Deena Kilmon Appointed Executive Director of Waterfowl

Deena Kilmon of Easton has recently been named Executive Director of Waterfowl Festival, Inc. For more than 50 years, the Waterfowl Festival, Inc. has staged an annual event, the Waterfowl Festival, that has raised $5.7 million for wildlife and habitat conservation, education, and research. The organization is committed to creating an environment to restore and conserve the presence of vibrant, stable, and diverse populations, flourishing in clean and productive aquatic and wetland habitats. The expanded position will enable the Waterfowl Festival to have a greater impact in the next 50 years of its conservation and education activities.

Kilmon is an accomplished and enthusiastic marketing and communications leader with broad experience in all levels of marketing, advertising, and brand management having served in several positions on the Eastern Shore. Most recently, she served as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Easton Economic Development Corporation. Before this job, Kilmon served as Director of Engagement for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. For several years, she was owner and operator of Foxy’s Harbor Grille in  St. Michaels.

She completed a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently working on an MBA with a Marketing Concentration at Longwood University.  She is a graduate of Leadership Maryland and Shore Leadership. She has received several community awards, including APG Women to Watch in 2022 and 2023.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, we are thrilled to have Deena Kilmon as our new Executive Director.  The excitement comes from what we think she will bring to the Waterfowl Festival, everything from new ideas, collaboration with existing and new festival partners, and a chance to build and expand our current festival to allow it to continue for years to come.   I am not sure there is a limit to what we can accomplish together and look forward to working with her,” Eric Milhollan, President of the Waterfowl Festival, Inc. Board of Directors.

Kilmon’s current volunteer activity includes serving on the Easton Rotary Marketing Committee, Shore Leadership Board of Directors, Chesapeake Neighbors (The Arc subsidiary), Phillips Wharf Board of Directors, Optimist Club, and 100 Women Talbot.

“The Waterfowl Festival has been an iconic part of the Eastern Shore experience for over 50 years. To be chosen to be a part of its next 50 years is an incredible responsibility, one that I do not take lightly. I am honored to be a part of the legacy of the work that we do during the festival and throughout the year, helping to preserve our natural resources for generations to come.”