Board of Director Bios
Board Members
R. Alan Butler – Chair
R. Alan Butler is chief executive officer (CEO) of Erickson Senior Living, a national leader in developing and managing continuing care retirement communities. Erickson Senior Living is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and manages 22 campus-style communities in Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. The company's communities are home to more than 27,000 residents and employ more than 15,000 people who share a commitment to service.
Prior to becoming CEO of Erickson Senior Living in 2010, Alan spent 14 years as treasurer of Allegis Group, Inc., one of the largest talent management companies in the world. As treasurer, he was responsible for all treasury functions as well as the company's capital structure, cash forecasting, revenue cycle, debt placements, credit facilities and other financial functions. In addition to his role as treasurer, he managed corporate real estate, purchasing, travel, credit, and advised on all mergers and acquisitions. Alan also served as president of Redwood Capital Investments, a private investment company which focused on investing in privately held companies, real estate, healthcare, energy, distributors, distressed debt, and other medium to large sized companies.
Alan's diverse leadership career includes holding various credit and lending positions at Bank of America and its predecessor banks from 1986 to 1996. In addition, he has served on numerous boards, including the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and the University of Maryland Medical System.
Alan holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University, Maryland. He lives outside of Baltimore with his wife and three daughters.
Judge Alexander Williams – Vice-Chair
Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. served on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland from September 2, 1994 to January 3, 2014. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Williams was Chair of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, and also served two terms from 1987 to 1994 as the elected State's Attorney for Prince George's County, Maryland.
Since his retirement from the federal bench, Judge Williams joined the firm Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White in Baltimore and also conducts mediations and arbitrations with the McCammon Group. Judge Williams is a Board member of the University of Maryland Medical System and is Chair of the Appellant Judicial Nominating Commission.
Judge Williams is also the founder and CEO of the Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice and Ethics, Inc., a nonprofit policy center which is a part of the College of Behavior and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park campus.
John T. Williams – Vice-Chair
John T. Williams is Vice-Chair of Jamison Door Company. Until the sale of the company in December 2021, he was Chair/CEO since 2000.
A native Texan, John was born in San Angelo, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
John is on the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. He has also been on the board of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
After graduate school and two years in the U.S. Army, John joined the CPA firm of Ernst & Ernst (now E&Y). He left after five years to join Harte-Hanks, a media company, serving as Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer before leaving the corporate office to serve as publisher of the Bryan-College Station Eagle and Harte-Hanks Community Newspapers in the Dallas suburbs. He was President of the Garden State Newspaper Group for a year before joining Gray Communications (now Gray Television) as President/CEO during which time they went from the pink sheets to the NYSE. After a brief retirement in Panama City, Florida, he became involved with Jamison.
John and his wife, Carol, have two grown children and live in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jeffrey S. Armiger
Jeff Armiger is a 40-year veteran of community banking and has been involved in Commercial Business Development his entire career. He recently retired as Market President for the Howard and North Anne Arundel Cities of the Maryland region. During the '80s, Jeff was the head of Business Development for a major regional bank, and in the ‘90s he was Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for a small community bank, until joining BB&T in 1998.
Jeff was one of the original Business Banking Managers in the formation of Olympics III, where he was responsible for Business Banking for Central MD, at a time when BB&T was the #1 small business bank in the U.S. He was later promoted to Market President in his home market, where he has been a producing sales manager for 35 years, and developed over 60 commercial bankers, including 15 graduates of the BB&T Leadership Development Program.
A graduate of UMBC, University of Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins University, Jeff holds degrees in English, Business/Marketing, and Real Estate, as well as a variety of degrees and diplomas from banking schools. He is currently enrolled in Executive Seminars at St. Johns College in Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM. Jeff lives in Severna Park. Jeff is also the Chair of the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center Board of Directors.
Elisa M. Basnight, Esq
Elisa joined the American Red Cross in 2019 to start up and lead a newly integrated Biomedical Supply Chain function. She has built a track record of driving transformation at the intersection of strategy, operations and disruptive events while developing high performing teams. Reporting to the President, she serves with 3,000 team members that manufacture, quality control & test, warehouse, kit and operate indirect logistics for 40% of the US blood supply serving 2,500 hospital customers approximately 6.4 million products to patients annually throughout the USA and Puerto Rico.
Her previous experience includes Fortune 50/100 corporations, Supply Chain Commercial Counsel for Arkema – U.S., Motorola and Arris. She is a U.S. Army veteran and two-time U.S. Presidential Appointee. Recognized by Supply Chain Digital: 2021 Top 100 Leader & 2022 Top 100 Women Leader. Elisa and her family reside in Maryland.
Dori Bishop Kelso, CPA
Dori Bishop is the President of Bishop and Associates Inc, providing tax and accounting services for a private practice group, and chief operating officer 135 Advisory Management LLC, a business and investment management company. Prior to founding Bishop and Associates, Dori was a principal with Nardone, Pridgeon and Company, PA, and a tax manager at Ernst and Young LLP where she worked in all areas of income taxation, specializing in closely held businesses and individuals.
