ESLC is delighted to welcome Melissa Canoni as our new Director of Development! (Lauren Halterman, who dutifully helmed the development team for the last seven years, has now become Director of Finance and Operations.) Melissa joins ESLC following a five-year directorship of development at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in English and American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and has more than two decades of fundraising, communications, and events management experience for educational and cultural institutions like the Hewitt School and The New York Botanical Garden. Melissa and her partner live in Oxford, where they enjoy crabbing off their dock, boating, and golfing. Keep reading our interview with Melissa to learn more about her history of fundraising and her love of the Eastern Shore.

 

Where did you grow up?

Bethlehem, PA near my grandparents’ farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

 

How did you get into fundraising?

I was always organizing events and leading committees in high school and college. Fundraising was a natural extension of that early volunteer work.

 

What are some of the challenges and delights of working in the development field?

I don’t see fundraising as a challenge. I love raising money for good causes.

 

Why is development a priority at ESLC?

Fundraising is essential for ESLC to maintain and expand its conservation efforts, provide education to the community, and continue advocating for the protection of the Eastern Shore’s unique landscapes. Without the funds, many of these efforts would be limited or even impossible to sustain.

 

What made you interested in working for ESLC?

I’m very supportive of the cause and protecting a region I now call home. And the staff and leadership are amazing—they are incredibly smart and passionate about their work.

 

What part of your new job are you most looking forward to?

Meeting new people who share a passion for what we do.

 

What’s one place on the Eastern Shore you’re excited to explore?

It’s not a specific place, but I’d love to see the Chesapeake Cowboys at a boat docking competition.

 

If you imagine the Eastern Shore and/or ESLC 100 years from now, what would you hope to see?

Beautiful vistas and a thriving economy.