To reach our clean water goals, it is essential to sustain our work with a pipeline of talented, diverse, and passionate young leaders. Since 2016, the Coalition has met this critical need through its Young Professionals of the Chesapeake (YPC) Mentorship Program. A cornerstone of our work, YPC provides mentorship and professional development opportunities to increase retention among young leaders in the region. Early career professionals, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, often lack mentorship, support networks, and pathways to advancement. The solution, we came to realize, was community.

What started as an informal effort to connect young professionals with established leaders has evolved into a robust year-long mentorship and training program. To date, more than 250 individuals have participated in YPC, where they have received professional development, built long-lasting relationships, and contributed to a stronger and more diverse environmental workforce.

And we’re grateful we built a strong foundation for this program, as YPC faced a new and unexpected challenge this year. Federal priority and funding shifts led to the real possibility of having to pause YPC programming due to a lack of funding.

But our community responded. The Coalition launched its first-ever fundraising campaign to preserve its training offerings. Thanks to the unwavering generosity of our members, past participants, and many external partners, we surpassed our $10,000 goal! Demand for the program remains strong, with early application numbers for the 2026 cohort exceeding previous years.

Now more than ever, it’s vital that we support our emerging leaders, equip them with the tools they need to thrive, and retain their talents for years to come. Many alumni of the YPC program now dedicate their time and energy to protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams so that future generations can experience its beauty. And there are more future leaders right now who need the same support.

YPC is more than a mentorship program—it’s a community of resilience. That resilience was revealed this year, with so many friends and partners supporting YPC in its moment of need. An essential pathway for cultivating and retaining the next generation of environmental leaders, we are proud to continue this work and look forward to supporting a thriving 2026 cohort and many more to come.

Header photo: YPC participants gathered at Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clagett Farm for a day of training and service. Photo by Leeanna Duong.

Watch a brief interview with one of our YPC participants