A member of the Maryland Association of CPAs, Dori is also on the Foundation Board for the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center and serves as President and Treasurer of the Foundation for the Preservation of Government House of Maryland Inc and is Treasurer of the Yumi Cares Foundation Inc. She is a past member of the Maryland Behavioral Health Advisory Council and a founding director of the Harford County Land Trust.
A graduate of Towson State University, Dori was previously listed in the Who's Who in Finance and Industry and earned the ranking of Baltimore's Top 16 Favorite Accountants from The Daily Record. She was awarded her Certified Valuation Analyst certificate in 2002. Dori and her husband, Tom Kelso, founded the Kelso Bishop Family Foundation to pursue their philanthropic efforts. They reside in northern Baltimore County.
Brianna D. Bowling
Brianna Bowling is an entrepreneur who founded ZekiahTechnologies, a software engineering and geospatial firm in 1998 and exited in 2018. She launched two new businesses - Retreat & Learn, a retreat center offering workshops and retreats in Southern Maryland and offers business consulting and training through her company, Brindan, LLC. In 2020, she started a YouTube channel - Retreat and Learn - where she interviews subject matter experts on a wide variety of subjects.
Brianna also manages her commercial and residential properties and is an avid volunteer including a Board Member of the University of Maryland Medical System, Chair of the UM Charles Regional Board, Chair of the Rural Planning & Growth Management Task Force for Charles County, a member of the College of Southern Maryland Charles County Campus Advisory Council, and a lector and choir member of St. Ignatius Church.
A nearly life-long resident of Charles County, Brianna grew up on a farm in La Plata, MD, in a house her parents built from logs harvested from the farm. She currently lives on a farm in Newburg, MD with her husband, two goofy dogs and two horses and enjoys when her grown children come for visits.
Joseph A. Ciotola, Jr., MD
Dr. Joseph A. Ciotola, Jr. has been the Health Officer for Queen Anne's County since April 2012. He also serves in the position of County Department of Emergency Services Medical Director, since May 2005. Dr. Ciotola practiced at the Orthopedic Associates of Central Maryland, P.A., in Baltimore, MD, from August 1978 through May 2006.
Dr. Ciotola brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his position, by already serving as County Department of Emergency Services Medical Director. Dr. Ciotola inspired the inception of the Queen Anne's County Mobile Integrated Community Health Program, which is now statewide. Teams of public health nurses and paramedics visit individuals in their homes and link patients to community resources, improving health outcomes and reducing rips to hospital emergency departments. Dr. Ciotola was co-chairman of the Rural Health Care Workgroup that was created during the 2016 General Assembly Session. The panel was established by the Maryland Health Care Commission to oversee a study of health care delivery in the Mid-Shore and to develop a plan for meeting the health care needs of residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties.
Dr. Ciotola received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1973 and his board certification September 1979 from the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He served as a Major in the Maryland Air National Guard from 1972 through July 1980.
Wanda Queen Draper
A native of Baltimore, Wanda Queen Draper graduated from the University of Maryland School of Journalism. Wanda also attended Johns Hopkins University Graduate School of Contemporary Studies and the University of Maryland School of Law. Wanda was appointed Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture on September 28, 2016. She came to the Museum after 25 years at WBAL-TV of the Hearst Corporation, in a number of capacities including Vice President of Programming and Public Affairs. She began her career with Hearst Newspapers as a reporter for the Baltimore News American. She also worked at WJZ-TV and Maryland Public Television. She spent five years as Director of Community Affairs and Visitor Services at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, managing admissions, security, catered events, retail sales and community affairs. She has extensive management training at the Disney Institute, the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the National Association of Broadcasters. Aside from extensive broadcast communications and management experience, she has a community service resume that parallels her career.
Wanda has a proven dedication to uplifting and empowering communities in need. Her view of community service as a social responsibility has led her to take on hunger, homelessness, and education. The highlight of her community service was serving on the founding board of the Reginald Lewis Museum from 1999 to 2008. During that time $38 million was raised to build the Museum and $2 million to install the permanent collection. She was honored to return as Executive Director in 2016 and land again in 2020.
Wanda serves on several boards including the University of Maryland Medical System, Visit Baltimore, the WBAL Kid's Campaign and the Deacon Board of the New Shiloh Baptist Church. Wanda lives in Baltimore County with her husband, Dr. Robert Draper. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Ellen R. Fish
Ellen R. Fish currently serves as Sandy Spring Bank's Market Leader. She previously served as Hamilton Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief lending Officer. She was responsible for Hamilton's retail branches, marketing, IT, operations, loan administration, cash management and all lending functions. Prior to joining Hamilton, Ellen served as CFG Community Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer and was responsible for retail banking and all lending functions. CFG Community Bank was the successor through merger to America's Bank (a.k.a. Towson Community Bank) where she served as President. Ellen previously served as Provident Bank's Senior Vice President having served in various roles and responsibilities including Professional & Executive Banking, Provident Lease Corp., small business lending, middle market lending and syndicated credits.
