New Class - Leadership Maryland

New Leadership Maryland Members Seek Greater Familiarity With State; Networking
Connections; Sharing Experiences
Dion D. Banks ‘12
Director of Governmental Affairs
Cambridge International
Diane M. Balderson ‘12
Assistant Commander for
Contracts - NAVAIR
U.S. Navy
By Alan Dessoff
Members of Leadership Maryland’s Class of
2012 say they were motivated to join the
program to become more familiar with the state,
make new professional contacts, and share their
experiences with other leaders while learning
from them as well. Several say members of
previous LMD classes or others encouraged
them to apply.
Dion Banks ’12, Director of Governmental
Affairs for Cambridge International, credits
Natalie Chabot ’05, Economic Director for the
City of Cambridge, with encouraging him to
apply for the independent statewide program
that works to develop informed senior-level
leaders in the public, private and nonprofit
sectors of the state.
“This is an opportunity for me to share my
experiences of growing up on the Eastern
Shore, and promote the City of Cambridge and
Dorchester County,” Banks declares.
Diane Balderson ’12, Executive Director,
Contracts, of the Naval Air Systems Command
(NAVAIR) at Patuxent River, says several leaders
there—most notably, the Commander, Admiral
David Architzel ’11—“have spoken very highly
of the program and inspired me to apply.”
“Furthermore,” she adds, “I believe I can
learn from other leaders in the state and share
my leadership perspectives gained from 30 years
of federal service,” including 20 years in a senior
executive position.
Sister Christine De Vinne ’12, Vice
President for Academic Affairs at Notre Dame
University of Maryland in Baltimore, says Notre
Dame President Mary Pat Seurkamp ’99, Anne
Lin ‘10, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, and
Kathryn Freeland ’03, a University Board
Member—also “lent their strong support for a
program that they clearly value highly,” Sister
Christine adds.
Sister Christine De Vinne ‘12
Dr. Memo Diriker ‘12
James ‘Jim’ V. Fakult ‘12
Venkat Submramanian, A.R. ‘12
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Director – BEACON
Salisbury University
President – Maryland Operations
FirstEnergy Service Co.
President & CEO
ANGARAI
A self-described “transplant” from Ohio, she
says the experience of relocation “has made me
aware of how important it is to establish roots
here. I want to know more about my new home
state, and I am excited to learn in a leadershipdriven environment,” she says. Leadership
Maryland’s “attention to key issues affecting
citizens across the state, plus its ability to draw
committed people together, feels like a perfect
combination—the chance to gain new
perspectives and develop leadership skills at the
same time,” Sister Christine declares.
Leadership Maryland already is well known
to Dr. Memo Diriker ’12, Director of BEACON,
The Business Economic and Community
Outreach Network at Salisbury University. For
17 years, he has been making presentations to
LMD classes on their visits to the Eastern Shore.
Now, he says, he looks forward to getting to
know his class members “so that I can learn
about more parts of the wonderful state that
Maryland is.” Also, he sees LMD as “a great way
to get some tips about how to be effective” in
two leadership positions he is about to take
on—as Vice President, in line to become
President, of the Salisbury Area Chamber of
Commerce, and Vice President of the Network
of International Business Schools.
Like Sister Christine, Jim Fakult ‘12 is from
Ohio, moving here to become President,
Maryland Operations, of FirstEnergy Service Co.
He says he was familiar with leadership
organizations in Akron, including a junior group
into which his daughter, now a high school
senior, was elected last year. Also, he says
Kathy Snyder ‘00, CEO of the Maryland
Chamber of Commerce, where he is a Board
member, recommended LMD to him.
“I know I’ll meet a lot of different people from
the public and private sectors, and get to know
the different institutions. I don’t know that I can
get that experience anywhere else,” he says.
LEADERSHIP MARYLAND CLASS OF 2012
VANESSA E. ATTERBEARY, ESQ.
KRA Corporation
WENDELL M. FRANCE
Detention & Services
SARA RUTSTEIN
The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
DIANE M. BALDERSON
United States Navy
CLIFTON P. GRIFFIN
Salisbury University
THOMAS W. SANDERS
Coherent Technical Services, Inc.
DION D. BANKS
Cambridge International
ROLF K. HAARSTAD
Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.
JOHN B. SCHAB
Georgia Tech Research Institute
KATHLEEN A. BECK
PNC Financial Services, Inc.-Wealth Mgmt. Div.
CHERYL K. HARRISON
University of Maryland-College Park
DR. THOMAS J. BOTZMAN
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
TIMOTHY A. HODGE, JR., ESQ.
Miles & Stockbridge PC
ROSEMARY M. BUDD
TASC, Inc.
ILAYA R. HOPKINS
Maryland Leadership Workshops, Inc.
MEREDITH C. CALLANAN
T. Rowe Price Group
ELIZABETH A. HUGHES
Maryland Department of Planning
MILES CARY
Bank of America
ROBERT L. JOHNSON
Everest Institute
F. DARLENE CHAPMAN-HOLMES
National Public Radio
STEPHEN J. LAMBERTSON
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
TIMOTHY R. TROXELL
Hagerstown-Washington Co.
Economic Development Commission
DR. MARCELLA A. COPES
Coppin State University
JOHN H. LEWIN, III
M&T Bank
THOMAS H. TRUITT
Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit
DR. ANN COTTEN
University of Baltimore
ISAAC H. MARKS, SR., ESQ.
O’Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore, PA
JOHN CZAJKOWSKI
National Institutes of Health
DR. JOAN A. MELE-McCARTHY
The Summit School
THOMAS M. DENNISON
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
DARRELL B. MOBLEY
Maryland Department of Transportation
SISTER CHRISTINE DE VINNE
Notre Dame of Maryland University
KATHLEEN W. MOMMÉ
United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore
CHRISTOPHER V. DiPIETRO
CDi Consulting Services, LLC
DR. KHALID N. MUMIN
Caroline Co. Board of Education
DR. MEMO DIRIKER
Salisbury University
RONALD A. NAWROT
Random House, Inc.
CANDACE L. DONOHO
Maryland Municipal League
ROBERT A. ROSENBAUM
MD Technology Development Corp.
JAMES V. FAKULT
FirstEnergy Service Co.
ANDREW M. ROUD
St. John Properties, Inc.
Before he applied to LMD, says Venkat
Subramanian ’12, the founder, President &
CEO of Angarai International, Inc., “I looked at
the kinds of profiles of the people who apply
and talked to some who went through the
program in the past. Everyone, without
exception, has been so encouraging. I was so
excited.”
“I sincerely hope I will be able to contribute
MICHAEL L. SILGEN
Shore Health System/UMMS
DR. DARLA J. STROUSE
Maryland State Dept. of Education
VENKAT SUBRAMANIAN, A.R.
ANGARAI
PATRICIA E. THORNTON
Patyna Communications
STACEY M. ULLRICH
Constellation Energy
MAUREEN van STONE
Kennedy Krieger Institute
ROBERT A. VARGO
United States Navy
ANDREW L. VICK
Allegany Arts Council, Inc.
JAN M. WAGNER
Central Scholarship Bureau
JO M. WILSON
Western Maryland Health System
PAUL B. WOODBURN
Ben Dyer Associates, Inc
my ideas,” he explains. He says he also wants
to learn more about some agencies and issues
that are not yet familiar to him, including many
at the local level. “I have a long way to go to
understand what kinds of challenges they
have,” he acknowledges.
Alan Dessoff is an independent journalist in
Bethesda (adedit@verizon.net).