Dundalk Renaissance Adds 5 New Volunteers to its Board of Directors!
New Officers Elected. Four Longtime Board members Step Down.
Dundalk Renaissance is pleased to announce our 2020-21 Board of Directors, who met for the first time via Zoom on September 10, 2020. Joining us as new Board members this month are:
- Laticia Braxton
Owner of the new Plush Hair Studio in the Historic Dundalk Town Center and Director of Operations for Blue Ocean. - Cory D. Edwards, Vice President
Lifelong Dundalk resident who works as a School Emergency Management Specialist for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. - Lakeia Newkirk
Recent Dundalk home buyer and Dundalk Renaissance Home Buyer Grantee. Newkirk has a Masters in Public Health from Kapplan University and works as an IT professional with Internet Testing Solutions. - Jazmine Richison
Student majoring in psychology with a minor in political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Richison was recognized by Dundalk Renaissance with a 2019 Gemstone Award for her work as a student leader when she was at The Community College of Baltimore County.
- Cortney Robertson
Founder and CEO of I Believe in Me Girls, Inc., a mentoring initiative for girls in Turner Station and Woodlawn. Robertson grew up in Turner Station and was a 2020 Milestone Award recipient.
Our board members come from different backgrounds and career paths but are united by their desire to be a part of Dundalk’s future. “What excites me most is seeing how the Dundalk Renaissance is actively engaged in solidifying the forward trajectory of Dundalk,” explained Laticia Braxton.
We believe Dundalk’s best days are ahead of us and our board members do too. “I am most excited about Dundalk Renaissance’s growth potential to welcome and attract a diverse population while promoting and supporting the development of healthy communities,” Lakeia Newkirk said.
Our new Board members are joining an engaged and industrious team of volunteers who continue to guide the work of Dundalk Renaissance. Our existing board members are:
- Amanda Anderson, Vice President with Truist Bank
- Patricia Carroll, Manager of Community Relations with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
- Beth Christman, Pilot with the Association of Maryland Pilots
- Board President Dan Dawes, Co-Founder and CEO of Response Labs
- Treasurer Dawn Dishon-Feuer, a 4th generation Dundalkian and Personal Assistant with Santoro Psychological Services
- George Fotis, Owner of Drug City Pharmacy
- Patricia Quintero-Hall, Coordinator of Intercultural Engagement at The Community College of Baltimore County, Dundalk Campus
We are also pleased to announce new officers for the 2020-21 year: Dan Dawes, President; Cory D. Edwards, Vice President; and Amanda Anderson, Secretary. Dawn Dishon-Feuer continues to serve this year as our Treasurer. “Dundalk is ready to move into the prime time! I am eager to be more engaged as President in working with a great group of people and helping to ensure we are as effective as we can be,” shared new President Dan Dawes.
Further details about our Board can be found at www.dundalkusa.org/about-us/board-of-directors/ .
Finally, we want to wish a warm farewell to several departing board members, who helped strengthen our organization: Alexandria Montanio, who first got involved with DRC as a volunteer 7 years ago and served on our board for three years, two of them as President, and who works as an attorney at Gordon Feinblatt; Aaron Tomarchio, who has served on the board for 6 years and works as Vice President of Tradepoint Atlantic; Ashley Rogers, who has served multiple terms on our board over the past decade and has brought great energy to our organizational and board development, and who works as a Branch Manager for Anne Arundel County Public Library; Tom Hickey, Director of Procurement and Real Property Initiatives at the University System of Maryland, and Stephanie Jameson, owner of a State Farm Insurance agency in our Historic Dundalk Town Center and who served on and off over the years since the founding of our organization in 2001.
“It has been a tremendous honor to serve on the Board of Dundalk Renaissance Corporation and as its President the past two years. I am incredibly proud of the Dundalk Renaissance’s hard-working board and staff. I look forward to seeing what they do next and helping out wherever I am able,” expressed Alex Montanio.
As a nonprofit best practice, Dundalk Renaissance follows board term limits to ensure we continue to engage new leadership as part of our work. Board members serve on two-year terms, with a maximum of 6 consecutive years. The terms are staggered to ensure organizational continuity. In any one year only a portion of the board is up for election.
This year, our Board Governance committee redoubled their efforts to recruit a more racially and ethnically diverse board that can better reflect the range of experiences in the community we serve. Board development remains an ongoing effort as we seek to incorporate a wide range of skills and experiences.
We welcome inquiries about serving our organization as a volunteer in any capacity, including leadership on our Board. Please contact Amy Menzer, Executive Director, at amy@dundalkusa.org or go to our website to learn more about ways to get involved.