She was appointed in 2016 by Governor Larry Hogan to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents where she is the Chair of Audit Committee and Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. She is a member of Executive Alliance where she is a past president and currently chairs the Census Committee. She previously served on the Board of Directors for MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Towson University's Foundation Board of Directors, Virginia Tech's Advisory Board for Student Affairs, the Board of Directors for Leadership Baltimore County, the Women's Leadership Education Initiative for Virginia Tech, Board of Directors and a past Chair of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors for Roland Park Country School, founder and past chair of the Baltimore County Small Business Resource Center, Board of Directors for the Women's Housing Coalition and Advisory Board for Towson University's College of Business and Economics.
Ellen is a three-time recipient of The Daily Record's Top 100 Women Award and was inducted into the Circle of Excellence. She has been a two-time recipient of Smart CEO's Top Banker award. She received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce. She was the recipient of the 2016 Maryland Bankers Association Achievement Honors. Ellen graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in management. Ellen lives in Baltimore County with her husband Andy. They have two grown children, Ryan and Megan.
Jason S. Frankl, Esq
Jason Frankl founded and leads FTI Consulting's Activism and M&A Solutions Practice, which works with companies that are the subject of shareholder activism and/or M&A activity in the development and implementation of strategies designed to maximize shareholder value. Jason also advises management teams and boards of directors on how to proactively develop and implement defense strategies. Jason has led teams of FTI Consulting professionals in connection with many high-profile shareholder activism and hostile M&A situations.
Jason is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of corporate governance, Nasdaq and NYSE regulation and securities trading. He was named to the 2018 and 2019 National Association of Corporate Directors ("NACD") Directorship 100 list, which recognizes the most influential leaders and advisors in corporate governance. He has counseled hundreds of Nasdaq and NYSE listed companies on the application and strategies to achieve and regain compliance with U.S. exchange listing requirements, and many high-profile fund managers in making investment decisions.
In 2019, Jason was appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the Board of Directors of the University of Maryland Medical System where he also serves as the Chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee and as a member of the Investment Committee and Executive Compensation Committee. Jason also chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
James M. Harkins
A resident of Whiteford, MD, Jim and Debbie Harkins have two daughters, Andrea and Stephanie, as well as seven grandchildren. Jim is a graduate of Bel Air High School and Harford Community College with an Associate of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. He served 25 years with the Harford County Sheriff's Department and was elected to two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 35. He was elected to two terms as the Harford County Executive and served under three Governors for 13 years as the Director of the Maryland Environmental Service.
He is currently a member of the University of Maryland Medical System Board of Directors and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for UM Upper Chesapeake Health. Active in his community, he serves on numerous other boards and commissions and his church.
Mark T. Gladwin, MD
Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore; John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor; Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Mark T. Gladwin received his BS/MD degree from the University of Miami six-year Honors Program in Medical Education in 1991. He completed his internship and chief residency in Internal Medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, followed by a Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and a Pulmonary Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. He returned for post-doctoral research fellowships at the NIH in cell and molecular biology under the mentorship of James Shelhamer and in hemoglobin biochemistry with Alan Schechter. He later served as the Chief of the Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine Branch within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the NIH. In 2008, Dr. Gladwin was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh to serve as Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine (PACCM) and the inaugural Director of the Vascular Medicine Institute. In 2013, he was also named Scientific Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute, and in 2015 became Chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Gladwin was appointed as the Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in August 2022.
Dr. Gladwin is a member of the AOA, ASCI, APM, and AAP and has served on the ASCI and APM councils. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, Association of American Physicians (AAP), and Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. He has received numerous academic awards including the US Public Health Service Achievement Award, the NIH Director's Award for Mentoring, the NIH Clinical Center Director's Award for Science, the NIH Merit Award in recognition for accomplishments in both basic and clinical sciences in the use of nitrite and NO in clinical applications, the Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments from the American Thoracic Society, was named an American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist, and was recognized as Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh 2014.
Dr. Gladwin maintains an active research group and is currently PI of two R01 awards, a P01 award, and a UH3/UG3 clinical trial. He has published more than 450 manuscripts since 1996, which have had a significant impact on the fields of vascular and nitric oxide biology. A central passion of Dr. Gladwin's is to train the next generation of physicians and scientists in translational research. He has a demonstrated commitment to training and education, and has trained students at all levels from undergraduate and pre-medical students, to postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty. He has been very successful at mentoring these trainees to independent careers in academic medicine and his publications include more than 200 with current or past trainees.
