The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation proudly announces the appointment of three distinguished leaders to its Board of Trustees: Faye DiMassimo, Chief of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Savannah; Emily Skor, Chief Executive Officer of Growth Energy: and Tyler Studds, Senior Director of Program Management at Jacobs.
SILVER SPRING, Md., May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation proudly announces the appointment of three distinguished leaders to its Board of Trustees: Faye DiMassimo, Chief of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Savannah; Emily Skor, Chief Executive Officer of Growth Energy: and Tyler Studds, Senior Director of Program Management at Jacobs.
Their combined leadership across the public, private, and non-profit sectors will uniquely strengthen the Foundation's mission to inspire support and investment for our nation's oceans and Great Lakes.
Faye DiMassimo serves as the Chief of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Savannah. She has over 40 years of experience in public administration, economic development, policy development, and advocacy. Her work focuses on advancing strategic planning initiatives with a commitment to community equity and sustainable growth. She previously served for over two years as the CEO of Chatham Area Transit (CAT). Before CAT, she served as Senior Advisor, Transportation and Infrastructure to Mayor John Cooper and Interim Director of the Metro Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), with Deloitte Consulting, as the City of Atlanta Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST General Manager, and as the Director of the Cobb County Department of Transportation (DOT).
Emily Skor is the Chief Executive Officer of Growth Energy, America's premier biofuel trade association representing the majority of the nation's ethanol producers, an industry that contributes more than $50 billion to the U.S. GDP. Since taking the helm of Growth Energy in 2016, she has dramatically expanded the organization's influence, footprint, and membership, positioning it as a powerful voice in national energy and agricultural policy. Under her leadership, Growth Energy has become a leading advocate for American biofuels, reshaping public discourse around critical priorities such as revitalizing the farm economy, reducing fuel costs, developing clean energy solutions, advancing U.S. innovation, and securing global market leadership for domestic producers.
Tyler Studds is an experienced executive dedicated to advancing energy, environmental, and climate solutions that drive lasting positive change. His expertise spans commercial scale renewable energy generation, coastal and marine science, program management, public affairs, and community engagement across public, private, and non-profit sectors. He is currently Senior Director of Program Management at Jacobs where he manages the delivery of complex energy and power programs to public and private sector clients.
"On behalf of the entire Board, we are incredibly excited to welcome Emily, Faye, and Tyler to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation family," said Laura Zagar and Dawn Rodney, Co-Chairs of the Board of Trustees, in a joint statement. "Each of these leaders brings a remarkable track record of turning complex environmental, policy, and infrastructure challenges into lasting, positive change."
Joel R. Johnson, President and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation shared, "The new ocean leaders are expanding our board's representation across the sanctuary system and will strengthen our ability to build bipartisan, sustainable solutions to safeguard America's treasured public waters for generations to come."
With these three new appointments, the Board of Trustees will continue to provide guidance for the Foundation as it continues its mission to provide clean, open, and accessible waters for all.
About the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, established in 2000, is the official non-profit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Foundation directly supports America's national marine sanctuaries through our mission to protect species, conserve ecosystems and preserve cultural and maritime heritage. We accomplish our mission through community stewardship and engagement programs, on-the-water conservation projects, public education and outreach programs, and scientific research and exploration. The Foundation fosters innovative projects that are solution-oriented, scalable and transferable, and develop strategic partnerships that promote the conservation and recovery of species and their habitats. Learn more at marinesanctuary.org.
Media Contact
Eliza Booth, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, 1 3012190645, [email protected], https://marinesanctuary.org/
SOURCE National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
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