Board of Director Biographies
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, health care, 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.
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.
Faith Davis
Faith Davis leads Exelon’s Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i) where she invests in impactful early-stage sustainability focused companies. She is also the founder of DAF Technologies, a technology consulting firm, where she helps clients solves their biggest challenges through the use of emerging technology. Faith shares her technical and business expertise as a thought leader and speaker for many companies, conferences, commencements, and affinity group groups.
Prior to DAF Technologies, Faith was a technology associate at In-Q-Tel a strategic venture capital firm where she focused on investments involving the mobile ecosystem. She owned the investment process from sourcing to deal close. She has extensive experience in technology development, strategy, and venture capital. Faith has worked at NASA, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, The MITRE Corporation, and as a prior art search consultant for Van Pelt, Yi, & James.
Davis earned a BS, summa cum laude, from Howard University, a MS from Stanford University in electrical engineering and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.
Jonny Dorsey
Jonny Dorsey serves as Deputy Chief of Staff to Maryland Governor Wes Moore. He previously worked as director of Innovation and Policy at Emerson Collective, where he led various efforts focused on democracy, civic engagement, government delivery, and national service. Alongside work at Emerson Collective, Dorsey was the policy director for Mike Johnston's campaigns for Governor and Senate in Colorado. Prior to joining Emerson Collective, Dorsey served as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration. Dorsey is a social entrepreneur: he co-founded FACE AIDS, a nonprofit that mobilized students in the fight for global health equity that was acquired by Partners in Health, and Global Health Corps, which recruits and places emerging global leaders with high-impact nonprofits to build health systems around the world. He serves as a trustee of Partners in Health and a board member of Plus1.
Dorsey has a BA in Human Biology and an MBA from Stanford University, where he was president of the student body and won the Deans’ Award for Academic Achievement. He also holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was a Zuckerman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership.
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.
Isiah "Ike" Leggett
Isiah "Ike" Leggett served three consecutive terms as Montgomery County Executive (2006-2018). In 2016 he was president of Maryland Association of Counties and president of County Executives of America. Before his election as county executive, Leggett served as an at-large member on the County Council from 1986-2002, and as council president three times. From 2002-2004, Leggett served as chair of the Maryland State Democratic Party.
He holds four higher education degrees: BA from Southern University, a MA and a JD from Howard University and a LLM from George Washington University. Leggett graduated from Southern University in 1967 as a distinguished military graduate. In 1981 he was selected as the Southern University Outstanding Alumni. In 1985 Leggett received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Howard University Law School. In 1977 he was selected as a White House Fellow, one of a select number of citizens nationwide for his exemplary civic, professional and educational achievement.
Leggett has served as a board member on a host of civic and community organizations. Currently, he serves as chair of the Blue Print for Maryland's Future Accountability and Implementation Board, member of the Universities at Shady Grove Board of Advisors, vice chair of Maryland 250 Commission, and a member of the Board of Regents University System of Maryland.
He served as professor of law at the Howard University Law School from 1975 to 2006 and was assistant/associate Dean from 1979-1986.
Leggett served as Captain in the Army, which included a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Leggett has received numerous awards and honors during his many years of public service including his selection as a "Washingtonian of the Year" in 2015. Additional awards include the Howard University's and the Southern University's Distinguished Alumni Award; the George.
Belkis "Bel" Leong-Hong
Ms. Belkis “Bel” Leong-Hong is the Founder, President, and CEO of Knowledge Advantage Inc., a technology company. As a former member of senior executive service in DOD, with 30 years of public servant, Ms. Leong-Hong has held a number of high-level positions that include serving as deputy assistant secretary of defense, where she managed a multibillion-dollar portfolio in Command and Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) programs, congressional relations, information technology policies, and strategic planning. She also served as the CIO of the Defense Security Service and was the deputy commander of the Joint Interoperability and Engineering Organization (JIEO) at the Defense Information Systems Agency.
Professionally, she sits on a number of boards and commissions; most recently, she was re-appointed to the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) Corporate Board, where she had previously served. In addition, she currently sits on the Univ of MD School of Medicine BOV. She also sits on the Maryland Cybersecurity Council, where she chairs the economic development subcommittee; she also chaired the cybersecurity workforce for the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board (GWIB); She sat on the BOV of the Clark School of Engineering at Univ. of Maryland; the BOV of the National Defense University, and others. She is Past President of the NOVA Chapter of AFCEA, Past President of Women in Technology (WIT), Past President of OCA-DC Chapter, and many other organizations.
