Board
Douglas R. Mann
Maryland Institute College of Art
Chair
Doug Mann is the current Board Chair of Maryland Citizens for the Arts. He has served on the Board for the past 15 years, spending much of that time leading its advocacy efforts. Mr. Mann is currently the Vice President and CFO for the Maryland Institute College of Art. Prior to that, he served as Principal Analyst for the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee of the Maryland General Assembly.
Mr. Mann also serves on the Boards of Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance (AEMS) and the Maryland Film Industry Coalition, and on the Advisory Board for the D.C. Advocates for the Arts. He has a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University.
Mr. Mann has two children and resides in Severna Park, Maryland. Contact him at dmann@mica.edu.
Doreen Bolger
Baltimore Museum of Art
Vice Chair
Doreen Bolger, Director of The Baltimore Museum of Art since 1998, has led the BMA through a Strategic Plan that redefined its artistic focus as nineteenth century, modern, and contemporary art; placed greater emphasis on the riches of the Museum’s renowned art collections; initiated a series of high profile, BMA-organized scholarly exhibitions that have traveled nationally; made a renewed commitment to arts education and community engagement with the Museum; and called for increasing the Museum’s fundraising capacity. Ms. Bolger also plays a leadership role in the region’s cultural community, serving as Chair of the WYPR Community Advisory Board, and as a Board member of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, and the Charles Street Development Corporation. She is also a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee of the U.S. Mint.
Previously, Ms. Bolger served as Director of the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design. She had a long curatorial career, first at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and then at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. With a Ph.D. in Art History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, she has published extensively on American painting, drawings, and decorative arts.
The Honorable Adrienne Jones
Maryland House of Delegates
Vice Chair
Delegate Adrienne Jones has been a member of the House of Delegates since October 21, 1997, representing District 10. In addition to being Speaker Pro Tem, she is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and its public safety & administration subcommittee. She also provides leadership through the Legislative Policy, Spending Affordability, Rules and Executive Nominations and Legislative Ethics Committees. She is Chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee, and she is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.
Ms. Jones is the first Executive Director of the Baltimore County Office of Fair Practices and Community Affairs, a position she has held since 1995. She has faithfully served the citizens of Baltimore County for over 30 years in various positions since she was hired as a Clerk in 1976.
In addition to acting as Vice-Chair of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts Board of Trustees, Ms. Jones has served or is currently serving on several professional business and civic organizations such as the Maryland Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission; the Baltimore County Leadership (1986); the Leadership Alumni Board; the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Women Power Inc.; the Coalition of 100 Black Women; the Liberty/Randallstown Coalition; The Friends of Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and the 10th District Democratic Club, Family and Children Services Board, Friends of Randallstown Library, Liberty Road/Randallstown Economic Development Partnership.
In recognition of her public service, Ms. Jones has received numerous awards and honors, including: Community Services Award, Baltimore Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 1991; Citizens Award, Baltimore County Police Department, 1993; Award of Appreciation for Outstanding Services to the Asian/Indian Community, 1993; Valued Hours Award, The Fullwood Foundation, 1995; Award of Appreciation, Baltimore County Branch, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 1996; Meritorious Service Award, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., 1996; Governor's Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions in field of victims' rights and services, 1997; Delegate of the Year, Maryland State's Attorneys' Association, 1998; Parren J. Mitchell Award, Maryland Association of Equal Opportunity Professionals, 1999; Service Above Self Award for Outstanding Public Service, Woodlawn/Westview Rotary, 1999; Living Legacy Award, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, 2001; Award of Excellence, Women in Government Services, 2003; Outstanding Alumna of the Year, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2003; Maryland's Top 100 Women, Daily Record, 2002, 2004, 2007 (Circle of Excellence); Honorary Doctor of Law Degree, Goucher College, 2008.
Ms. Jones was born in Cowdensville, Maryland, an historic African-American community located near Arbutus, in Southwest Baltimore County. She attended Baltimore County Public Schools and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1976.She resides in Woodstock, Maryland with her husband, Henry Bell, and two sons Brandon and Daylan. She is a member of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church in Randallstown.
