Conservation group backs Patrice Stanley

CAMBRIDGE- The Maryland League of Conservation Voters announced Monday the organization is endorsing state House of Delegates District 37B candidate Patrice Stanley for the upcoming general election.

Stanley is running as a Democrat and faces incumbent Del. Addie Eckardt, R-37B-Dorchester, who is seeking her fifth term in office.

"I am deeply honored to have received the endorsement of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, an organization that works tirelessly to protect the unique and extraordinary natural resources of Maryland's Eastern Shore," Stanley said, who is a Rhodesdale resident.

"Patrice Stanley's commitment to restore the Chesapeake Bay and protect Maryland's natural resources made her a clear choice for the League," said Cindy Schwartz, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, which seeks to turn environmental goals into legislative and community priorities by electing, educating, and holding officials accountable for their votes and actions, according to a Stanley press release.

Stanley was raised in northern Dorchester County and is a first cousin to Jerome Stanley, who is married to Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from Washington College in Chestertown in 1996.

After college, Stanley served in the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs within the Clinton Administration.

Stanley then served as the manager for Procurement for the Maryland Environmental Service and program director for the Minority Business Enterprise.

She also has worked for several presidential campaigns including President Bill Clinton, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and then-senator and current President Barack Obama, as well as candidates for various state and local offices in Maryland.