Kenyatta Rowel grew up in an enclave of Annapolis, Maryland, in an African American historic community called Mulberry Hill located on the Broadneck Peninsula. He is the CEO of Breaking Boundaries Environmental LLC (BBE), a Black-owned environmental restoration firm based in

Maryland. BBE implements conservation efforts, carbon offset work, and U.S. wetland and stream restoration. BBE is focused on conservation efforts, carbon offset work, and U.S. wetland and stream restoration, customer-focused project management approaches that are centered on delivering quality environmental outcomes and service. BBE also is the only minority-owned company on the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Blue and Green Infrastructure Legislation and Policy Commission.

Mr. Rowel is a graduate of an HBCU, The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Kenyatta received his bachelor’s degree in social science with a Minor in Criminal Justice. He later obtained his Executive Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management in Global Sustainability from the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability at Virginia Tech. Kenyatta’s professional background led him into many different spaces in his career, and so have his athletic talents. Having played NCAA Division 1 basketball in college and later playing in the semi-professional D-League for the NBA, he even tried out for the Philadelphia 76ers.

As an environmental scientist and natural resource management professional, Kenyatta has expanded his skill set as a stormwater management certification, cultural competency expert, and training facilitator for natural resource management agencies at the state and local government level to increase community capacity building to solve social and environmental issues locally and abroad. In 2017 he worked in India as a research analyst on water scarcity and sanitation in urban New Delhi and rural Rajasthan. Kenyatta has sat in the distinguished seat as the first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. He also had the honor of serving as the Chair of the City of Annapolis Environmental Commission, being the first-ever person of color to be in that position. Mr. Rowel also is the newest member of the Wes Moore administration’s Interstate Potomac River Basin Commission.

Kenyatta currently works as Program Coordinator for the Chesapeake Research Consortium’s Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring (C-StREAM) program located at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater Maryland. In this management role, he focuses on recruiting, advising, and mentoring college students from populations who have been historically excluded from the science field and are underrepresented in research science and management professions. This unique program focuses specifically on assisting students who identify as people of color and/or are first generation college students.

Mr. Rowel also is currently working on his PhD as a student at the University of Miami, for a doctorate in Applied Learning Sciences. Leading by example is what keeps Mr. Rowel striving for excellence in business management and remaining a great role model as a father of 2, Hillary and Kingston.