About Nancy
Nancy Merrill brings a wealth of experience in communications, outreach, and nonprofit leadership, with a deep-rooted passion for environmental conservation and historic preservation.
Provides Dual Perspectives of Fundraising and Donating
Having spent her career as staff in small environmental non-profits, she understands the struggle to be strategic when juggling multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced sector. She has had the opportunities to build the fundamental elements of strategic communication from the ground up, including communication plans, end of the year campaigns, websites, social media campaigns, river report cards, brochures, re-branding, and data visualization tools.
As President of the Merrill Family Foundation, she also has extensive experience as a donor and knows how non-profit’s communications can help or harm decisions to donate. She understands what information donors are seeking when reading annual reports or appeal letters.
Brings a Broad Array of Non-Profit Experience
She also has sat on several non-profit boards. Currently, she serves on the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s Board of Advisors, but has also participated on the boards of Chesapeake Legal Alliance in Baltimore, MD, Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation in Annapolis, MD and the Discovery Creek Children’s Museum in Washington, DC.
She holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University and earned her History degree from Cornell University. She previously served as the Communications and Marketing Coordinator for Historic London Town & Gardens in Edgewater, MD, and spent seven years as the Outreach Program Manager for the Arundel Rivers Federation, an environmental nonprofit in Annapolis, MD. During her five years at The Conservation Fund in Arlington, VA, she played a key role in establishing the Captain John Smith National Historic Trail with the National Park Service. Her background also includes work as an environmental educator for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Friends of the Rappahannock.
Loves Adventure
An avid outdoors enthusiast, she and her husband, Jason, recently completed a 7,000 mile boat voyage around the Eastern U.S. called America’s Great Loop. Their two Cavalier Spaniels, Radar and Sonar, keep them company at their home on the South River in Annapolis, MD. Nancy is also a certified sailing instructor and PADI-certified scuba diver.
