Leadership Maryland announced today that 49 members of the Class of 2016 have completed the professional development program dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its local business and community leaders. Leadership Maryland honored the entire Class of 2016 at its 24th annual graduation ceremony held December 6 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel. 

Each member of this year’s class was chosen by a selection committee to complete Leadership Maryland’s eight-month hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues. The Class of 2016 reflects a cross-section of the state, including diversity of geographic location, profession, ethnicity and gender.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I congratulate the Class of 2016 for a memorable year, and I encourage each of them to think of this milestone not as the end of their program, but as the beginning of their membership in a very special club,” said Leadership Maryland Board Chairman Eric Brotman ‘09, president and managing principal, Brotman Financial Group. “Each of these individuals is now armed with new relationships and perspectives which will serve them as leaders, and therefore will serve organizations of all types across the state for many years to come.”

Leadership Maryland is open to senior-level executives with significant achievements in either their careers and/or their communities. Ideal Leadership Maryland members have a desire to learn more about Maryland’s most critical issues and a personal commitment to be a force for positive change in their organizations, their communities, and their state. For more information about Leadership Maryland, please visit www.LeadershipMD.org, call 410-841-2101 or email Info@LeadershipMD.org.

About Leadership Maryland

Leadership Maryland is a professional development program dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its local business and community leaders. Each year, as many as 52 diverse and accomplished executives from Maryland’s public and private sectors are selected to come together as a class for an eight-month hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues. The first Leadership Maryland class graduated in 1993, and the organization’s alumni network now consists of more than 1,000 leaders from all industries and regions of the state. To learn more, please call Leadership Maryland at 410-841-2101 or visit www.LeadershipMD.org.

Leadership Maryland Class of 2016 Roster

David A. “Dave” Balcom
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

 Theresa E. Barrett
Chief Executive Officer
DABS, LLC

Theodore F. “Ted” Border III
Vice President
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Christopher J. “Chris” Borgal, CSM
Senior Property Manager
The Peterson Companies

Stacy Bowman-Hade
Senior Director of Marketing, Global Universities
Sodexo

Deborah K. “Deb” Boyd
Director of Marketing
KCI Technologies, Inc.

Dr. Rebecca B. Bridgett
County Administrator
St. Mary’s County Government

Linda Cassard
Assistant Vice President, Strategic Research Initiatives
Univeristy of Maryland, Baltimore

Antonio “Tony” Coffield, Sr.
Executive Director
Community Assistance Network, Inc.

Ivy Dench-Carter
Vice President of Development
Pennrose Properties, LLC

Diane J. Devaney
President
Devaney & Associates, Inc.

Leslie Ann Dews
Deputy Administrator for Field Operations
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration

Scott W. Evans
Chief Executive Officer
Benedictine School for Exceptional Children

David A. Fike
President
APG Media of Chesapeake

William “Bill” Ford
Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Washington Gas Light Company and WGL Holdings, Inc.

Jennifer Gauthier
Founder/Executive Director
Lead4Life, Inc.

Julie Ann Gaver
Owner
Julie Gaver Training & Development, LLC

Capt. Robert A. “Bob” Goodman USN (Ret.)
Owner/President
ARCPoint Labs of Southern Maryland

Dr. Sarah A. Guy
Associate Director
BEACON at Salisbury University

Michael S. “Mike” Hiner
President
Willow Construction, LLC

The Hon. Kevin B. Hornberger
State Delegate representing District 35A, Cecil County
Maryland General Assembly

Daraius S. Irani, Ph.D.
Vice President of Division of Innovation and Applied Research
Towson University

Nancy S. Jordan-Howard
Chief Operating Officer
Baltimore Development Corporation

Deborah A. “Deb” Keller
Vice President for Human Resources
Quality Health Strategies

Kathleen M. Lechleiter, AIA
President
K. Lechleiter Architect, LLC

Timothy D. “Tim” Lewis
Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director
Chesapeake Corporate Advisors

Jacqueline D. “Jackie” Marsteller
President and Chief Executive Officer
Marsteller, LLC                  

Dawn R. Medley
Vice President of Business Financing Programs and Economic Development Incentive Fund Manager
Prince George’s Financial Services Corp.

Benjamin P. “Ben” Morgan
Vice President
Barton Malow Company

Laura Thul Penza, AIA
Principal
Penza Bailey Architects

Brian D. Pieninck
Executive Vice President
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Helen V. Propheter
Director of the Office of Economic Development
Frederick County Government

Karla A. Raettig, Esq.
Executive Director
Maryland League of Conservation Voters

Bradley D. “Brad” Rogers, Esq.
Principal
Advanced Placemaking

The Hon. Kelly M. Schulz
Secretary
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations

Rachel Sessa, Esq.
Director of Government Affairs
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Brenda A. Smith
Executive Director
The Greater Cumberland Committee

Zachary A. “Zach” Smith, Esq.
Attorney
Armistead, Griswold, Lee & Rust, P.A.

Sandy A. Sponaugle
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Platinum PR

Cheryl L. Steinbacher
Senior Vice President for Human Resources
MidAtlantic Farm Credit

Lawrence F. “Larry” Twele
Chief Executive Officer
Howard County Economic Development Authority

David M. Vahos
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company

Luis R. Valdivieso
Executive Consultant
TargetGov

Dr. Gayatri M. Varma
Director of Collaborations, Partnering & Strategy
MedImmune

Lori A. Villegas
Senior Vice President
Morgan Stanley

The Hon. Steven R. “Steve” Weems
Commissioner
Calvert County Government

Stacey L. Weisner
President and Chief Executive Officer
Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum

John S. Wolfe
Warden, Eastern Correctional Institution
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Christy Wyskiel
Senior Advisor to the President
Johns Hopkins University