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