Lynn Deering
CenterStage
Secretary
In addition to her volunteer work with Maryland Citizens for the Arts, where she has served on the Board for over 15 years, Lynn Deering serves as a trustee on the Board of CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore, MD (previously President of the Board), and is a member of the National Council for the American Theatre. Mrs. Deering is also the President of The Charlesmead Foundation and a trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art, as well as a member of the National Advisory Board for the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and an active volunteer at the Joseph Richey Hospice in Baltimore.
Sander L. Wise
Gordon Feinblatt
Treasurer
Sander “Sandy” L. Wise joined the board of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Inc. in 1993 and originally served as treasurer from 2002-2003. He currently serves on the Finance and Nominating Committees. For the past 20 years he has been involved in a number of arts organizations, including as a board member & officer of the Shriver Hall Concert Series, and as board member of the Museum for Contemporary Arts. Additionally, Sandy has served on the boards of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and was an officer of Levindale for 12 years culminating in service as Chairman of the Board.
Sandy has been a Member and is currently Of Counsel at the law firm of Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, LLC, where he has been affiliated since 1961. Sandy was one of the first practitioners in Maryland to develop a focus in employee benefits law.
Mr. Wise is an engineering graduate of Cornell University and received his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Mr. Wise is an inveterate traveler and reader.
Carole Alexander
Anne Arundel County
Aaron Bryant
James E. Lewis Museum of Art, Morgan State University
Aaron Bryant is an Ann Wylie Fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park and a Smithsonian Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. He has taught history, cultural theory, and public leadership at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and the U.S. Department of the Interior. His past curatorial work includes “Epoch: The Legacy and Influence of Six Morgan Alumni,” “Most Daring Dream: Robert Houston Photography and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign;” and “William H. Johnson: An American Modern.” Additionally, he has researched and written content narratives for exhibitions at the National Electronics Museum, as well as the National Institutes of Health and Library of Medicine.
Bryant honors includes research grants and fellowships from the Lyndon Johnson Library and Foundation, the Maryland Historical Society, the Association of African American Museums, and the American Association of Museums. He is also a recipient of the Chesapeake American Studies and Gertrude Johnson Williams Writing Awards.
Formerly a consultant in business development, policy, and operations, Bryant’s articles have appeared in Black Enterprise, The Crisis Magazine, Black Issues Book Review, Callaloo, and the New England Theatre Journal. He is currently completing a chapter for the two-volume text Sounds of Resistance: The Role of Music in Multicultural Activism.
Bryant earned an BA in History from Duke, an MFA in Arts Management from Yale, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Ardath M. Cade
Anne Arundel County
Ardath Cade, a long time resident of Anne Arundel County, began her Maryland governmental career as County Administrator of Charles County. Thereafter she served on the State House staff of Acting Governor Blair Lee. During a the administration of Governor Hughes, as Asst. Secy of the Dept. of Economic and Community Development she oversaw housing and cultural programs , including the Maryland State Arts Council. Later, while a senior administrator in the Anne Arundel County Government, she was appointed by Governor Schaefer to membership on the Arts Council, and served as its Chairman in the late 90's.
She has been an MCA Board member since 1998 and has served as treasurer and vice chairman.
While not a professional artist or arts administrator, Ms. Cade, a harpist during her youth, and a photography enthusiast, continues as a strong supporter of diverse arts organizations, has co-chaired Maryland Arts Day for several years, and is active in the advocacy efforts of MCA's support of arts funding.
Theresa Cameron
Americans for the Arts
Theresa Cameron joined Americans for the Arts as Director of Membership in 2008. She is Director of Membership for Americans for the Arts and the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. She is responsible for realizing a comprehensive membership development plan that attracts a growing, dynamic, and diverse membership; provides valuable services to members; and increases earned-revenue dollars for the organization.
