Edward Wiese Elected National Aquarium Board Chair

The National Aquarium welcomed five new members to its Board of Directors in March of this year and elected Edward 'Ted' Wiese to Board Chair. The six elected members are not only committed to serving the Baltimore community and the National Aquarium but are working to fulfill the Aquarium's mission to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. New members include Todd Chester, Meredith Mowen, Roy Prather III, Jayson Williams and Marc Wyatt.

"The National Aquarium is proud to welcome our new members to our Board of Directors," National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli said. "They bring a wealth of leadership talent, community experience and passion for conservation to the National Aquarium and we are honored and pleased to be the beneficiaries of their expert counsel. Additionally, we are fortunate to have Ted Weise lead the Aquarium's board of directors. His proven leadership has already made an impact for our organization."

The National Aquarium's Board of Directors provide strategic long-term planning and oversight for the organization, one of the top three aquariums in the United States and a top visitor attraction and economic engine for the State of Maryland.

Ted Wiese

Wiese has been on the Board of Directors since 2016. He recently retired from T. Rowe Price, where he spent close to 35 years as a fixed-income investment professional. From 2015-2018, he was head of global fixed income and served as a member of the firm's management committee. In addition to serving on the board of the National Aquarium, Wiese is a member of the St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute board, is a Blu Venture Investors Affiliate and serves as a mentor to start-ups with Innovation Works, a collaborative resource network that connects community leaders, entrepreneurs, social innovation assets, and investors to build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore.

Todd Chester

Chester is a senior portfolio manager in Wells Fargo Private Bank's Baltimore office, building portfolios that help clients in the mid-Atlantic region meet their investment objectives while reducing risk. He is a prior Board Chair of the National Aquarium Foundation. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Chester worked at PNC Bank for 17 years where he was a market investment director and senior portfolio manager for the PNC Private Bank. He also serves as an investment committee member for Mercy Health Services of Baltimore.

Meredith Mowen

Mowen is a managing director and portfolio manager at 1919 Investment Counsel and the director of the firm's Baltimore office. She has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, working with individuals, families, foundations, endowments, and institutional clients with complex financial needs. Prior to joining Legg Mason Trust (a predecessor of 1919 Investment Counsel), she was a vice president and portfolio manager at Mercantile Safe Deposit & Trust Company, now PNC. Mowen was recently elected as Board Chair of the National Aquarium Foundation and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Stevenson University.

Roy Prather, III

Prather, a principal at Beveridge & Diamond, PC, represents businesses and public sector entities across a broad range of industry sectors in federal and state courts. He defends citizen suits and class actions involving toxic tort and product liability claims under federal environmental laws and state analogues. He currently serves as a member of the firm's Management Committee and leads the firm's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, his alma mater. He is a founding member and serves on the Board of the Black BigLaw Pipeline Inc.

Jayson Williams

Williams is the chief executive officer of Mayson-Dixon Companies and started complementary businesses including Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development, Modern Builders, and Modern Suppliers. Prior to becoming a small business owner, Williams had a distinguished career in public service. Williams has been named one of the Daily Record's Very Important Professionals (VIP) Successful By 40 award recipients, 40 under 40 by the Baltimore Business Journal, LGBTQ 40 under 40 by Business Enterprise Magazine, and LGBT Minority Business of the Year by the Maryland Minority Contractors Association. He currently serves as the chair of the board of directors of the Pride of Baltimore II, Maryland's Tall Ship.

Marc Wyatt

Wyatt is head of global trading at T. Rowe Price and a member of the firm's Global Trading, Best Execution, Ethics and Risk, and Operational Steering Committees. He is responsible for trading desks in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Wyatt is president of the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Lab School, which serves students with unique strengths and diverse learning needs. He also serves as an Advisory Board member at Wall Street Rides FAR, which raises funds for the Autism Science Foundation, and as a Board member of Catholic Charities of Baltimore and St. Paul's School.