From a clinical research standpoint Dr. Gladwin has a long history of leadership of translational projects and programs, having served as a principal or associate investigator on more than 50 human subjects protocols and holding at least 10 FDA INDs for the use of investigational therapeutic medications, including IV nitrite, inhaled nitrite, carbon monoxide, L-NMMA, oxypurinol, acetylcholine, and sildenafil. He has served as PI on major multicenter phase II clinical trials, including the DeNOVO trial of NO therapy for acute pain crisis in patients with sickle cell disease, the Walk-PHASST trial of sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension secondary to sickle cell disease, STERIO-SCD, and the current SCD-CARRE blood transfusion trial. Most recently, his laboratory has pioneered the use of recombinant neuroglobin and heme-based molecules as antidotes for CO poisoning, and this work resulted in the formation of a company, Globin Solutions.
RADM Joyce M. Johnson, DO, MA USPHS (ret)
Rear Admiral Joyce M. Johnson is a physician with senior public health leadership experience in civilian and military sectors. Dr. Johnson is professor at Georgetown University (clinical and adjunct) in the Medical School and the Health Care Administration graduate program. She recently served on the Commission on Care which developed a 20-year strategy to address the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) health care access problems, and on the VA Advisory Committee for Women Veterans.
Dr. Johnson's last active duty assignment with the U.S. Coast Guard (CG) was director, health and safety ("surgeon general"). RADM Johnson led the CG's health system with 150 sickbays and clinics, and developed an internal quality program based on a survey model. She integrated with DOD's TriCare, and developed a network of community providers for medical and behavioral health. She held a top-secret security clearance (SCI access), and retired at the rank of rear admiral, upper half (08).
Dr. Johnson served on the Committee on Substance Abuse in the Military, National Academy of Medicine and has been active in numerous professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters; the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau of International Osteopathic Medicine; the Explorers Club, serving on the Medical Committee; and the Military Officers Association of America serving on the Board, and chairing the Health Care, Compensation and Philanthropy Committees, and serving on Audit/Finance. She received the American Medical Association's prestigious Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.
Michelle N. Lipkowitz
Baltimore Office Managing Partner; Executive Committee Member; Firmwide Diversity & Inclusion Partner
Michelle is a seasoned litigator with a multifaceted practice that encompasses complex commercial litigation, white collar defense, and government investigations. She has extensive experience with shareholder, construction, product liability, and contract disputes as well as consumer class actions and criminal defense matters. She represents clients in a broad spectrum of industries, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, education, financial services, health care, construction, technology, retail, and telecommunications, as well as governmental entities and nonprofits.
A dynamic and driven practitioner with 20 years of experience, Michelle nimbly guides clients through all phases of litigation before state and federal courts and administrative bodies. She regularly provides counsel on highly sensitive matters, often assisting with crisis management and strategies for handling the press. Her practice includes representing corporations and individuals being investigated by or targeted for indictment by the US Department of Justice or for prosecution by various federal and state agencies. She also represents colleges, universities, and university systems in investigations.
Prior to joining Mintz, Michelle was a partner at a US-based law firm, where she handled a wide range of high-stakes litigation. She also served in several leadership roles at the firm, most recently as the managing partner of the Baltimore office, a member of the Executive Committee, and as the firm-wide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Partner. Her prior leadership roles included serving as the vice-chair of the Litigation Department and of the White Collar & Government Investigations Practice, and as Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Earlier, Michelle was a partner and an associate at an international law firm and an associate at a Baltimore-based firm.
Michelle also serves in leadership and board roles at numerous bar, civic, and alumni organizations. She has received many honors for her work, including being named a "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation and one of the "Most Influential Black Lawyers" by Savoy magazine.
In law school, Michelle served on the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law.
Gary Mangum
Referred to as the Petunia King in the Washington Post many years ago, the writer provided an early indication of Mangum's future. Years later he described his horticulture business, Bell Nursery, as being in business to produce smile-makers and stress-relievers, not simply annuals, perennials, shrubs and houseplants - hundreds of millions of these smile-makers have been sold over the years and continue to be sold in hundreds of Home Depot stores today. His signature expression "Act like you own it" has become a key part of training that over the years has impacted thousands of employees and associates as they are encouraged and empowered to use their best judgment at all times.
Mangum and his partner acquired Bell from his parents in the mid '90s, growing the business from less than 1M in annual revenue to 150M in sales when the business was sold in 2017. Mangum was known as an innovator helping to change the gardening retail environment across the country by investing in service personnel in their signature purple shirts in all Home Depot locations that Bell served. Over time, the business model of virtually all major growers changed to reflect the Bell model.
