Former school superintendent gets a new job

Susan Prasse

(5/20) Former Fairfield Area School District Superintendent Bill Chain has been named the new Pennsylvania Senior Agriculture Program Manager by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). In this position, Chain will work jointly with a multitude of public and private entities such as state and federal agencies, legislators, agricultural industry leaders, and other interest groups in an effort to bring awareness and diversify CBF's agricultural effort in the Pennsylvania. Agriculture is considered one of the largest sources of pollution in and around the Commonwealth and the Chesapeake Bay.

CBF’s Executive Director, Harry Campbell said "Bill Chain’s wealth of experience in working with agriculture throughout much of his life, including being a farmer himself, coupled with his experiences in education. Campbell added that Chain brings a unique and comprehensive approach to addressing the water quality challenges facing Pennsylvania’s agricultural community."

Pennsylvania needs a considerable push in its commitment to reducing nitrogen and sediment pollution from agriculture runoff into the Chesapeake Bay, the Commonwealth will have to make a great deal of progress in order to have 60 percent of pollution reduction practices in place by 2017 and 100 percent by 2025, which was committed to in the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. The Blueprint sets science-based limits on the pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay, its rivers and streams as established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

For the past seven years, Chain was a well-loved and humble Superintendent of Schools for the Fairfield Area School District. He made a point to know each and every student, parent, and teacher in the area. However, after months of controversy and frustration with the current school board, Chain resigned from the position in December 2014.

Chain is a Pennsylvania Farmers Association committee member, he was a member of the Adams County Water Resource Advisory Committee, and a former board member and vice president of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. Chain was also an agriculture teacher with Future Farmers of America (FFA) for 14 years. In addition to teaching, Chain brings with him 20+ years of experience in working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, having owned and operated a 160-acre livestock and hay farm in Franklin County.