A mathematician and computer scientist by training, her specialization is in data science. She was the lead author of the book “Data Dictionary/Directory Systems: Administration, Implementation and Usage”, published by John Wiley and Sons. An early pioneer in this field, her book was used as a graduate level text. She holds degrees from Hunter College and American University, and certificates from The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Ava E. Lias-Booker
Ava Lias-Booker leads the Baltimore litigation practice at McGuireWoods LLP. She is a partner with three decades of experience in complex commercial and civil litigation. She is a gubernatorial appointee to the System's Board of Directors and serves as vice chair of UM St. Joseph's Medical Center's operating board where she chairs its Governance Committee. She sits on the board of Healthpeak Properties Inc., a publicly traded real estate investment trust. Ava is past chair of McGuireWoods' Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and since 2017 has been recognized in Chambers' America's Leading Lawyers for Business in general commercial litigation.
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.
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.
Bonnie Lamdin Phipps, CPA
Bonnie Phipps is currently a health care 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 health care 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.
Lynn Selby
Lynn Reed Selby is a dynamic, result-driven, senior executive with more than 20 years of public and private sector public policy experience with an emphasis on workforce development at the local, state and national levels.
She currently serves as executive director of Caroline Center, a Baltimore-based workforce training organization. Prior to joining Caroline Center in December 2018, Selby served as founder and principal of The Reed + Selby Consulting Group, a management consulting firm specializing in crafting workforce solutions for national, state and local public and private sector clients.
From 2011 to 2015, she served as a gubernatorial appointee in the O'Malley Administration in Maryland, and as deputy, then executive director, of the Governor's Workforce Investment Board (GWIB). During her tenure at the GWIB, she provided overall leadership related to advancing the Governor’s workforce development policy agenda in the State of Maryland.
Prior to joining the GWIB, Selby served as senior director of business partnerships for LRG, Inc., a management consulting firm in Northern Virginia. There, she was staffed as an “Executive on Loan” to the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration's Business Relations Group where she worked to launch the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative. In this role, she managed $17M in federal funds targeted toward creating industry-specific sector strategy initiatives designed to assist nationally recognized employers with their talent acquisition needs.
Selby is the recipient of many prestigious awards and recognitions, including the Daily Record’s 2020 “Top 1000 Women” award. She currently serves on the boards of the Baltimore Museum of Art, Center Club and GEDCO. She previously served on the Leadership Council of the National Skills Coalition in Washington, D.C., and is a past board member of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).
Selby graduated from Morgan State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and she earned an MBA from University of Maryland Global College.
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 health care, nuclear, infrastructure, defense, homeland security and energy industries.
Tom is currently responsible for health care 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.
Ex-Officios
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
Margaret "Peggy" Norton-Rosko, DNP, RN
As chief nurse executive for UMMS, Peggy Norton-Rosko serves as the System's leader for nursing practice, standards of care, nursing professional development and the partnership with schools of nursing. She also supports UMMS's strategic planning, nursing workforce development, continuous clinical improvement initiatives and the organization's High Reliability journey.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Norton-Rosko served as the regional chief nursing officer for Trinity Health's Illinois and Indiana region. Prior to that she served as the chief nursing officer for George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. Her clinical background includes many years as an advanced practice nurse working with cardiovascular surgery patients and also as a critical care nurse.
She has served in affiliate and adjunct faculty positions for several schools of nursing. She earned a BS in nursing from Northern Illinois University, a MS in nursing from Loyola University of Chicago, and a NP from Chamberlain University. She was named to the Johnson and Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship for 2023-2024.
Peggy is committed to supporting a professional nursing practice environment that supports excellent patient care by advocating for nurses to engage in professional governance to shape their practice and improve patient outcomes.
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.
Jill A. RachBeisel, MD, DFAPA
A general psychiatrist, Dr. RachBeisel specializes in treating adults with serious and persistent mental illness (including anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], depression, psychosis and schizophrenia) and substance use disorders. She has a special interest in women's mental health that includes a focus on early diagnosis and supporting healthy family growth leading to healthier communities.
Dr. RachBeisel is the Irving J. Taylor professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). She is also chief of psychiatry at University of Maryland Medical Center. Her commitment to urban communities and residents struggling with poverty, health care disparities and violence led her to join the Department of Psychiatry at UMSOM.
Since the start of her career, Dr. RachBeisel has gravitated to the development of clinical programs driven by evidence-based, scientifically established interventions serving those most in need of mental health care. She has established a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to care that involves meeting individuals where they are and shared decision-making.
During her training, Dr. RachBeisel received multiple awards, including the Burrows Welcome Fellowship for Outstanding Community Outreach and the Eugene Brody Award for outstanding psychotherapy. She is an established clinical scientist and educator with a strong administrative and leadership focus.
A well-established leader in mental health care in Maryland, Dr. RachBeisel was named one of Maryland's Top Women for 2021 by The Daily Record.