Mangum was appointed to the Maryland Stadium Authority in 2015 where he quickly learned to appreciate the quality of the professional staff and the analysis they routinely provide for Board considerations. His favorite experiences thus far have been around the 21st Century Schools work and now the Built to Learn Act, as well as the impact of Project Core. He also serves on the Critical Area's Commission where his longstanding concern for the environment and especially the Chesapeake has been useful. He has appreciated seeing the broad impact of the work of the Administration and General Assembly, followed by the thoughtful execution of the organizations he serves.
The appointment to the University of Maryland Medical System Board is especially exciting he says, as he has seen patient-facing aspects of the system through a unique lens. Ongoing and unique research and the needs for public and private support is an area that he hopes to learn more about. The Mangum family has had numerous patient-facing experiences with UMMS, which moved him to a quick yes and a thank you, when he was asked by the Governor to join the Board.
Keith A. McMahan
Keith McMahan is Chair and CEO of Tri-Gas & Oil Company, a 56-year-old propane, petroleum and transportation company. Tri-Gas serves Retail customers in Maryland and Delaware while offering Wholesale sales, transportation and rail services to the Mid-Atlantic region.
Keith is the past Chair of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Board of Directors, Trustee for the UM Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, director for Provident State Bank and a Board Member and past Chair of the National Propane Gas Association.
Keith is a lifelong resident of Caroline County, Maryland. He and his wife of 49 years, Darlene, are the proud parents of a daughter and two sons. They are blessed with eight exceptional grandchildren. In Keith's spare time he enjoys waterfowl hunting, fishing/boating, drilling water wells in Tanzania with Lifetime Wells International and supporting his community.
Catherine Motz
A Baltimore City native and current City resident, Cassie has been the Executive Director for the CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore for the past seven years. Prior to joining CollegeBound, Cassie served as a Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Martin O'Malley. She also served as Deputy Legal Counsel to Governor O'Malley and as the Interim Director of the Governor's Office for Children.
Cassie graduated from Dartmouth College and Yale Law School. Between college and law school, Cassie taught at a public middle school in the South Bronx, New York through Teach for America. She practiced law for several years in Washington -- prosecuting homicide and domestic violence cases as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and serving as a Deputy Attorney General for the District of Columbia government, representing the city's child welfare and mental health agencies.
Cassie served on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents from June 2014 through March 2015. Cassie serves on the board of Catholic Charities of Baltimore and just ended her term as board secretary for the KIPP Baltimore public charter schools.
Edward P. Nevin
Ed Nevin is an accomplished business executive and senior partner at Deloitte with over 33 years of experience. Ed has served numerous large and complex businesses in many industry sectors including Healthcare. His areas of expertise include tax planning, economic performance, studies, foreign tax credit utilization reviews, asset life projects, negotiating with regulatory agencies, and he is a financial expert.
Ed is responsible for delivering all the services of Deloitte to the Baltimore marketplace. He has worked closely with Deloitte Consulting, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services and Deloitte LLP the attest practice leveraging his Baltimore roots and internal relationships to introduce the right specialist to our clients.
A frequent facilitator in Deloitte's transition labs, Ed assists "C" level executives in building a transition plan as they move into new roles. Ed is also responsible for assisting the audit team in reviewing the income tax provisions of the attest clients of the Greater Washington practice.
Ed is a member of the Board of Trustees of Messiah College, United Way of Central Maryland Carroll County, and the National Aquarium Foundation. Ed is also on the Accounting Board at Loyola University.
Ed received his BBA in Accounting from Loyola College of Maryland. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and is a licensed CPA in state of Maryland.
Senator Douglas J.J. Peters
The Honorable Douglas J.J. Peters is a former Maryland State Senator from 2007 to 2021 where he served as Majority Leader and Chair of Capital Budget. He was a Prince George's County Councilmember from 2002 to 2006 and Bowie City Councilmember from 1998 to 2002. He served as a Captain in the United States Army Reserve (1988-1998), served in Operation Desert Storm and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Doug is a Past Commander of the Bowie American Legion and VFW Posts and Chairman of Metropolitan Archives, a Maryland small business that specializes in storage, scanning and destruction of documents. As a Certified Records Manager (CRM), he also creates records retention schedules.
His other activities include Leadership Greater Washington (1997); President of the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce (2000-2001); and President's Advisory Committee of the Greater Baltimore Committee. Doug is a 1985 graduate from the University of Maryland College Park Business School majoring in Finance and 1990 graduate of the University of Baltimore with a Masters of Business Administration. Doug is a lifelong resident of Maryland; he and his wife have six adult children and two grandchildren.
Bonnie Lamdin Phipps, CPA
Bonnie Phipps is currently a healthcare consultant with a consulting firm in Maryland and a firm in Atlanta. Bonnie previously served as a Senior Vice President at Ascension Health and as President and CEO at Saint Agnes Hospital.
