Board & Staff
Board of Directors
Michael Dawida
Chair
Pittsburgh, PA
Leigh Moore
Vice Chair
Miramar Beach, FL
William C. Jonson
Treasurer
Clearwater, FL
Kathryn Welch Howe
Secretary
Los Angeles, CA
Ronald Lee Fleming
Chair Emeritus
Newport, RI
Martha Fuller Clark
Executive Committee
Portsmouth, NH
Mark Falzone
President
Washington, DC
Brent Chamberlain
Logan, UT
Marge Davis
Mount Juliet, TN
Liza Frazer
New York, NY
John R. Hock
Ballwin, MO
Hal Kassoff
Columbia, MD
Lindsay W. Marshall
Keswick, VA
Scenic National Advisory Council
Christopher Bayley
Seattle, WA
Governor Lincoln Chafee
Providence, RI
Governor Michael Dukakis
Brookline, MA
John Duncan
Savannah, GA
David Dunn
Bradenton, FL
Gwenaëlle Gobé
Los Angeles, CA
David Hartig
Hendersonville, NC
Keith Howard
Miramar Beach, FL
Jonathan Kemper
Kansas City, MO
Governor Richard Lamm
Denver, CO
Meg Maguire
Washington, DC
Edward T. McMahon
Takoma Park, MD
Sally Oldham
Portland, ME
Lyman Orton
Manchester, VT
Mayor Annise Parker
Houston, TX
Larry Rockefeller
New York, NY
Staff Members
Mark Falzone
President
Mark Falzone was selected to serve as President of Scenic America in April 2017.
Since his arrival, Scenic America has increased its investment in lobbying, research, communications, and additional tools to further the organization’s mission. As a result, for the first time in its history, in 2019 Scenic America authored and passed a bill through Congress to revive the National Scenic Byways Program. Scenic America also led the way to ensure that the byways program received its first dedicated funding in nearly a decade, securing a total of $42 million for the program in the FY 21, 22, and 23 appropriations acts.
Additional successes followed these byways victories, as Scenic America defeated a billboard industry-sponsored amendment that would have gutted the Highway Beautification Act. In 2021, Scenic America also played a leading role in the development of an amici curiae brief in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising, in which the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the city of Austin to affirm the constitutionality of its ban on digital billboards.
Under Mark’s leadership, Scenic America also made additional progress in its campaigns for the undergrounding of utility infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law in November 2021, includes support for three undergrounding-related provisions championed by Scenic America. The legislation also includes flexible funding for programs in gateway communities, another of Scenic America’s key priorities.
For its significant accomplishments in the revival of the scenic byways program, Scenic America was recognized by the America Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with the 2020 “Power of A” Gold Award. Scenic America won a second “Power of A” Gold Award in 2021 for its work to secure byways funding. ASAE awarded Scenic America a 2022 Gold Circle Award for its media and public relations campaign promoting scenic byways. Mark was also appointed to the Route 66 Centennial Commission by President Joe Biden.
Prior to his arrival at Scenic America, Mark served as Deputy Director of the National Immigration Forum, and before that was a five-term elected member of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts. As a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures, he was twice elected to the Executive Committee.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. He resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where he recently launched a new chapter of Scenic America.
Tziporah Feldman
Policy and Research Director
Tziporah Feldman joined Scenic America in May 2023 as policy and research director. She joins with an expansive cross-disciplinary background in ecology and evolution, science communication and public policy, geographic informatics, and participatory action research.
Tziporah received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, a minor in Mathematical Sciences, and a certificate in Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) from the University of Cincinnati in 2016. Here she was involved with and published on research of invasive plant spread and developed qualitative research skills as a Participatory Action Researcher studying and implementing actionable change for undergraduate women in STEM.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Tziporah moved to Long Island to obtain her Master of Arts in Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University. Here, Tziporah worked on a project that sought to connect physiological changes in albatross with geographic range shifts due to climate change. Additionally, Tziporah took classes through the Science Training & Research to Inform Decisions (STRIDE) program at Stony Brook, where she gained experience in science communication, data visualization, and scientific decision support.
Tziporah is excited to combine her scientific background in Ecology and GIS with public policy to create actionable change for communities across the United States. She is particularly interested using community-based participatory research to promote the ecosystem services that scenic byways and greenspaces have to offer communities, especially ones that are historically marginalized.
Max Duchaine
Communications Director
Max Duchaine joined Scenic America in March 2023 as communications director. He brings more than a decade of marketing and communications experience and has served several national nonprofit organizations in that time. He has supported science publishers, trade associations, development organizations, and other nonprofit entities, as well as agencies and B2B/B2C brands.
Max specializes in digital communications, with a focus on advertising, fundraising, community management, publishing, and member acquisition. He also has a foundation in art and design, and has worked in brand development, digital publishing, and ecommerce.
Mr. Duchaine has found success in the nonprofit space due in part to his strong foundation in the principles and theory of communication, which he developed at Virginia’s Longwood University where he earned his
Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in communication studies, mass media concentration. He also studied graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University/VCU Arts.
A native of Virginia and the Washington, DC area, Max currently lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with his wife, Marley, and three daughters, Elliott, Emerson, and Parker. His goal in life is to leave his children a world more beautiful than was left for him.
Jackie Walker
Administrative Coordinator
Jackie joined the Scenic America team in January 2023. As a former senior lecturer of English literature and composition at the University of South Carolina and the University of North Texas, Jackie served students and faculty for thirteen years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgia College and State University and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Florida. In addition, Jackie has completed advanced studies at the University of Florida, where she studied English Renaissance literature, the sermons of John Donne, and the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer. At the University of North Texas, Jackie served as Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate and was the Faculty Advisor to the English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta. Prior to her academic career, Jackie served as an administrative aide to State Senator Robert Brown (Democrat, Georgia), who championed animal rights and environmental justice for low-income communities.
Additional Staff Members
Blaise R. Fallon
Philanthropy Advisor
Stephan Jalon
Bookkeeper
Paul Bock
Policy Advisor
Chas Thomas
Policy Advisor
Scenic America Presidents
Ed McMahon (Executive Director, 1982-1986; President, 1986-1991)
Sally Oldham (President, 1991-January 1996)
Meg Maguire (President, January 1996-October 2004)
Kevin Fry (President, October 2004-July 2009)
Mary Tracy (President, July 2009-April 2017)
Mark Falzone (President, April 24, 2017-present)
Scenic America Board Chairs
Charles Floyd (1982-1991)
Carroll Shaddock (1991-May 1993)
Christopher Duerksen (May 1993-May 1996)
Roberta Henderson (May 1996-April 1998)
Madeline Appel (April 1998-April 2000)
Kathryn Whitmire (April 2000-April 2002)
Chris Bayley (April 2002-March 2004)
Martha Fuller Clark (March 2004-April 2006)
CeCe Fowler (April 2006-April 2008)
Eric Elliff (April 2008-April 2010)
Ron Fleming (April 2010-April 2018)
Ryke Longest (April 2018-April 2020)
Mike Dawida (April 2020-present)