Thomas Jenkins, 25, has joined Mathews County Planning and Zoning as a planner and wetlands and marine projects coordinator.

Jenkins holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Washington and Lee University and a master’s in environmental management from Duke University, where he concentrated on coastal wetlands and natural resources economics.

While his background in zoning isn’t as strong as his background in environmental issues, Jenkins said he plans to learn as he goes. He’ll be attending a conference in June to become certified as a zoning official.

Currently a Gwynn’s Island resident, Jenkins is a Richmond native whose family began coming to the Piankatank River before he was born and kept a sailboat in Middlesex. He spent summers during his youth at his grandparents’ home in Cobbs Creek, which he said “prompted a love for the area and its resources that set me on my course.”

 
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