Bonnie held various CEO and CFO positions in healthcare in Atlanta before returning to Baltimore. She holds a BBA, summa cum laude, from Georgia State University and an MPA from the same school and was inducted into the Georgia State Business Hall of Fame in 2005. Bonnie is a CPA and a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and served as their National Chair in 1992-1993. She received her Doctor of Business Administration in 2022.
In 1996, Bonnie received the Morgan Award for outstanding contributions to the industry from HFMA. She was named several times by Becker Healthcare as a Top 100 Healthcare Leader and as a Top 100 Woman in Maryland in 2008, 2010 and to the Circle of Excellence in 2013. Bonnie serves on several non-profit boards and a hospital system Board in Chicago. Bonnie was appointed by the Governor to the Maryland Health and Higher Education Financing Authority and the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System.
Louis M. Pope
Louis M. Pope is currently President and owner of Century 21 Trademark Realty, Inc., a full-service real estate company with offices both in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park in Business Finance and Banking and has been a real estate broker for over 40 years. He was formerly Vice Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, as well as Chairman of the RNC National Budget Committee.
Through the years, Louis has served on numerous boards including: HarVest Bank of Maryland, Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, U.S. Small Business Administration National Advisory Council, Century 21 National Brokers Congress, and President of the Realtors Credit Union, Prince George's Association of Realtors, and Howard County Consumer Affairs Commission. Louis is also a charter member of the Rotary Club of Greenbelt and past president.
Louis is a very active alumni of the University of Maryland, College Park and is very proud that 4 of his children have graduated from universities in the University System of Maryland. Louis lives in Fulton, MD, with his wife, Joyce and they have five grown children.
Karen Price-Ward
Karen Price-Ward is a masterful Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, Multicultural Marketing Strategist, Event Director, Storytelling Communicator, and Social Impact Leader. Currently, she serves as the Director of Social Impact for Stanley Black & Decker, the world's largest tool company operating nearly 50 manufacturing facilities across America and more than 100 worldwide.
Karen advances global corporate philanthropy and community engagement across the entire Stanley Black & Decker enterprise by partnering with business units to support strategic objectives and ensure strong relationships with key stakeholders, employees, customers, investors, and community partners. She also leads the company's up to $25 million commitment grant program, Empower Makers Global Impact Challenge.
In the community, Karen is widely recognized as a thought leader for her humanitarian efforts. Among the awards she has received are the Baltimore Sun's 25 Women to Watch and The Daily Record's Top 100 Women and from organizations: Capital Region Minority Development Council, Uptown Magazine, the National Campaign to Stop Violence, PowerNetworking Conference, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, and Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Karen is also the Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the University of Maryland Medical System Board of Directors.
Karen earned her MBA from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Southeast Missouri State University where she was recognized as the first African American Woman of the Year.
Michael A. Ricci
Michael A. Ricci serves as Director of Communications for Governor Larry Hogan and the State of Maryland, overseeing more than 120 public information officers across state agencies. In addition to advising the governor and the Cabinet, he oversees all of the state's marketing campaigns—including Open For Business, Buy Local, and GoVAX Maryland—leads crisis communications response, and produces special events and major rollouts in coordination with public and private stakeholders. After leading the state's communications efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he is proud to join the University of Maryland Medical System's Board of Directors.
Prior to joining the Hogan administration, Mike spent more than 13 years as a leadership aide on Capitol Hill, serving as Director of Communications for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, and Deputy Director of Communications and Chief Speechwriter for House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio.
Mike received his bachelor of arts in history and political science from Columbia University, where he received the Robert Shellow Gerdy Prize for contributions to journalism, and was named as a fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency. He has guest lectured for a number of academic programs, including the Harvard Institute of Politics, Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service, and the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University.
Mike lives in Potomac, Md. with his family, and serves as a lector at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. He was recently named among The Daily Record's 2022 Most Influential Marylanders in the field of communications.
Robert F. Scholz, Esq
Governor Larry Hogan appointed Robert F. Scholz, Esq, to serve as his Chief Legal Counsel in January 2015. In his role as Chief Legal Counsel, Bob advised the Governor and his staff on all legal and ethics matters and serves as a liaison to the judiciary and the Office of the Attorney General. Bob also assisted in the development and review of executive orders and legislation. Prior to his work for the State, Bob spent 40 years in private practice at the firm of Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP.
Bob served as a business lawyer working on corporate and financial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial law. Bob served on the Firm's Management Committee for 20 years and was Managing Partner for 15 years. He was also a member of the Law Firm Alliance (LFA) Lender Liability Litigation Subgroup. He is past chair of the Maryland State Ethics Commission, a regulatory commission that interprets and enforces Maryland's ethics law for public officials, state employees and lobbyists.
Bob previously served as chair of the Baltimore County Ethics Commission. Bob served on the Board of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum. He is also past president of the Johns Hopkins Club and has served on the Greater Baltimore Committee's Public Safety Committee as well as the Board of the Calvert Institute for Policy and Research.
