Protect Tangier Island is a collaborative project formed by a group of skilled experts in the fields of marine life, education, engineering, management and communications, all united by a common goal – to protect and sustain Tangier Island’s community, inhabitants, history and culture. The Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation (VESF), a 501(c)3, provides the organizational framework and structure necessary to support the effort.
Erosion and the loss of land and property are accelerating along shorelines throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Entire communities like Tangier Island and Saxis are threatened. If nothing is done soon, these communities and others will be lost forever.
Leadership
William Morgan Benton, Executive Director, Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation
In 2016, William Morgan “Billy” Benton organized and founded the Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization urging the general public to contribute to the Chesapeake Bay through more personal, thoughtful and meaningful programs and initiatives.
Over the past decade, Billy, a lifelong outdoorsman and avid Virginia historian, has spent countless hours with watermen, marine biologists, politicians, civic leaders, and structural and landscape engineers researching and developing proactive, sustainable solutions to help save the environment he has always held dear – the communities and shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay.
Billy is the owner of Fox and Hound Reality, a property management company in Aiken, South Carolina.
Formerly, Billy was President of Baruch Defense Consulting, Inc. a consulting firm in the business of assisting firms in increasing their business with the federal government. Founded in 1982, the company has represented international oil companies and aerospace firms. Benton was Publisher from 1982–2000 of the Defense Automated Bidders Service, a daily state-of-the-art bidders service. Benton earned a B.S. in Public and Community Service, from NOVA South Eastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 1977.
Dr. Russell Burke, Ph.D. Marine Science
Dr. Burke is the chief consulting scientist to VESF with expertise in biogenic breakwater reef technology for oyster reef restoration and living shoreline solutions for communities seeking more natural, sustainable approaches to shoreline protection and oyster reef development.
Russell is the owner and Chief Marine Scientist of Biogenic Solutions Consulting, LLC, bringing 23 years of marine biology experience and 12 years leading BSC. He has managed over $1.8 million in contracts and served as an Environmental Biology Professor for 14 years. Russell’s expertise spans native oyster reef restoration, living shorelines, and nutrient credit program development. He has directly supervised and managed field operations, construction, and monitoring for projects funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Port Authority, and Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, including shoreline stabilization, oyster reef monitoring, sediment and water investigations, and innovative use of dredged materials. Russell’s leadership has informed regulatory policy and enabled large-scale wetland protection within the region. He is experienced in coordinating with public agencies, private partners, and community stakeholders. Russell holds a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary and a B.S. from Rider University.
David M. Schulte, Ph.D. (1968 – 2025)
Although Dave is not with us physically, he left us inspired by his determination and focus on the communities of the Chesapeake Bay, especially Tangier Island. Through his publications, he pioneered novel methods of reef building that massively improved reef health in the Chesapeake Bay and earned the largest oyster restoration grant in North America totaling $300 million dollars. His advocacy for climate change awareness and oyster restoration extended beyond academia. He and his work were featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, and numerous international media outlets. He was a steadfast champion for the Tangier Islanders and other Eastern Shore communities.
A graduate of the final graduating class of Lincoln High School, Midland; BS in Biology, Marine and Environmental, Millersville University; MS in Marine Science, the College of William & Mary; and PhD in Marine Science, the College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. For him, earning his PhD in 2024 was his crowning academic achievement. David retired from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 2024 serving as a Regional Technical Specialist Oceanographer/Ecologist for 25 years.
David received numerous awards, such as the Coastal America Award from the White House, for his work regarding oyster restoration and climate change studies. In addition, he published in the journals Science, Nature, and Frontiers in Climate on climate change affecting Tangier Island, VA and oyster restoration.
David contributed as an expert consultant for the documentary film, “Been Here, Stay Here”, which captures the way of life and climate change related to the plight of Tangier Island, VA. He was also a principal contributor in the production of another Chesapeake Bay documentary with Black Spot Films.
