Leadership Montgomery Announces 2023 Program Participants
The 2023 CORE and Emerging Leaders classes will begin in September and October.
Rockville, MD (July 7, 2022)- Leadership Montgomery (LM) has announced the participants for its 2023 Connecting Our Region’s Execs (CORE) and Emerging Leaders (EL) classes. This year’s leadership program participants include Montgomery County leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Beginning in September and October, class participants will attend monthly experiential learning sessions on various topics intended to increase engagement within the community while developing ideas, connections, and actions that move Montgomery County forward.
“LM is thrilled to convene such a diverse group of leaders to participate in the leadership programs,” said Dana Pauley, President, and CEO of Leadership Montgomery. “By gathering cross-sector leaders to advance thinking around current regional issues, they can examine challenges and solutions from multiple perspectives.
CORE, the organization’s flagship program, is geared toward seasoned leaders, while the EL program is for rising leaders who demonstrate commitment to their community.
To serve the needs of our well-seasoned, post-CORE leaders, the Senior Leadership Montgomery Program will take a hiatus in FY23 to evaluate the needs and goals of these leaders and craft a curriculum that best supports them.
Scroll down to see a list of 2023 CORE and EL program participants:
2023 CORE Class Participants
| Name | Job Title | Company |
| Tazeen Ahmad | Chief Financial Officer | Capitol Hill Consulting Group |
| Dexter Barrow | 1st VP | Corporate Services Manager | EagleBank |
| Tanya Baskin | CEO | The Baskin Group, LLC |
| Sherry Beamer | Director of Services | SEEC (Seeking Employment, Equality & Community for People with Developmental Disabilities) |
| Josh Bender | Chief Executive Officer | Bender JCC of Greater Washington |
| Leigh Bluestein | Chief Communications Officer | CaringMatters |
| Heather Bruskin | Executive Director | Montgomery County Food Council |
| Jose Campos | Owner | Law Offices of Campos & Associates |
| Lavontte Chatmon | Interim Executive Director | Nonprofit Montgomery |
| Kelly Chauncey | Artistic Director | BlackRock Center for the Arts |
| Truphena Choti | President & CEO | AfriThrive |
| Claire Cohen | Regional Director of Schools | Sheppard Pratt |
| Jeanne Dimmick | Director of Communication | Asbury Methodist Village |
| Lori Farmer | Director, Operational Communications | MedStar Health, Inc. |
| Stacey Flynn | Captain | Montgomery County Police Department |
| Herbert Frisby | Senior Manager | Accenture Federal Services |
| Susan Golonka | Deputy Director | Office of Family Assistance – U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services |
| Davida Gurstelle | Coordinator, Business and Community Partnerships | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Hannah Hahn | Program Officer | The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation |
| Yamil Hernandez | Chief Business Officer / Co-Founder | ExeGi Pharma |
| Mecha Inman | Chief Executive Officer | CollegeTracks, Inc. |
| Eric Jodts | Associate Director | Westat |
| Brad Keller | Senior Study Director | Westat |
| Roberta “Byrdy” Kelley | CEO & Founder | Melan Property Management |
| Dr. Anne Khademian | Executive Director | The Universities at Shady Grove |
| Melissa King | Vice President & Associate Director | Westat |
| Michele Levy | Nonprofit Professional | N/A |
| Eric Myers | Business Relationship Manager | M&T Bank |
| Bilky Okoh | Business Manager | Administration & Finance | The Universities at Shady Grove |
| Sumindi Peiris | President | Z-Pop Media |
| Alexis Robbins | Philanthropy Manager | Adventist Healthcare – Shady Grove Medical Center Foundation |
| Emily Rogers | Site Operations Manager | Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture Inc |
| Tony Ruffin | Governmental and External Affairs Manager | Pepco |
| Jerry Sanford | Director of Economic Development | Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation |
| Jason Sartori | Countywide Planning & Policy Division Chief | Montgomery County Planning Department |
| Gabrielle Sherb | Vice President | Development & Donor Engagement | United Way of the National Capital Area |
| Charles Sims | Director of Real Estate | Arlington Partnership For Affordable Housing |
| Tanya Stern | Deputy Planning Director | Montgomery County Planning Department |
| Jayna Stevenson | Vice President of Marketing Communications & Business Development | Clark Concepts, LLC |
| Dr. Earl Stoddard | Assistant Chief Administrative Officer | Montgomery County Government – Office of the County Executive |
| Dira Treadvance | Chief of Children, Youth & Family Services | Department of Health & Human Services |
| Dr. Jermaine Williams | President | Montgomery College |
| Stephanie Williams | General Counsel | Office of the General Counsel | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Carrie Yearick | Organizing Pastor | Creekside Church/National Presbytery |
2023 Emerging Leaders Class Participants
| Name | Job Title | Company |
| Nicole Bell | Contract Monitor | Interfaith Works |
| Roxana Beyranvand | Program Manager | Mayor’s Office of Performance & Innovation |
| Joe Bishop | Manager | Snyder Cohn |
| Isha Colley | Branch Manager | M&T Bank |
| Christine Crefton | Project & Planning Analyst | Montgomery College | Office of E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE) |
| Akua Donkor | Lead Research Operations Associate | Westat |
| Donna Gabriel | Director of Vocational Services Program | Interfaith Works |
| Preethy George | Senior Study Director | Westat |
| Zachary Gordon | Montgomery County Public Schools Intern | AmeriCorps/Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Scott Greenberg | Manager of State & Local Government Affairs | Marriott International |
| Dawn Griffin | Director of People and Operations/Project Manager | Facility Logix |
| Shinta Hernandez | Dean of the Virtual Campus | Montgomery College | Office of E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE) |
| Leslie Hesketh | Director of Instructional Materials Adoption Strategy | Texas Education Agency |
| Christopher Jennison | Attorney Advisor (Employment Law) | Federal Aviation Administration |
| Nitshu Joshi | Human Resources Manager | The Universities at Shady Grove |
| Vishal Joshi | Workforce Development Specialist | Cornerstone Montgomery |
| Nadia Khan | Counsel & Special Projects Manager | Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation |
| Kristina Laboy | Acting Chief of the Planning Division | Montgomery County Government – Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security |
| Asia Vianna Leak | Mental Health Manager | Generation Hope |
| Miranda Marks | Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator | Interfaith Works |
| Kathleen Mason | Education Program Manager | Round House Theatre |
| Jessica McVary | Planning Supervisor | Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission – Montgomery Planning |
| Michael Mercier | Deputy Director of Advancement | Olney Theatre Center |
| Manuel Navarro | Systems Engineer/Journeyman | VTG Defense |
| Sebastian Perez | Business Financial Center Manager | State Employee Credit Unit (SECU) |
| Phallon Perry | Foundations & Corporate Relations Officer | Interfaith Works |
| Yesenia Regalado | Race Equity Network Builder | Impact Silver Spring |
| Erik Rivera | Senior Lead Physician | Holy Cross Hospital |
| Aisha Robinson | Provider Services Manager | Primary Care Coalition |
| Meghan Arbegast Smith | Volunteer Engagement Manager | The Children’s Inn at NIH |
| Kurt Turnier | Program Coordinator | Youth Development & Community Programs | Montgomery County Collaboration Council |