LAA Kicks Off 2024 Flagship Class; Celebrates 30 Years

Leadership Anne Arundel Celebrates 30 Years

 of Inspiring, Growing Leaders

-Organization Kicks Off 2023-2024 Program, Announces Next Class of Leaders-

ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 14, 2023) —Leadership Anne Arundel (LAA) is kicking of their 30-year anniversary with an exciting new Flagship Class of 2024.  Some of the area’s brightest nonprofit, government and business leaders, composed of a cross-section of the Anne Arundel County community representing ethnically, socially, economically, and geographically diverse populations, are joining the organization to facilitate growth of community leadership.

The ten-month Flagship program kicked off with 50 participants this week at Historic London Town & Gardens with a two-day opening retreat. Following the retreat, participants will be expected to engage in community knowledge sessions for one full day each month. Program topics include Government, Economic Development, Cultural Arts, Education & Technology, Health & Human Services, Law & Public Safety, Environment, and Agriculture/South County. 

This year, Leadership Anne Arundel is celebrating 30 years of being the premier leadership organization in the County. Since 1993, LAA has been building, connecting, and celebrating community leaders through education, information and networking. With a mission of developing diverse networks of resourceful, informed, and proactive leaders, LAA is helping to create a more vibrant County.

“We are especially delighted to kick-off LAA’s 2024 Flagship Program with three decades of providing participants the unique opportunity to develop their potential for community stakeholdership,” says Kris Shock, President & CEO of Leadership Anne Arundel. “This year, we have exciting class projects that will leave a lasting impression on the County as the group works toward advancing an organization’s goal or solving a shared problem. This group will build a network of support with each member of the class and the broader LAA community —truly a lasting experience.”

The public is invited to LAA’s 2023 Program Kick-off and Homecoming to meet and network with the Flagship 2024 class on Tuesday, September 26, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park. Visit LAA Kickoff for full details and registration.

The Leadership Anne Arundel Flagship 2024 Class includes:

Maria Abreu, Director of Advancement, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts

Susan Baum, Grants Manager, Arts Council of Anne Arundel County

Michael Benjamin, Vice President, M&T Bank

Lisa Broadhead, Director Marketing and Communications, University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

Kelly Callahan, Attorney, Liff, Walsh & Simmons, LLC

Emily Channell, Director of Human Resources, Eagle Title

Taryn Chase, Development Officer, The Arc Central Chesapeake Regions

Shahbaz Chaudhry, Business Development Manager, Tsoftek 

Toccara Colbert, CEO and Founder, Golden Health Wealth Love

Dan Cook, Director, Marketing and Communications, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County

Philip Culpepper, Supervising County Attorney, Anne Arundel County Office of Law

Peter De Angelo, President, The UEP Group, LLC

Dawn Eberhardt, Chief Operations Officer, Partners In Care Maryland, Inc.

Edward Evans, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Live Casino and Hotel

Matt Fleming, Director, The Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County

Tracy Freedman, Communications Director Global Defense Sector, Booz Allen Hamilton

Stephanie Gary, KG Truck & Auto, Vice President & Senior Fleet Management 

Erica Griswold, Register of Wills, Orphans’ Court, Anne Arundel County

Cedric Johnson, Deputy Chief, BWI Operations, Maryland Aviation Administration

Bridget Jones, Senior Manager of Claims and Compliance, Baltimore Gas and Electric

Julie Kizer Ball, Development Manager, Anne Arundel County Public Library

Kuan Lee, Attorney, Taiwan Sister Cities 

Lisa Lindsay-Mondoro, Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County

Mickey Love, Executive Director, Historic London Town and Gardens

Ronda McCoy, Professional Standards Manager, Annapolis Police Department

Matthew McGehrin, Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch 

Sheretha Moore, Executive Director, Shelley's House

Jeffrey Newman, Senior Vice President Chesapeake Middle Market, M&T Bank

Michele Noble, Manager, Anne Arundel County Public Library

Lenard Nyangwara, Director of Respiratory Care, Cardiac & Pulmonary, Luminis Health 

Sandra O'Neill, Director of Public Health Services, Anne Arundel County Department of Health 

Jill Porter, Business Development Director, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation

Jennifer Proebstle, Deputy Chief of Staff, Anne Arundel County Government, Office of the County Executive

Laura Richards, CEO Operations, Scaleup Consulting Group

Chad Robertson, Independent Realtor

Annemarie Ruch, Relationship Manager, Shore United Bank

Anne Ryan, Associate Director of Development, The Light House

Ross Schofield, Project Manager, Ligon & Ligon  

Gabriella Shewfelt, Marketing Manager, Watermark

Karen Sigafoose, Chief of Staff, State and Local Affairs, National Security Agency 

Kentina Smith, AVP, Learning and Academic Affairs, Anne Arundel Community College

Greg Speed, Lieutenant, Anne Arundel County Police Department

James Spencer Sr., Realtor, Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors

Sarah Stein, Assistant Director ADRC & Long-Term Care, Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities

Courtney Suddes, Principal, Courtney Suddes LLC

Jessica Tanenhaus, VP of Field Teams, Mavenspire

Melissa Tarawali, Benefits Broker, Insurance Force

Nely Valcheva, Business Banker, First Citizens Bank

Angela Wilson, Executive Director, The Angel Wing Project, Inc.

John Zuknick, VP Business and Industry Solutions, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp.

About Leadership Anne Arundel

Leadership Anne Arundel (LAA), a non-profit 501c3 organization founded in 1993, is the premier leadership training and networking institute in Anne Arundel County. The mission of LAA is to provide people of diverse backgrounds with the education, resources and networks necessary to become successful proactive leaders. LAA has over 1600 graduates from its three (3) core programs. LAA graduates serve in leadership positions in public sector, private sector and non-profit organizations throughout the Baltimore-Washington metro area. For more information visit  https://leadershipaa.org