Bob has achieved an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, awarded by peer review, for the highest standards of professional skill and ethics. He has also been recognized as a top attorney in business and corporate law by Maryland Super Lawyers from 2008-2010, and was selected as a Legal Elite Attorney in corporate law by SmartCEO's 2009 Readers' Poll. Bob received a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Thomas E. Scott, PMP
Since joining the Air Force as an Engineering Assistant in 1982, Tom Scott has worked in the engineering, construction and environmental industries with the overwhelming majority of this work within the federal contracting market. Currently, he is the President and founding member of LRS Federal, a licensed professional engineering firm and a licensed construction contractor, providing engineering, construction management, and environmental services for the federal government at locations around the world. He has been responsible for and overseen several billion dollars of projects that range from healthcare, nuclear, infrastructure, defense, homeland security and energy industries.
Tom is currently responsible for healthcare projects across the U.S. and internationally that includes regional visioning studies, master planning, facility design, construction management, commissioning, and activation phase services. He also possesses specialized training and expertise in program/project management, cost and schedule control, training program development, quality assurance, health and safety laws and practices, construction law and dispute resolution, contract management, and procedures program development. He holds an active security clearance with the federal government and is supporting more than a dozen different agencies, including the Veterans Administration, Defense Health Agency and the National Institutes of Health.
Tom graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He and his wife, Sandi, raised a daughter and son, Robyn and Tom, and have two lovely grandchildren.
Joseph T.N. Suarez
Joe Suarez has devoted his 40-year career to working with for-profit and non-profit organizations around the globe to help build strong resilient communities, and support robust community relations, employee engagement, marketing, and capacity-building initiatives. Joe continues to advise and work with Fortune 500 companies and non-profits in re-imagining their community engagement strategies, including brand and reputation enhancement efforts.
Joe spent over eighteen years with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he served as a Principal and Director; he managed the firm's Community Relations and Community Partnerships and Philanthropy programs world-wide. While with Booz Allen, he developed strategic partnerships with non-profit organizations and engaged employees in community efforts, resulting in a positive and lasting impact on the communities where the employees worked and lived. Joe crafted partnerships with the US Naval Academy, the US Army Heritage Center, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the American Red Cross, and the Royal Ballet in London, to name a few.
Prior to his tenure at Booz Allen, Joe served as a Director at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where he was the Founding Director of the National and Space Society, and served as the Deputy Director of the Capital Campaign to build the Steven Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles, Virginia. He was responsible for managing and directing fundraising efforts for the $311 million campaign.
Earlier in his career, Joe served as General Manager of Donor Marketing at the National American Red Cross. He coordinated national fundraising campaigns for both domestic and international disasters, as well as campaigns in support of local chapter fundraising efforts. Joe was knighted and awarded the Order of Malta for his work on the Ethiopian Famine Relief efforts. Joe began his professional career as a political consultant working with presidential, senatorial, and congressional candidates, PACs, and state parties.
Joe serves on the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System, an appointment by Governor Larry Hogan. He is on the Board of the Gettysburg Foundation, the Advisory Board of the US Army Heritage Center and the Advisory Council of the US World War I Centennial Commission. Joe also serves on the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. He is an Emeritus Board Member for National History Day, Former Executive Committee Member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, US Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, former Trustee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, and former Chairman of the Maryland World War I Centennial Commission.
Joe and his wife Beth, and their daughter and son, are avid international travelers and passionate art and history enthusiasts. He has a deep appreciation of history and its impact on shaping current society. His historical interests include the American Civil War, and the Philippines campaigns prior to the fall of Bataan and Corregidor. He has published numerous articles. Joe is a native son of Maryland and earned a BA in Government & Politics at the University of Maryland.
Liz Sweeney
Liz Sweeney is a governance leader, municipal advisor, and public finance consultant with extensive expertise in credit and risk management, finance, capital access, and strategy. She is the founder of Nutshell Associates, a public finance consulting and municipal advisory firm certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and registered with the SEC and MSRB. Previously, Liz was a managing director in credit policy and risk management at S&P Global Ratings, the world's largest credit rating agency.
Liz is also a board member of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). The MSRB is the primary regulator for the $4 trillion municipal securities market.
She holds an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, a BS from Georgetown University, and a Certificate in Healthcare Management from NYU's School of Professional Studies.
Ex-Officios
Peter B. Crino, MD, PhD
Peter B. Crino is the Dr. Richard and Kathryn Taylor Professor and Chair of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Crino received his B.A. from Binghamton University (Psychology/Philosophy), M.D. from Yale University (Alpha Omega Alpha), and Ph.D. in neuroscience from Boston University. He completed a medical internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital, neurology residency, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute physician post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania with clinical training in epilepsy. He is dually boarded in neurology and electroencephalography.
