for approximately 2 years. After having such a great experience with dairy cows, he decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Animal Science with focus on dairy management at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN. In 2016, he graduated and moved to Lancaster PA to work as an Extension Dairy Educator for Penn State Extension. Rosales offered educational programs that focused on animal health, dairy business management, and training for Latino dairy employees.

Besides working with farm animals and producers, Rosales enjoys gardening and growing his own food. He likes to use all the produce of his garden to make his famous chili and other diverse dishes.

Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis grew up on the coastal plain of Virginia and North Carolina, where he spent his time roaming the woods and catching all the fish, herps, and bugs that he could. He earned a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and minor in Forestry at NC State so that he could keep chasing critters, now as a professional wildlife biologist. He worked in NC, NV, and MO before attending West Virginia University for an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. He briefly worked as an environmental scientist in WV before becoming a Farm Bill biologist with Pheasants Forever in southwestern PA. While there he honed his land management and public communication skills while learning about more ways to make real impacts for natural resource conservation. Davis joined the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay in April 2017. He is the Pennsylvania Forests Projects Manager, where he focuses on forest conservation and restoration within the watershed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York.

When not working Davis is outside as frequently as possible; his happiness is strongly correlated to the amount of mud and sunshine he’s exposed to. He loves hiking, fishing, hunting, biking, and trying to identify every plant, animal, and fungus he comes across. His favorite beings in the world are his lovely wife, Allyson, and mischievous beagle, Newt.

Jenna Becket

Jenna Becket is the Pennsylvania State Director and Agriculture Program Director at the Alliance.

Becket began her work at the Alliance as Program Manager in April 2016 focusing on projects involving stormwater, agriculture and forest buffers. Becket worked to activate the Octoraro Source Water Collaborative, the Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth project and numerous community engagement efforts. In 2017, Becket was promoted to Pennsylvania State Director.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Becket worked at the Lancaster County Conservation District as an Erosion and Sedimentation Technician overseeing excavators, construction workers, and farmers to protect Pennsylvania’s waterways.

Becket holds a degree in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State University with minors in Environmental Soil Science and Watersheds and Water Resources. In 2019, Becket was honored to receive the Penn State University College of Agricultural Science’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award and be inducted into the Armsby Honor Society.

Outside of work, Becket can be found playing with her dog, Buster, at the dog park, gardening, completing home improvement projects, weightlifting, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

See links for Nov. 10, 2099