February 17, 2000

JOHN DEVILLARS JOINS CRWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Newton, MA - Charles River Watershed Association Executive Director Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr. announced today that John DeVillars, former New England administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and now executive vice president of Brownfields Recovery Corp. (BRC), has joined the CRWA Board of Directors.

"John brings tremendous experience and commitment to our board," Zimmerman said. "During his tenure at EPA, where he aggressively pushed for a swimmable Charles River by 2005, water quality in the Charles improved dramatically. We are excited that John’s strong advocacy for protection of the Charles will extend beyond his distinguished career at EPA."

"The Charles River is near and dear to my heart," said DeVillars. "I’m proud of the work that EPA, CRWA and other members of the 2005 team have achieved to date. I’m very honored to be able to continue contributing to the effort by serving with some very capable people at CRWA."

CRWA honored DeVillars at its annual meeting last November by presenting him the "2005 Award" in recognition of his river protection campaign. In presenting the award, Zimmerman called DeVillars "a strong and generous partner in CRWA’s stewardship of the Charles."

DeVillars stepped down from EPA in early January to join BRC, a real estate company focused on the acquisition, clean-up and development of environmentally contaminated properties. DeVillars is also responsible for identifying equity investment opportunities in other environmental, technology and service businesses on behalf of Mugar Enterprises.

Prior to EPA, DeVillars served as Secretary of Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Director of Environmental Service Group for Coopers & Lybrand, and Chief of Operations for Governor Michael S. Dukakis. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

DeVillars has received numerous awards for his service on behalf of the environment, including the President’s Award of the Nature Conservancy, given annually for national leadership on environmental affairs.

Founded in 1965, CRWA is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the health, beauty and accessibility of the Charles River and its tributaries. The association is well-known in eastern Massachusetts for spearheading major clean-up and watershed management initiatives.