Previously, she was CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) in Maryland for 10 years where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the county's nonprofit local arts and humanities agency that included a staff of nine and a budget of over $4 million. While at AHCMC she developed Creative Montgomery: a countywide cultural planning process, as well assisting several organizations in developing cultural facilities including Strathmore Performing Arts Center. She also helped to create legislation for the state’s arts and entertainment districts. Prior to joining AHCMC, she worked in fundraising and also for 6 years as the senior program specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts in their Local Arts Agencies Program.
In addition to MCA, Theresa is affiliated with many different boards including: Immediate Past Chair of Maryland Association of Nonprofits Board, Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District, and many more. She also served on the Montgomery Count Conference and Visitor’s Bureau and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Leadership Maryland, Leadership Montgomery and was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.
Marva Jo Camp, Esq.
Prince George’s County
Jose Dominguez
Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center
Jose Dominguez is a veteran of the area's non-profit community and has more than fifteen years of experience in non-profit management and youth program development. Mr. Dominguez has managed grants at the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, developed events such as the DC Hip Hop Theatre Festival at the DC Art Commission, and directed after school programs at the Young Playwright’s Theater and the Shakespeare Theatre. Mr. Dominguez received his BA from Southern Methodist University and his MFA in Fine Arts from the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.
Sue Hess
Baltimore City
Sue Hess has been a leader and staunch defender of the arts in Maryland for over thirty years. Shortly after Francis Murnaghan, Jr., a longtime chairman of the Walters Art Museum, founded Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA) in 1977, he was appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court. He asked Ms. Hess to become the chair of MCA, which she did, and she has continued to serve MCA in various capacities ever since that time. Working on her own for the first three years at her kitchen table in Ocean City, Ms. Hess began forming a network of grassroots art supporters across the state, and she soon acquired a reputation for unflinching persistence in advocating for the arts in Maryland at any level at any time. Residing with her family in Salisbury, she was concerned that all Maryland citizens have access to the arts, especially students. Ms. Hess has been instrumental in driving the tremendous change and growth in MCA/MCAF over the years, and she continues to add her unique and seasoned perspective to the organization as the longest serving member on the Board of Trustees. Her passion for the arts and her credibility with the state’s elected leadership has yielded countless benefits for artists and audiences everywhere in her beloved State of Maryland.
Robert Huebner
Garrett County
Robert W. Huebner is retired from the University of Maryland, College Park, after serving on the Human Development faculty for 25 years. Prior to that he was a teacher and principal in K to 8 Lutheran Schools in Indiana, Illinois and Maryland.
In his retirement he has been active in a number of non-profit organizations and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Garrett County Habitat for Humanity, the Maryland Salem Children’s Trust, Garrett Cooperative Ministry (parent organization of Christian Crossing Thrift Shop), and Garrett Performing Arts Center, Inc.
In 2006 he was honored as “Garrett County’s Most Beautiful Person.”
William E. Kirwan, Ph.D.
University System of Maryland
William E. Kirwan has been chancellor of the University System of Maryland since 2002. Before joining the University System of Maryland (USM) as chancellor, Dr. Kirwan served as president of the Ohio State University for four years and president of the University of Maryland, College Park (one of USM’s 11 universities) for 10 years. He is a nationally recognized and respected authority on critical issues shaping the higher education landscape, including access and affordability, closing the achievement gap, cost containment, diversity, and accountability.
Among his many board leadership and membership positions, Dr. Kirwan chairs the College Board’s Commission on Access, Admissions, and Success in Higher Education and the National Research Council Board of Higher Education and Workforce. He also co-chairs the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. He serves on the boards of several regional groups, including the Maryland Economic Development Commission, Greater Baltimore Committee, and the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education.
Dr. Kirwan has received numerous awards. Most recently, he was named one of only four recipients nationwide of the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award.
Dr. Kirwan received his doctoral and master's degrees in mathematics from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky.
