Greetings!

Eliot Pfanstiehl, Chair, MLW Board

After three years of planning, debates and many rounds of voting, the new Board of Directors of Maryland Leadership Workshops convened on April 28th in the conference room at the Maryland State Chamber of Commerce in Annapolis.

With unveiled enthusiasm, every member of the Board related their unrehearsed but passionate connection to the value and legacy MLW has brought to their career, the life of their children, and the quality of their community.

To "stand up" a Board, so completely and deeply engaged in the mission of a non-profit, is exceedingly rare and a harbinger of good things to come for our future youth leaders in Maryland. 

The "MLW peer teaching model" remains the core of our past reputation and future success. As one person put it, "We're putting MLW on a solid foundation to better support the scaffolding that is constructed year after year."   The building of the foundation has begun.  With only three meetings a year, most of the work will be done in small teams and reported out at the Board meetings in fall, winter and spring on the following tasks:

• updating operational and administrative procedures;
• assessing long-term program impact;
• developing branding and marketing strategies for MLW;
• seeking new corporate and foundation support;
• building an effective Statewide legislative constituency in Annapolis;
• instituting a Governance/Nominating Committee for the Board;
• reviewing and revising investment strategies and endowment plans and
• proactively building relations with each of the LEA's throughout Maryland for future recruitment and program expansion. 

Central to all of this work is our new Executive Director, Ilaya Hopkins, who coordinates the activities of the entire organization. Ron remains the President of the Program Board and sits on the Board of Directors to insure continuing program quality. Marcy Leonard, formally Treasurer and now Financial Secretary will also attend Board meetings to insure continuity and collaboration.

I was the first president when MLW formally incorporated four decades ago, so it is both an honor and a solemn privilege, along with this talented team, to construct the sturdy foundation of our collective MLW future. It is the time.

Eliot Pfanstiehl

Chair, MLW Board of Directors

This is indeed a landmark day in MLW's history! In accordance with the bylaws approved on May 14, 2010, a new MLW organizational structure is now in effect.  The major goal of new MLW structure is to create a sustainable model to help guarantee the future of MLW.

Members of the Board of Directors hail from all corners of the great State of Maryland and are listed at www.mlw.org.  Each in his or her own way is already familiar with the MLW magic and the transformative impact we have on society's greatest resource - young people.  Indeed every member of the Board of Directors is either a:

• Former MLW staffer or program director (6 members);
• Former MLW delegate (7 members);
• Parent of MLW delegate (8 members);
• Former MLW client (4 members); and/or
• Leadership Maryland graduate (14 members)

Most members of the Board wear two or more of the above hats.  The MLW Board of Directors is chaired by Eliot Pfanstiehl, President and CEO of Strathmore Hall Foundation. Eliot wears all 5 of the above hats. In addition, he served as the first MLW President and first Executive Director of the Maryland Association of Student Councils.  I can think of no person more ideal than Eliot to lead MLW at this juncture. 

As President of the Program Board, I will serve ex-officio as a member of the Board of Directors - a board that will serve as ambassadors of MLW throughout Maryland who will help us generate the resources necessary to keep the MLW magical flame ignited for another half century and beyond! Our future has never looked so bright!

Best regards,

Ron Dhindsa, President

It is our pleasure to announce that Zack Jamison has been named Summer Workshop Outreach Team (S.W.O.T.) Director. Zack has staffed a number of outreach programs over the past two summer and we are very excited and confident in his abilities to successfully lead these critical programs.

It's also our pleasure to announce that Catherine McCall has been appointed to fill the remainder of Rourke O'Brien's term on the Program Board (Through October 2012). Catherine brings a wealth of MLW and professional experiences and will be a welcome addition back to the Program Board.

Our 2011 Staff

Advanced Leadership Seminar  - Farah Sheikh, Director

Senior High Workshop -  

Jackie Fludd & Derrcyk Fletcher, Directors

Middle School Experience in Leadership -

Kevin Tervala and Adam Carey, Directors

Journey - Kea McKoy, Director

Office Staff -  Kevin Tervala and Youcef Menasria

Alumni News 

Allyson Schaffier is finishing up her second year in college at Howard University and was recently elected community service director for her political science society. She received a 4.0 last semester and hopes to maintain that GPA! She is happy healthy and excited for MLW this summer!

Soham U. Dave (MSEL,SHW,ALS Alum, MSEL, ALS Staff) was elected President of the Student Government Association of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) in March, capturing 100% of the vote.  His year long term will begin July 1, 2011.  As president, Soham will represent the views of the 800 WVSOM students to the faculty, administration, and Board of Governors.

Steph Barnes is moving to Boston this fall to start a Masters in Voice / Opera at New England Conservatory! Congratulations to Steph!

Grant Kilduff is recovering well from his surgery on his torn ACL. He recently got his driver's license and just got elected SGA president for his upcoming senior year! Good news on all fronts. 

Lauren Lee and her husband Jake are expecting their first child in July.  They are very excited and can't wait for a future MLW delegate to join the mix!

Chasen Hughes has been accepted and is attending North Georgia with an Army ROTC scholarship in the Fall.  Congrats!

Devita Bishundat is now working at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) in DC as their Program Manager for the APIASF Scholarship Program.  Devita is responsible for overseeing and managing the development, administration and implementation of the APIASF Scholarship Program.  She also recruits, trains and coordinates volunteers who serve as readers for the scholarship program.  Additional activities include analyzing, assessing and enhancing the operations of the scholarship program which serves this year will be serving over 500 students annually.

SHW director Derryck Fletcher got married to his bride Alexius Vice on Saturday, April 30th at the Church of Redeemed of the Lord.  Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

Kelly McCartney received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Vietnam next year for 10 months!

Geoff Burgan is graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in News Editorial Journalism and a Double Major in Government & Politics this month.  He is still job hunting down on Capitol Hill.  Good luck and congrats to Geoff!!!

Check out Brad Sanzenbacher's website at http://www.bradsanzmusic.com/ or "like" Brad Sanzenbacher Music on Facebook!

Two months into the job, Ilaya Hopkins is getting familiar with MLW jargon and has even been to Ron's basement. There is no turning back now!  She has jumped in to assist with program recruitment, support program directors as they train their staffs, field parent phone calls, chase down applicants who are missing pieces from their files, and orient the new Board of Directors to the important work of MLW.  And she is loving it all!

Ilaya is a resident of Montgomery County and has been an active leader in her community for the last decade, taking on education, land use and transportation issues. She is a graduate of the Leadership Montgomery Core Class 2010.  This culminated in her bid to serve on the Montgomery County Council in the 2010 election. Prior to her civic engagement, she was an organizational development consultant for high tech companies and worked at the United States Information Agency in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on international academic exchanges.  She received her Masters from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.