William “Will” Moore Benton
President and Treasurer, Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation
SWaN Wallet Manager
Will Benton is the third serving President and Treasurer of the Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation (VESF), a 501(c)(3) organization charged with advancing living-shoreline and 3-D oyster-reef solutions to protect Chesapeake Bay communities, improve water quality and strengthen the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Will also serves as the VESF’s SWaN Wallet manager, responsible for VESF’s account on Virginia’s Stream, Wetland, and Nutrient Credit Exchange—the Commonwealth’s official marketplace, operated with the Department of Environmental Quality, for stream, wetland, and nutrient mitigation credits. In that capacity he oversees credit and permit records, user access, market activity, and the reporting that keeps VESF’s environmental assets transparent and in regulatory order.
Will is a proud graduate of the University of Alabama, (Roll Tide!) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration in December 2017. His major was Management, with dual concentrations in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship and a minor in History. Coursework spanned accounting, economics, finance, operations, marketing research, strategic management, international business, venture finance, real estate appraisal and financing, and quantitative analysis, including calculus and statistical data analysis. He also completed 41 credit hours in the College of Engineering. As a research assistant in Dr. Nitin Chopra’s Materials Research Group at Alabama, Benton also conducted independent study on graphene synthesis by chemical vapor deposition of xylene onto copper and other metal substrates, and he grew silver-coated tungsten oxide nano shells by magnetron sputtering. He co-authored a white paper presented through The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.
Professionally, Benton has spent more than twenty years in individual and business-to-business sales and building ventures that turn technical ideas into operating projects. He founded SevGen Solutions in 2010 to pursue practical solutions with low-impact, large-scale solar development. In 2025 he established Benton Innovation Group, a FINRA-registered firm (Firm CRD #330945; Individual CRD #7455182) to provide specialized financial and retirement advice for small business owners, skilled trades workers, and their Family members.
At VESF those credentials serve a single purpose: pair sound science with disciplined finance and execution. Under his leadership the foundation advances living shorelines and biogenic breakwaters that use the Eastern oyster to reduce erosion, filter water, and restore three-dimensional habitat—future projects that include the Biogenic Seawall community partnerships at Tangier Island.
Raymond Donn, Field Operations Manager, Owner & Operator, J&R Coastal Marine Services
Raymond Donn, a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, brings over 35 years of expertise in marine operations, maintenance management, and hazardous materials handling. After his military career, he served as Liquids Terminal Operations Manager at Kinder Morgan Inc., Armory Supervisor and Ordnance Equipment Mechanic at Yorktown Weapons Station, and currently works as Ammunition Administrator and Manager at Naval Station Norfolk.
Raymond holds certifications including OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour and ICS 300, and has extensive experience with fire suppression systems and technical maintenance. His diving skills have made him the lead scientific diver for reef sampling and deployment on multiple contracts, as well as a consultant for Biogenic Solutions Consulting’s in-water projects.
He actively supports wetland protection through the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission’s Fight-The-Flood Program, collaborating on project management, installation, and monitoring with leading coastal resilience firms.
Jarod Donn, Deputy Field Operations Manager
Jarod Donn is co-owner of J&R Coastal Marine Services alongside his father, Raymond Donn. During college, Jarod gained hands-on experience in native oyster restoration and living shoreline projects through an internship with Dr. Russell Burke and extensive fieldwork in Hampton Roads estuaries and rivers. This work shaped the marine ecological focus of his biology degree, completed in 2024.
Since graduating, Jarod has focused on expanding his company’s capabilities to include project management, broadening the scope of services offered. In growing the business, he has developed diverse skills—from seamanship to welding—essential for marine operations. Jarod strives to be a valuable partner for any organization, bringing technical expertise, adaptability, and a strong commitment to coastal restoration and marine services.
Tom Kent, Director of Communications
Tom Kent is a veteran advertising, marketing, and public relations leader with a 40-year track record of national awards, enduring client relationships, and results that include guiding a client awareness campaign to a congressional hearing. As President of Kent Communications, the agency he founded in 1999, he continues to advise long-term clients from his home on the James River, staying current with evolving media, digital platforms, and the rapid influence of artificial intelligence. In Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, he has spent 12 years promoting the environmental and commercial benefits of oysters and other shellfish to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, producing education campaigns for the Oyster Company of Virginia and collaborating on similar initiatives with the Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation, Biogenic Solutions Consulting, and J&R Coastal Marine Services, with past work for Drakes Bay Oyster Company (CA), No Shuck Oysters (VA) and the Oyster Company of Virginia (VA).