Meet Theresa Pierno
Theresa Pierno is a member of NPCA's Speaker's Bureau. To invite her to speak to your group, please contact NPCA Media Relations Coordinator Perry Wheeler.
Theresa Pierno, the National Parks Conservation Association’s Senior Vice President of Regional Programs, manages a team of regional directors with offices in Alaska, California, Montana, Utah, Illinois, Washington, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, New York, Texas, and Washington DC. She is responsible for providing leadership, management, and support in order to strengthen regional programs, overall operations and assist with the development of strategic policy objectives. Theresa is currently leading NPCA’s strategic priority Restoring Healthy Parks, focusing primarily on climate/air pollution and wildlife initiatives.
Theresa joined NPCA in October 2004 having served as a Vice President for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and MD Executive Director since 1999. In her role at CBF she managed a staff of 60 with a budget of $5 million and was responsible for implementing policies and advocating for Bay protection and restoration strategies throughout the 64,000 square-mile watershed. Some of her accomplishments include negotiating a permit that significantly reduced the pollution from a large industrial polluter; playing a key role in passing legislation that prohibits dumping of dredged material in the Bay’s open waters; and representing CBF in the media and on several Governor-appointed task forces.
Prior to her start at CBF, Theresa was part of the executive staff at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. As director of Education, Bay Policy, Growth and Resource Conservation, she was responsible for the implementation of the Smart Growth initiatives for the Department. Theresa played a critical role in the passage of Maryland’s Smart Growth and Rural Legacy Initiative and led the Department’s outreach effort for the Rural Legacy Program.
Before joining the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Theresa served as an elected official on the Harford County Council. While on the Council, she was the lead sponsor for several land-use and environmental legislative initiatives. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore and is a fellow with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University having graduated from the Senior Executive State and Local Government Program.
