The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FPW), in partnership with CFA, is pleased to announce the R. John Dawes Clean Water Fund, celebrating the significant contributions John Dawes has made to build a strong, thriving, and effective organization to protect Pennsylvania’s waterways.
“The FPW’s board of directors is incredibly grateful for John’s stellar leadership and commitment to improving the waterways of Pennsylvania and is pleased to honor his recent retirement through the creation of this fund. His legacy will be alive in a permanent way through the R. John Dawes Clean Water Fund to benefit the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds,” said CFA President Mike Kane.
“After investing more than 30 years of time and grant dollars throughout the state of Pennsylvania, I am excited to turn over the leadership of the FPW to such a qualified conservationist as Deb Nardone. This has been a wonderful position to hold, and it’s been an honor to work with committed colleagues who have enabled us to be creative and opportunistic, all the while improving ecosystem function on degraded site-specific projects,” said Dawes.
Nardone, a passionate advocate for Pennsylvania’s natural resources, brings 30 years of experience in shaping mission-focused programs and partnerships that succeed at the local, state, and national levels. Nardone will play a crucial role as FPW increases its capacity to meet the needs of communities working to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and health. For the past eight years, she served as executive director of Clearwater Conservancy, where she helped permanently conserve nearly 3,500 acres of central Pennsylvania habitat and grew the organization’s endowment by 500%. She has also held positions at Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and holds a master’s degree in environmental pollution control.
FPW provides matching grant funds to both small and large groups and organizations throughout much of the Commonwealth and is a supporting organization of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Through FPW’s grantmaking, assistance is provided to conservation organizations to achieve their restoration goals, while ensuring enough clean water for future generations of Pennsylvania children, families, and wildlife.
Donations to the R. John Dawes fund can be made by check, mailed to the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, 216 Franklin Street, Suite 400, Johnstown, PA 15901, or contributed online here. Learn more about the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds here.