Laurence Levitan
Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver LLC
The Honorable Laurence Levitan served for 10 years as Chairman of the Judicial Compensation Commission and currently serves as a member of the Morgan State University Board of Regents. Formerly he was Chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee for 16 years, and served 24 years in the Maryland General Assembly with distinction from 1971-1994. He received many honors during his career of public service, including the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's "Public Affairs Award for Outstanding Contributions" for his efforts in improving government/business communication. Senator Levitan is a recognized expert in State budget and tax issues and represents clients before the Maryland Legislature, State agencies and local governments. In 2002, Senator Levitan was appointed as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Representative to the Commission on Maryland's Fiscal Structure.
Julie Madden
Howard County
Julia S. Madden has been involved with MCA for over ten years, first as a Board member from 1998 through 2003 serving on the Advocacy sub-committee and the Governor’s Arts Awards committee. She has served on the MCA Board again since 2007 as Co-Chair of the Advocacy sub-committee, contributes to the efforts of the Maryland Arts Day 2010 committee, and serves on the Executive Committee. Over the past twenty-two years she has enjoyed working with various cultural organizations including serving on the Board of Directors of the African Art Museum of Maryland, Maryland Artists Equity Foundation and World Artists Experience. In addition, she has served the Baltimore Museum of Art as a member of the Accessions Committee, on the Advisory Committee of Art Education in Maryland Schools, the Maryland Sister State Cultural sub-committee and as a member of the National Portrait Society. Ms. Madden volunteered for three years for the office of the registrar for the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She was appointed to serve the State of Maryland as Director of Arts and Community Outreach, implementing cultural initiatives for the Office of the Governor.
She holds a B.A. in Art History and is currently working on a Masters degree in the Smithsonian-Corcoran History of Decorative Arts program.
Ms. Madden’s professional career outside of the arts involved working for many years in the financial industry as a Commodities Futures broker and Securities registered representative in Washington, D.C. and New York City. She also maintains professional Insurance licenses in Property, Casualty, Life and Health insurance.
Her passions are her husband and teenaged daughter as well as travel, reading, writing, and collecting art.
Mary Ann E. Mears
Arts Education in Maryland Schools
Mary Ann Mears is a sculptor who has been commissioned to create site-specific art for public sites across a number of states including Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, New York, and Washington, D.C. Within her home state of Maryland, her commissioned works are located in Bethesda, Rockville, Cheverly, Belair, Glen Burnie and at several locations in Baltimore. Her most recent major project, Lotus Columns, was just installed in Silver Spring. She is also a volunteer arts advocate. Her achievements include being a founder of Maryland Art Place and helping to craft and successfully lobby for Maryland’s Public Art Bill. She is a trustee of Maryland Citizens for the Arts as well as the founder of Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) Alliance. She serves on the Maryland State Department of Education’s Fine Arts Education Advisory Panel. She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in the Fine Arts from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). In 2009, she received the Distinguished Service to the Arts Award from the National Governors Association.
Paul Meecham
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Paul Meecham was named President and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in October of 2006. He is also a board member of Maryland Citizens for the Arts and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
Paul Meecham has held leadership positions in the classical music industry in London, San Francisco, New York and most recently in Seattle, where he served as the Executive Director of the Seattle Symphony from 2004-2006. Among his achievements, he launched the first-ever Seattle Symphony national radio broadcast series and a series of commercial recordings of American music on the Naxos label. He increased the Symphony's commitment to family programming and community outreach, and worked closely with Maestro Gerard Schwarz on the two highly acclaimed Made in America festivals. He led a financial restructuring that included negotiation of a four-year collective bargaining agreement with the Seattle musicians, and secured a $5 million gift to the Symphony's endowment and a $900,000 three-year grant from the Mellon Trust.
Prior to Seattle, Mr. Meecham was General Manager of the New York Philharmonic (1999-2003) and San Francisco Symphony (1997-99). As Managing Director of the London Sinfonietta for six years beginning in 1991, he restored the ensemble’s position as the pre-eminent European 20th-century music orchestra, increasing international demand for concerts, touring and recording.
Paul Meecham was musically trained on piano and violin and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree. After a career in music publishing as Head of Publicity at the London firm of Boosey & Hawkes, he moved into orchestra management in 1988, as Head of Marketing at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Meecham is married and has two young children.
