Donna Bozza Is New CBES Executive Director

CBES President Arthur Upshur, new CBES Executive Director Donna Bozza, and outgoing CBES Executive Director Denard Spady

November 1, 2014

Donna Bozza is the new executive director for Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore. She succeeds Denard Spady who is retiring after nearly 20 years as director.

CBES, a non-profit organization formed 26 years ago to promote balanced growth in Accomack and Northampton counties while enhancing the quality of life for all citizens and preserving natural resources.

Bozza will be the first CBES executive director to serve full-time, which is being done to expand the organization’s role and effectiveness. The change to full-time work mirrors the move made recently by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper, which was initially established by CBES.

“We have been fortunate in being able to hire, as our Executive Directors, two people of exceptional qualifications: Jay Ford, who became the VES Executive Director and Shorekeeper last November, and now Donna Bozza, the new Executive Director of CBES,” said Jack Ordeman, board member and past president of CBES and president of Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper. “We are confident that both organizations will increase their influence and better fulfill the goals of their Mission Statements under their capable and inspiring leadership,” he said.

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Bozza has been a recognized Eastern Shore figure since the 1990s. An award-winning writer, she worked as a reporter for the Eastern Shore News covering local government and issues in both counties. More recently she was executive director for ESO Arts Center. Bozza was also the Shore’s first director of tourism for the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission. Under her seven-year leadership, the region boasted the highest percentage increase in tourism revenue in Virginia, along with the establishment of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Welcome Center. The Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau recognized Bozza with its Rising Star Leadership Award.

CBES is noted for its work to promote open government including citizen participation and informed decision-making. Its monthly newsletter, ShoreLine, known for its in-depth research on community issues, has been published since September 1988.

Bozza lives in the Cape Charles area with her husband, Jim, who has produced Jim Baugh Outdoors TV for 25 years. She will begin work immediately with a two-month transition and assume full responsibilities in January.