The National Aquarium is pleased to announce the promotion of Margot Amelia to chief strategy officer and Jennifer Driban to chief mission officer.
The National Aquarium continues its tradition of recognizing talent within the organization by promoting two key leaders, Margot Amelia and Jennifer Driban, to further support the Aquarium's mission. Margot Amelia is now senior vice president and chief strategy officer, responsible for the development of organizational strategy for both internal and external audiences. Jennifer Driban is now senior vice president and chief mission officer, leading government affairs, conservation policy, conservation and education programs, and the executive office team.
Margot brings more than 30 years of marketing and executive experience from both the public and private sectors to her role at the National Aquarium. She oversees the development, communication of, and execution of the Aquarium's strategic initiatives, including the development and execution of the Aquarium's marketing plan to drive visitation and advance the Aquarium's reputation as a national conservation and animal welfare leader. Previously, she served as the executive director for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, where she was responsible for marketing the State of Maryland as a destination. During her time there, Maryland saw record-breaking years of visitation, visitor spending and state sales tax revenue across the state.
Jennifer has been an integral team member of the Aquarium since 2016, leading efforts to increase conservation awareness while building meaningful relationships within our community, government and conservation leaders. She oversees the Aquarium's government affairs strategy and conservation policy work, conservation community engagement and field programs, and education programs and partnerships. In collaboration with local and regional conservation leaders, Jennifer and her team strategically grow the Aquarium's mission impact by advocating for innovative conservation policies, and conducting effective conservation and educational programming that empowers people to take conservation action within their lives and communities. Prior to joining the National Aquarium, she served as a member of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger's senior staff where she acted as a representative and adviser, working in partnership with Maryland's federal delegation.
"As the National Aquarium continues to advance its mission on a local, regional and national level, it is imperative to have effective leaders to drive our strategy forward," said CEO John Racanelli. "Margot Amelia and Jennifer Driban have proven themselves to be essential team members time and time again. The future of the National Aquarium is bright and in capable hands."
Margot currently serves on the boards of both the national—the U.S. Travel Association—and the city's—Visit Baltimore—official travel and tourism industry organizations. Margot holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jennifer serves on the board of directors of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and Emerge Baltimore. She volunteers with various community nonprofit organizations and resides with her family in Baltimore City. Jennifer is an active alumna of the Professional Leadership Program for Women at Towson University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in political science and metropolitan studies. She also holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore.
Update: As of April 1, 2021, Margot Amelia was elevated to Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer.