Erik H. Neil, Ph.D.
Academy Art Museum
Erik Neil became the Director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland in June 2010. He has been running museums since 1999 when he started as the Director of the Newcomb Art Gallery of Tulane University. More recently he was the Director of the Heckscher Museum in Huntington, New York. Since coming to Easton, Erik has focused new attention on the educational programs of the Museum while sustaining the strong performances and exhibitions. He is a trained Art Historian with degrees from Princeton and Harvard Universities. His area of specialization is Italian Renaissance and Baroque architecture. He remains active in the field, publishing scholarly articles and participating in international conferences. As a curator he has worked in many areas including Contemporary Photography, African Art, Modern Architecture, and the History of Gardens. Originally from the Washington DC area, Erik is married to an artist, Luisa Adelfio, and they have four daughters ranging in age from 9 to 20. They enjoy traveling and try to spend part of each year in Italy.
Cheryl A. Nemazie
Art Institute & Gallery
Cheryl Nemazie is a documentary, fine art and commercial photographer who concentrates on humanitarian efforts of international aid organizations across the globe. She exhibits her documentary and fine art photography regularly, and two images from her series on Rakai, Uganda, Children Raising Children: Living in the Wake of AIDS, have been recognized by the American Society of Media Photographers in a national exhibition at GalleryFCB in New York City.
Through her agency, Studio C. Design + Photography, Inc., she works both internationally and domestically as an art director for large-scale photoshoots in the hospitality industry — managing, directing, and styling architectural, food and lifestyle photography. Locally, she photographs commercial images for architecture, product, and annual reports.
In 2010, Cheryl was named President of the Board for the Art Institute & Gallery in Salisbury, Maryland. In her role, she represents the governing body (Board of Directors) of the AI&G, overseeing development and implementation of strategic plans for the Institute. She coordinates efforts of administrative staff, executive committees, and Board of Directors in realizing the AI&G mission: "To enhance the visual arts in the mid-Delmarva region through art exhibitions and education for children and adults."
Eliot Pfanstiehl
Strathmore Hall Foundation
Eliot Pfanstiehl is the President and CEO of Strathmore Hall Foundation, Inc., which operates and presents programming at Strathmore, a multi-disciplinary arts center, including the Music Center and the Mansion at Strathmore, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Mr. Pfanstiehl has held this position since the Foundation’s inception in 1983.
Born in the District of Columbia and a graduate of George Washington University with a B.A. in Psychology, Mr. Pfanstiehl's career is a mixture of arts management, education, leadership training and organizational development. He has led over 250 board and strategic planning retreats for a range of non-profit civic, arts and social service organizations, government agencies and businesses.
Mr. Pfanstiehl has been a founder, president or chair of Montgomery County Arts Council, the Round House Theatre, the League of Washington Theatres, the Maryland State Arts Council and Maryland Citizens for the Arts. His past board service includes the Friends of the Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, Black Rock Arts Center, Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, Maryland Association of Non-profit Organizations, Montgomery County Conference and Visitors Bureau and MetroArts I, II and III. He was the founding President of Maryland Leadership Workshops and is the ongoing program facilitator for Leadership Maryland, Leadership Montgomery, Leadership Allegany, Leadership Washington County, Leadership Anne Arundel and is a graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Washington.
Mr. Pfanstiehl was named 2000 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine, the Washington Business Journal named him one of the “People to Watch” in 2005, and he was awarded Outstanding Leader of the Year by Leadership Montgomery in 2008.
Eliot and his archaeologist wife, Cynthia are the proud parents of four children. They live in Silver Spring, Maryland where they are active in school, church, and community affairs.
Blake Robison
Round House Theatre
Blake Robison is in his fifth season as Producing Artistic Director of Round House Theatre. Since his arrival there, he has launched the company’s Literary Works Project, re-envisioned its educational programming, created RHT’s artist laboratory The Kitchen, and commissioned new works from some of the country’s most exciting up and coming playwrights. At the same time, he has kept the organization on sound financial footing by increasing both earned and contributed revenue and growing its endowment funds.