Dr. Crino has received the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fellowship Award in Neuroscience in 1999, the Lifetime Service Award from the TSAlliance in 2008, and the Fritz Dreifuss Award for Translational Research in Epilepsy from the American Epilepsy Society in 2016, just to name a few. Just recently, Dr. Crino was awarded the inaugural Dr. Richard and Kathryn Taylor Endowed Professorship in Neurology and the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. In 2019, Dr. Crino received funding from the state of Maryland to support the new Clinical Center for Adults with Neuro-Developmental Disabilities (CCAND) here at UMMC and UMSOM. This program provides comprehensive care for adults with epilepsy and intellectual disability. Dr. Crino also directs the TSC Center of Excellence in Maryland.
Dr. Crino's laboratory has maintained a continuously NINDS funded translational research program studying mechanisms of altered brain development associated with epilepsy, intellectual disability, and autism for the past 22 years. He has specific expertise in defining developmental disorders associated with intractable epilepsy including tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), focal cortical dysplasia, and hemimegalencephaly. He has more than 170 published papers, reviews, and book chapters and numerous international presentations.
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, is the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) having previously served as interim president during which he guided the University's efforts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Jarrell has held numerous leadership roles at UMB including provost, chief academic and research officer, senior vice president, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School. Dr. Jarrell arrived at UMB in 1997 as chair of the University of Maryland School of Medicine's (UMSOM) Department of Surgery.
In 2003, he moved to the UMSOM Dean's Office, where he served as executive vice dean, directing the school's education and research enterprises. Dr. Jarrell also served as the institutional official for human research protection and animal research protection, and he has remained actively involved in research and medical student education throughout his career.
Dr. Jarrell was born and raised in Caroline County on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed a general surgical residency and renal transplantation fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia and held faculty positions at Jefferson, where he performed kidney and liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery for 10 years, and the University of Arizona, where he was a professor and chair of its Department of Surgery.
Dr. Jarrell is an accomplished metalsmith and a member of the Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland. Jarrell has written a number of books, including 2015 editions of the popular textbook NMS Surgery and the NMS Surgery Casebook.
Jay Allen Perman, MD
Jay A. Perman, MD, is the fifth chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM). Prior to this appointment, Dr. Perman, a pediatric gastroenterologist, served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for nearly a decade.
As UMB president, Dr. Perman strengthened the institution's ties to the city of Baltimore, growing innovation-based economic development and spearheading programs to improve the health and wellbeing of UMB's neighbors. In 2014, he established the Office of Community Engagement to coordinate UMB's outreach in West Baltimore. In fall 2019, ground was broken on a new Community Engagement Center that will serve as the cornerstone of UMB's engagement efforts going forward. He launched the UMB CURE Scholars program, which provides intensive STEM mentoring for West Baltimore students, and championed the award-winning Promise Heights Initiative, which prepares West Baltimore children for college and careers, and provides critical supports for their families.
Dr. Perman received his Doctor of Medicine degree with Distinction in 1972 from Northwestern University. After his residency in pediatrics at Northwestern University Children's Memorial Hospital, he completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Harvard Medical School and at the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston in 1977.
Lisa Carole Rowen, DNSc, RN, FAAN, CENP
Lisa Rowen, DNSc, RN, CENP, FAAN, is the Chief Nurse Executive for the University of Maryland Medical System and serves as the system's leader for nursing practice, standards of care, nursing professional development, and the partnership with the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Previously, she was the Chief Nursing Officer for the University of Maryland Medical Center. Prior to joining UMMC, Dr. Rowen served as Director of Surgical Nursing at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she began her career as a surgical nurse, and Vice President for Patient Care Services at Mercy Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and served as the co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Academy.
Dr. Rowen has twice served as an expert reviewer of the NIH's Clinical Center and serves on The Joint Commission's Chief Nursing Executive Advisory Council. As the principal investigator for an American Organization of Nurse Executives funded study, Dr. Rowen studied and now presents frequently on leadership development and patient outcomes. She is a Professor, adjunct, at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and also holds faculty appointments at the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Rowen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the University of Delaware, a Master of Science degree at UMSON, and a Doctor of Nursing Science degree at Johns Hopkins University. She was inducted into the University of Delaware Wall of Fame and was selected as the Giving Excellence Meaning winner for "Advancing and Leading the Profession" for the Maryland-DC-Virginia region from Nurse.com. Dr. Rowen was inducted into the Circle of Excellence of Maryland's Top 100 Women, after inclusion on the Maryland's Top 100 Women lists in 2009, 2011, and 2013. UMSON selected Dr. Rowen as a recipient of the Visionary Pioneer Award, an award for outstanding alumni who have significantly impacted and contributed to the nursing profession based on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. In 2017, the University of Maryland Medical System created an endowed scholarship to honor Dr. Rowen. In 2019, the University of Delaware honored Dr. Rowen with an Alumni Star Award.