Stacy J. (Pollock) Schaefer
4501 Owensville Sudley Road
Harwood, MD 20776
(443) 603-5742
schaefer.stacy@gmail.com

Curriculum Vitae

Experience

Resilience Authority of Charles County

Executive Director

Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), Glen Bernie, MD
Maryland Land Conservation Liaison and Land Acquisition
May 2022 - January 2023

Provided a bridge between RES, landowners interested in ecological restoration, and the various Federal, State, and County Land Conservation and Grant Programs, including County Agricultural Preservation Programs, the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) and Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program. Partner and collaborate with NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, and local land conservancies. Work closely with biologists and ecologists to evaluate lands suitable for climate change resiliency work such as living shorelines, marsh migration areas, and restoration of streams and wetlands.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Annapolis, MD
Associate Director, Land Conservation
September 2006 – March 2021

Directed team responsible for DNR’s land conservation programs: Program Open Space State Side, the Rural Legacy Program, and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) permanent easement program. Program Open Space Stateside preserves natural areas for public recreation and watershed and wildlife protection. Fee simple purchases are managed as State Parks, Forests, and
Wildlife and Fisheries Management Areas. The Rural Legacy program purchases permanent conservation easements in order to preserve large, contiguous tracts of land and to enhance natural resource and environmental protection while supporting sustainable land use. The CREP permanent easement program acquires permanent conservation easements on streamside forests, natural areas and wetlands to protect wildlife habitat and water quality. Collectively, these programs conserved an average of 7,000 acres or more annually.

Partnered and collaborated with NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund, federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (including the National Forest Service) and local land conservancies. Worked closely with biologists and ecologists to evaluate potential land conservation acquisitions using resource assessments that highlight rare species habitat, aquatic life hotspots and water quality protection.

Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C.
Senior Litigation Associate
September 1994 – December 2004

Represented Fortune 10 company in various aspects of numerous product liability cases. Functioned as member of lead trial team defending industry-wide liability claims in five cases over a seven-year period. Researched and drafted summary judgment motions and appellate briefs, including certiorari petitions to the United States Supreme Court.

Handled numerous pro bono cases representing women under the Violence Against Women Act, individuals seeking asylum on the basis of socio-political persecution in home country. On behalf of the District of Columbia Humane Society, drafted position papers, legislative revisions to the District of Columbia Animal Welfare Code, and testified before D.C. Council regarding such legislation. Drafted comments on behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association in response to various proposed National Park Service regulations.

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Montgomery, AL
The Honorable Joel F. Dubina
Judicial Law Clerk
September 1995 – September 1996
Prepared bench memoranda; researched and drafted opinions involving wide range of legal issues including environmental law, the federal sentencing guidelines, antitrust, and criminal and civil evidentiary issues.

United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Asset Forfeiture Office
Legal Intern, Law Student Program, Summer 1992
Conducted research and drafted legal memoranda on international policy and forfeiture matters that were incorporated in the 1993 edition of the Department of Justice’s Federal Prosecutor’s Manual on International Forfeiture.

Education

The George Washington University National Law Center, Washington, D.C.
Juris Doctor with High Honors, May 1994
∙ Order of the Coif
∙ Class Rank: Top 3%
∙ Member, George Washington Law Review
∙ Member, Moot Court Board
∙ Honors in Trial Advocacy

Publications:
Stacy J. Pollock, Note, Proportionality in Civil Forfeiture: Toward a Remedial Solution​, 62 GEO. WASH. L. REV. 456 (1994)

Stacy J. Schaefer, Law Review Article, The Standing of Nature: The Delineated Natural Ecosystem Proxy, George Washington Journal of Energy and Environmental Law (Apr 18, 2018)

Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, Mexico
International Policy Analysis (Study Abroad Program)
1990-1991

Allentown College of St. Francis De Sales, Center Valley, PA
Bachelor of Arts, Business Management, May 1991
∙ Summa Cum Laude
∙ Graduated 1st in major

Professional Associations and Relevant Speaking Engagements

Board of Directors, Anne Arundel and City of Annapolis Sea Level Rise Resilience Authority
(September 2022-Present)

The Nature Conservancy Coastal Resiliency Model Conservation Easement Development, Core team member
as part of TNC’s Coastal Resiliency Framework Project (March 2022 – Present)

Bar Admissions:
∙ District of Columbia (Active)
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section
∙ Pennsylvania (Inactive Status)

Maryland Department of Natural Resources inter disciplinary teams
∙ Climate Change Matrix Team
∙ Wildlife Habitat Matrix Team
∙ Woodland Incentive Study Group

Relevant Speaking Engagements:

May 2017: Sustainable Forestry Council, Conserving Forest Lands Through Permanent Conservation
Easements.

April 2017 and April 2015: University of Maryland Leadership Education and Development (LEAD)
Program, The Rural Legacy Program and Sustainable Land Use.

October 2016: Maryland Coast Smart Council 2016, Sea Level Rise and the Development of Climate Change Adaptation Conservation Easements.

December 2013: Maryland Water Monitoring Council Annual Conference, Land Conservation and Water Quality.

April 2014: Moderator and Panelist, Saving America’s Farms and Farmland National Conference, Innovative Approaches to Conservation Easement Valuation: The Points Based Appraisal.

May 2014: Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership’s 8th Annual Conference, National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program Grant Opportunities and Preservation Strategies.

BROWSE ALL

2023

First Executive Director of the First Resilience Authority