Round House directing credits include Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s modernized The Picture of Dorian Gray (world premiere); Karen Zacarias’ How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents (world premiere) adapted from Julia Alvarez’s celebrated novel; a rock music and dance infused Lord of the Flies; Ken Ludwig’s new adaptation of Treasure Island; a three-actor treatment of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment; the Helen Hayes nominated production of John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany; and the American premiere of Neil Bartlett’s Camille. Other directing includes productions at Folger Theatre, National Shakespeare Company, PlayMaker’s Repertory Company, Clarence Brown Theatre, Vermont Stage, Piccolo Spoleto, and the Avignon “Off” Festival.
Previously, Blake has held leadership positions at The Clarence Brown Theatre (Producing Artistic Director, 2000-2005), National Shakespeare Company (Producing Director, 1998-2000), and Vermont Stage Company (Co-Founder/Artistic Director, 1994-1999). He created revivals of The Dresser starring John Cullum; The Rainmaker with David Keith; and The Glass Menagerie with Rosemarie Prinz; as well as the world premiere of Dana Yeaton’s Mad River Rising (Moss Hart Award), the American premiere of George Tabori’s The Brecht File, and the creation of Babel – an international theatre piece in twelve languages with Alain Timar’s Théâtre des Halles.
Blake is a graduate of Williams College, The British American Drama Academy, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Silver Spring with his wife, Connan Morrissey, and their sons Declan and Callum.
Everett J. Santos
Anne Arundel County
Mr. Santos served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Latin America Infrastructure Fund (LAIF), a private equity fund with over US$1 billion in assets until his retirement in 2006. Mr. Santos has served on the Board of Advisors of the Inter-American Dialogue, on the Board of Directors of the Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA) and on the Advisory Board of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA). Mr. Santos previously served over 20 years with the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, as Director, Department of Investments, Infrastructure, Director, Department of Investments, Latin America and as Senior Counsel, Office of the General Counsel. Prior to joining the IFC, Mr. Santos worked with USAID and the Central Bank of Brazil. He served as Legal Consultant for USAID to the Central Bank of Brazil to assist in the development of Brazil’s securities markets (1972-1974). He has additionally worked as Legal Consultant for the Organization of American States to the Venezuelan National Securities Commission (1973), in private practice (1970-1971), as Attorney-Advisor to the Office of General Counsel for the US Commission on Civil Rights (1967-1970), and as Attorney and Financial Analyst for the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Corporate Finance (1966-1967). Other professional experience includes his work for U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie in drafting the original bill and assisting the Senator in preparations for hearings which led to the creation of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Mr. Santos also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and was recently visiting professor at SAIS (John Hopkins University on private equity in emerging markets.
Andy Vick
Allegany Arts Council
Andy Vick has been the Executive Director of the Allegany Arts Council since April of 2003. He and his wife, Beth Piver, were full-time artists when they relocated to Western Maryland from Fairfax, Virginia in March of 1998, and they continue to be active contributors in the local arts community. Prior to his career in the arts, Andy was employed as a Marketing Director and as a Manager of Human Resources for businesses in the Washington, DC area. In addition to his role as Executive Director of the Allegany Arts Council, Andy is the Chairman of the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority (the State of Maryland’s first certified heritage area). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Maryland Citizens for the Arts, the Maryland Tourism Development Board, and the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, and is a Past-President of the Rotary Club of Cumberland. Andy is a member the City of Cumberland’s Downtown Development Commission (which oversees the City's Main Street Program), a member of The Greater Cumberland Committee, and is the co-Coordinator for the Arts & Entertainment Districts in Downtown Cumberland and Downtown Frostburg. In his spare time, Andy is also an experienced public speaker and consultant on the topic of using the Arts as a tool for economic development and community revitalization.
Gary Vikan, Ph.D.
