Economic Development and Jobs

Co-Chairs Jason Lee and Linda Thane-Morgan

Lee is the CEO of Lee Building Maintenance, Past President of the Carroll Creek Rotary, and Past Board Chair of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.

Thane-Morgan is President of Support Unlimited Inc., past Board Chair of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, and a current Trustee at the Community Foundation of Frederick County.

• Additional members: Tom Barse; Daryl Boffman; Jared Bowens; Lisette Colón; Shantay DeMar; Sharad Doshi; Khalil Elshazly; Wilford “Wil” Graham; Stephen Heine; Tad Janes; Louise Kennelly; Denny Remsburg; Luis Rugeles; Imran Siddiqui; Andrew St. John; and Emily Snyder.

Education and Workforce Development

Co-Chairs Missy Dirks and Melissa Muntz

Dirks is an elementary art teacher who has worked in Frederick County Public Schools for 26 years and has served as the President of the Frederick County Teachers Association since 2015.

Muntz is the Executive Director of the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick County. Melissa has worked for the Maryland State Legislature, United States Congress, and Capitol Hill lobbying firms.

Additional members: Kathie Callahan Brady; José Bueso; Michael Concepcion; Dr. Kevin Cuppett;  Lakshmi Darbha; Christy Graybeal, PhD; Tiffany Green; Hebba Hassanein; Claudia Hernandez; Carey Murphy; Andi Overton; Jen Staiger; and Desiree Tucker. 

Government Innovation

Co-Chairs Rachel Mandel, MD, and Gayon Sampson, MPA

Mandel is a healthcare executive with over 30 years of clinical, executive, administrative and consulting experience.

Sampson is the Chief of Staff to Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, and earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park.

• Additional members: Jon-Mikel Bailey; Edwina Benites-LM; Barbara Kershner Daniel; Don DeArmon; Dana French; Edmond B. (Ted) Gregory; Jeff Griffin; Stuart Harvey; Rev. Ronnie Henry; Stephen Lawrence McCoy; Joshua Pedersen; Justin Saltzman; Chloe Scott; and Stephen Slater.

Housing and Quality of Life

Co-Chairs Mark Long and Ryan Trout

Long served seven years on the Affordable Housing Council, seven years on the Board of Interfaith Housing Alliance, six years on the Board of Envision Frederick County, and on the scoping group for the South Frederick Corridors Plan of Livable Frederick. He serves as Chair of the Emmitsburg Planning Commission.

Trout is a senior level housing policy and program professional with more than 10 years of experience in the field including as an advocate, local and state government innovator, and stakeholder collaborator.

• Additional members: Danielle Adams; Kandy Alexander; Shayne Boucher; Carlton Boujai, Jr.; Peter Brehm; Mary Ann Brodie-Ennis; Jeff Cooper; Melanie P. Cox; Bruce Dean; Catherine Dorsey; Jazmin Di Cola; Hugh Gordon; Michael Hatfield; Veronica Henry; Ben MacShane; Mary-Ellen Mitchell; Eric Soter; and Bruce H Zavos.

Public Health and Human Services

Co-Chairs Malcolm Furgol and Dr. Denise Rollins

Furgol serves as the Executive Director of the Frederick County Health Care Coalition and previously worked as Director of Community Impact & Grants at United Way of Frederick County.

Rollins is the Executive Director of the Whole Heart Grief & Life Resource Center and co-owner of the Rollins Life Celebration Center. Born and raised in Frederick, MD, she has a B.S. in Accounting, M.A. in Thanatology, and PhD in Marriage & Family Therapy.

• Additional members: Tawanda Bailey; Michael Baran; Lisa Bromfield; Rosario Campos; Brooke DeSantis; Jacqueline Douge; Diana Fulchiron; Richard Haney; Danielle Haskin; Maria Herrera; Clare Madrigal; Stephen J. McKenna MD, MBA, FACS; Dr. Julio Menocal; Dr. Yewande A. Oladeinde; Pilar Olivo; Shahid Rafiq, MD;; and Sr. Roberta Treppa.

Public Safety

Co-Chairs Kim Dine and Clarence “Chip” Jewell

Dine has over four decades of uniformed, management, administrative, investigative, command, and executive leadership police experience at the municipal, federal, major city, and national level, including a decade as the Chief of Police of the City of Frederick.

Jewell retired in 2017 as Deputy Chief/Division Director of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services and served eight years as the Director of the Department of Emergency Communications. He is presently President/Deputy Chief of Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association.

• Additional members: Yemi Adeoye; Shannon Aleshire; Karl Bickel; Akiyyah Billups; David Brooks MA LCADC; Jessica Douglass; Marsha Flowers; Todd Johnson; Rabbi Jordan Hersh; Inga James; Sara Laird; Dr. Mark Landahl; Julius Levine; Tarolyn McKinney; Samuel K. Roop; Scott Rose; and Margaret A. Teahan.

Sustainability, Infrastructure and Transportation

Co-Chairs Dusty Rood and Barbara Trader

Rood is the President & CEO of Rodgers Consulting, Inc., a regional land use planning and civil engineering firm. A lifelong resident of Frederick, he is an avid fly fisherman, proud father of three and enjoys restoring his family's historic home in Urbana

Trader’s background spans natural resources management, recreation therapy, disability rights advocacy and nonprofit leadership. She worked with local groups to advance climate change action, including the Climate Emergency Resolution in 2020, then co-chaired the Climate Emergency Mobilization Workgroup and co-authored its report.

• Additional members: Karen Cannon; Harry George; Jeremy Holder; Jim Jamieson; Ronald Kaltenbaugh; Mark Lancaster; Veronica Lowe; R. Gary Magnuson; John Miller; Linda Norris-Waldt; William Reid; Lib Rood; Kelly Russell; and Chris Smariga.