Waterfowl Chesapeake (WC), the parent organization of the annual Waterfowl Festival, is thrilled announce two new staff joining its team.
Leslie Milby of Cordova comes on board as WC’s new Festival and Events Manager. Milby will be coordinating and managing the annual Waterfowl Festival and helping with new events as Waterfowl Chesapeake works to expand its community and conservation outreach.
As part of a family who goose hunts together even before presents on Christmas morning, Milby is excited to be a part of an organization focused on preserving both the land and traditions of the Eastern Shore. As a Waterfowl Festival-goer for many years, she’s excited about seeing how all the and volunteer committees bring all “nooks and crannies” together to orchestrate this big-time, small-town event. She also is thrilled to have the chance to help build out future programs in support of local communities and waterfowl conservation.
“Our family loves strolling together around the Festival, eating oysters for breakfast and supporting our cousin in the Dock Dogs competition. When we can leave the kids at home, my husband and I come back to try the sweet and local wines in the wine tent, catch up with friends around town, and take in all the amazing paintings we’d like to buy when our kids are less expensive,” she says with a laugh. Milby and her husband, Logan, who works for Maryland Environmental Service, reside on “Puddle Jump Farm” with their children, Landon (3) and Lucy (3 months).
Milby is looking forward to working with staff and volunteers to enhance the current offerings of the Festival and its appeal to both locals and guests, as well as growing the event as it nears its 50th year in 2020. “The Festival’s exposure to the Eastern Shore lifestyle is excellent, and I always tell my friends and family that it’s a great time to come in for a visit!”
In addition, Easton resident Heather Grant has joined the staff as the part-time Waterfowl Festival Marketing Manager. In this position, Grant is responsible for the development and execution of all marketing and communication campaigns, including print and digital advertising, web development, marketing collateral, social media, and public relations relating to the Festival.
Grant, who is originally from Connecticut, has been a resident of the Eastern Shore and a Festival-goer since 2003. She has a Masters in Publication Design from the University of Baltimore and a BA in Journalism from the University of New Hampshire. With over 20 years of marketing, communications graphic and web design experience, she brings experience and talent to the WF promotional team. With social media and the web at the forefront of current marketing practices, Grant will look to increase the Festival’s presence in those realms, while continuing to work with traditional media outlets like print, TV and radio.
“I’ve been attending the Festival regularly since I moved here,” Grant explains. “It’s the highlight of the Fall in Easton. Since the kids are off from school, we’ve enjoyed attending the retrieving and Dock Dogs competitions and just wandering around town enjoying all the Festival has to offer. When we first started coming, we used to spend a lot of time at the middle school where my father-in-law was a carving exhibitor. I really gained an appreciation for the time it took him to create his decoys and that they were truly works of art. It’s part of the fabric of the Eastern Shore and I am excited to be involved in promoting it to a new generation of fans.”
“We couldn’t be happier to find such great professionals right her in our local area who also support our community and conservation mission,” says Executive Director Margaret Enloe.
With a focus on communities, stewardship and the waterfowl-related resources and heritage on Delmarva, Waterfowl Chesapeake: connects financial resources from the Festival and environmental needs in communities, serves as a neutral convener for events, forums and discussions leading to solutions, and engages and educates communities about the benefits of healthy waterfowl populations and habitats.
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