Chris Bason to step down from Center for the Inland Bays role

Chris Bason has resigned as executive director of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays effective April 18, the board of directors announced April 5. Bason joined the center in 2004 to lead an assessment of the watershed’s wetlands and was quickly promoted to the role of science coordinator. In 2011, he assumed oversight of center operations as its third executive director. 

“We are sorry to lose Chris, whose talent and hard work have led the center through a period of extensive growth and success,” said Susan Ball, board chair. “His professional, dedicated and passionate leadership has made a tremendous impact on the community, and we wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor.”

Bason will be devoting the next few years to raising his two daughters Mira and Freya, while his wife Archer focuses on her career in conservation biology.

In a press release, the board thanked Bason for 18 years of dedicated service which involved many significant accomplishments, including:

Creation of the comprehensive State of the Bays report demonstrating continued water-quality improvement; development of legislation allowing shellfish farming; renovation of the James Farm Ecological Preserve; large-scale expansion of citizen-based environmental monitoring; and creation of initiatives for reforestation, oyster restoration and living shorelines. During Bason’s directorship, the center developed financially, quadrupling its budget, and grew into a strong and trusted environmental advocate.  

Anna Fagan (née Short) has been named deputy director and will serve as acting director during this transition. Fagan joined the center in 2018 as an administrative specialist and was promoted to development coordinator that same year. With her passion, sharp organizational skills and professionalism, Fagan has created a robust and successful development program to support the center’s mission, a press release said. She will continue this progress in her new leadership role.

“Working under Chris’ leadership has been a truly rewarding experience,” said Fagan. “Though we are sad to see him go, we offer our full support for his decision and will carry forth with fulfilling the center’s mission during this transition.”

The board says it’s proud of all the center has accomplished since its establishment in 1994, and recognizes that this success is due to the skilled and hardworking staff and volunteers, the devotion of donors, and the support of the community and partners. The members of the board of directors are committed to assisting staff through this transition. Over the next few months, an extensive search will be conducted to find the center’s new executive director. The priority is to find the best individual to lead, and whoever is selected will have an opportunity to build on and capitalize on all of Bason’s work. 

“Serving the center has been an incredible privilege,” said Bason. “The friendship, trust and support that I have experienced here have been overwhelming, and I am forever dedicated to this organization. This community’s commitment to the water and our way of life is unparalleled, and it gets stronger every day.”   

“Chris will be greatly missed by the staff, volunteers, board, community members and partners alike,” Ball said. “We look forward to following his future success and are hopeful and excited for our next chapter as we continue our work to preserve, protect and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays and their watershed.”