Sarasota Bay Watch welcomes its new executive director

In December, Andy Mele became the executive director of Sarasota Bay Watch. The nonprofit organization works to protect and restore Sarasota Bay’s ecosystem through volunteer participation and education for adults and children from Anna Maria down to Venice. The executive director is a paid position from a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

“I hope to help take the organization to the next level to help it become more sustainable,” says Mele.

To achieve this goal, he hopes to garner increased donations, to establish more roots in the community and retain good faith, trust and credibility for the group.

Mele has an extensive environmental background. He has a master’s in environmental science from Bard College; he worked as the executive director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc.; and he has written a nonfiction book, “Polluting for Pleasure.” His most recent work for Clearwater, a regional environmental group, was similar to his work for Sarasota Bay Watch.

The first thing Mele did upon being hired for the position was host a strategic planning retreat.

“It went exactly as I had planned,” says Mele.

The group hopes to continue restoring absent species, such as scallops, like it has been doing with oyster restorations; to continue habitat restoration and enhancement; and initiate more environmental education. The group hopes to establish an environmental education center in the future.

“I think Sarasota Bay Watch has a tremendous amount of potential,” Mele says “I think it’s going to serve the community very well, indeed.”