The Walters Art Museum
Gary Vikan was named Director of the Walters Art Museum in 1994 after serving as the museum’s Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Medieval Art since 1985. Before coming to the Walters, Dr. Vikan was Senior Associate for Byzantine Art Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC. A native of Minnesota, he received his B.A. from Carleton College in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1976.
Dr. Vikan’s vision was the driving force behind the renovation of the Centre Street Building in 2001. During his tenure Dr. Vikan secured three major collections: the John and Berthe Ford Collection of the Arts of India, Nepal and Tibet; the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Collection of South-East Asian Art, and the John Bourne Collection of the Arts of the Ancient Americas; since 1995, he has assembled at the Walters the finest collection of Ethiopian art outside of its native country. Two hallmarks of his directorship have been the change in the Walters’ name from “gallery” to “museum” in 2000 and, in 2006, the elimination of its general admission fee.
An internationally known medieval art scholar, Dr, Vikan has curated a number of the most significant exhibitions in the museum’s history, including Gates of Mystery: The Art of Holy Russia (1992) and African Zion: The Sacred Art of Ethiopia (1993). Trained as a Byzantinist, he has published and lectured extensively on topics as varied as early Christian pilgrimage, medicine and magic, icons, the Shroud of Turin, and Elvis Presley. His most recent book, Early Byzantine Pilgrimage Art, will be published in 2010 by Dumbarton Oaks; he is currently working on a book-length study entitle Pilgrimage to Graceland. Dr. Vikan is adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University, Department of Art History, and a faculty member in the Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies.
In 1999 Dr. Vikan was appointed by President Clinton to his Cultural Property Advisory Committee, a post he held until 2003. He was honored by the French Minister of Culture and Communication with Knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) in 2000. In 1999, he was the American Association of Museum Directors’ representative to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States. He has served or is currently serving on a number of boards, including Maryland Citizens for the Arts, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, the Maryland Humanities Council, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors’ Association, and St. Timothy’s School. He currently serves on advisory boards for the Getty Leadership Institute and the Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University.
Christopher R. West
Semmes, Bowen & Semmes
Mr. West graduated from Williams College in 1972 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1975. He is the head of the Business Law Department of the firm of Semmes, Bowen & Semmes in Baltimore and is also a member of the Firm's Management Committee. His practice focuses on venture capital, commercial lending and business and commercial law. He is one of approximately eight lawyers in the country who devote a substantial portion of their practices to the representation of Small Business Investment Companies, venture capital firms that are licensed by the U. S. Small Business Administration.
Additionally, Mr. West has served as President of the Baltimore City Bar Association and has served on the Maryland State Bar Association's Board of Governors. For twenty years, he served as counsel for the Maryland Republican Party. In a non-law capacity, Mr. West has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Maryland Citizens for the Arts since 1997 and was the President of Maryland Citizens from 2004-2006, is the past President and a continuing board member of the Young Victorian Theatre Company, and for five years was a member of the Maryland State Arts Council, serving as its Vice President in 2006-2007.
George W. Johnston
Venable, LLC
Trustee Emeritus
George Johnston has a nationally recognized labor and employment practice, and is a partner at Venable, LLC.
Recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment Law (Woodward/White), where he's been listed for more than 15 years, Mr. Johnston is widely respected in the employment bar. He is invited to serve on major federal court committees. For more than 30 years, he has worked effectively with enforcement agencies on the federal, state and local levels, and has trained agency personnel.
Mr. Johnston has served as Venable's Chief Operating Officer and head of its Litigation Division.
Mr. Johnston is a prominent lecturer and has participated in seminars for OFCCP Roundtable and regional group discussions of recent developments in employment law and new directions in affirmative action.
He is a civic leader in both technology training and the arts. He has chaired the Baltimore Urban League Advisory Board, the Information Processing Training Center Board and served on the Affirmative Action Subcommittee of the United Way.
He has chaired Maryland Citizens for the Arts and Arts Education in Maryland Schools. Mr. Johnston also serves as a trustee of the Walters Art Museum.