Our Staff & Board

Meet the dynamic group of people responsible for championing the humanities throughout Maryland!

Group photo of Maryland Humanities staff

Our Staff

Isabella Altherr
Program Assistant
Chautauqua, Maryland History Day & Veterans Oral History Project
(410) 685-0452
Email

Eden Etzel
Program Assistant
Maryland Center for the Book
(410) 685-3715
Email

Adrienne Gieszl
Advancement Associate
(410) 246-9415
Email

Marilyn Hatza
Program Officer
Grants & Strategic Partnerships
(410) 685-4187
Email

Aaron Heinsman
Director of Advancement
(410) 685-4183
Email

Anna Keneda
Maryland History Day Outreach Assistant
Email

Kelly King
Grants Specialist
(410) 685-1653
Email

Jim Kitterman
Fiscal Officer
(410) 685-4182
Email

Grace Leatherman
Maryland History Day Outreach Coordinator
Email

Andrea Lewis
Program Officer
Maryland Center for the Book
(410) 685-6161
Email

Susan Millard
Office Manager
(410) 685-4184
Email

Phoebe Stein
Executive Director
(410) 685-0095
Email

Christine Stewart
Program Officer
Chautauqua, Maryland History Day & Veterans Oral History Project
(410) 685-4185
Email

Sarah Weissman
Communications Specialist
(410) 685-4186
Email

Theresa Worden
Program Coordinator
Grants & Museum on Main Street
(410) 685-0303
Email

MHC Board Members

Our Board

Cynthia Raposo, Chair
Montgomery County

Keith Stone, Vice Chair
Baltimore City

James (Jim) Cornelsen, Treasurer
Charles County

Silvia Golombek, Secretary
Baltimore County

Ronald (Pete) Lesher, Jr.*,
Government Liaison
Talbot County

Allyson Black
Anne Arundel County

Elizabeth (Liz) Cannon
Frederick County

Scott Casper
Howard County

Mary Kay Finan
Allegany County

Rian Hargrave
Baltimore City

Mary Hastler*
Harford County

Mark Irwin
Montgomery County

Julia (Julie) Madden*
Howard County

Tahira Mahdi
Baltimore County

Tiffany McGhee
Baltimore County

Heather Mitchell
Howard County

Maarten L. Pereboom
Wicomico County

Jeanne Pirtle
St. Mary’s County

Gale Rasin
Kent County

Thomas (Tom) B. Riford
Washington County

Nancy Rogers
Montgomery County

Stephen J. Sfekas
Baltimore City

Jennifer Shea
Montgomery County

Guffrie M. Smith, Jr.
Calvert County

*Gubernatorial appointee

  • “[Participation in the program] continues to remind that as humans, we are diverse and handle situations in accordance with who we are as individuals. Being so reminded fosters patience and empathy in dealing with everyone I come in contact with.”

    ​Literature & Medicine participant

  • “I had never done anything like this before so it was a totally new experience to write a paper, be interviewed, and defend my positions. I now really know how to do research and it has improved my writing skills.”

    ​Maryland History Day student

  • “[My son] became a real expert in his topic and, he says, developed a life-long love of history, especially the history of music. I cannot thank you enough for this rare and incredible opportunity.”

    Andrea LeWinter, parent of Maryland History Day participant

  • “My students have been removed from their home schools. Right away, they made comments about the diction of the text, how it seemed realistic to them and they pointed out words they would have changed. We talked about word choice, slang, etc. I had 2 instances where students were excited to see me because they had events similar to the book happen to them and they needed to tell someone. They want to know how to change things. […] These kids typically failed English class or were chronic non-attenders or were removed before they came here. They are excited about reading a book! Teacher librarian win!”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “The project definitely raised the visibility of our organization in western Maryland. Spruce Forest Artisan Village has become a fixture in Garrett County, but it does become taken for granted. This project gave local residents a new reason to make the effort to make a return visit to the Village. Moreover, the programs hosted by the adjacent Penn Alps Restaurant helped us in reaching a new audience.”

    ​Kara Rogers Thomas ~ Frostburg State University faculty, and Board Member at Spruce Forest Artisan Village, Grantsville, MD, Host Site, Museum on Main Street

  • “During a vascular conference a patient with an extensive medical history was being discussed. The surgeons were going over multiple surgical possibilities for the patient. I spoke up and suggested pallative care. They admitted it wasn’t a bad idea. Nothing they were discussing was going to provide any long term benefit. I am not sure I would have thought of pallitive care, let alone, speak up to a group of surgeons without having been in Literature in Medicine.”

    ​Literature & Medicine participant

  • “Funding from the Maryland Humanities to distribute our first publication allowed Wide Angle Youth Media to expand our reach and share youth voice in a way we have never done before. With your support, this project has not only been successful in programmatic outcomes, but has inspired and empowered young people, giving them the platform to become published artists and share their voices in our city and beyond.”

    Wide Angle Youth Media, Humanities Fund for Baltimore grantee, Baltimore City

  • We were enabled to go into the community and get information from real people. Also, the assignment was pretty subjective so we were able to take it in any way we liked. We led the projects and each one is so different from the next.

    Standing Together: Veterans Oral History Project, student participant

  • “This was the first time I felt comfortable admitting that I was a female Viet Nam vet!”

    Veterans Book Group participant

  • “Talking with students also helps those of us who have said little about our combat experiences because, in a sense, we feel guilty about why others died and not us/me? So, to be able to talk about it helps the veterans. The opportunity you provided to both students and veterans is wonderful and I do hope that our messages are meaningful to students.”

    ​Standing Together: Veterans Oral History Project, veteran participant

  • “It is difficult to properly express our gratitude to Maryland Humanities for the help and support that we received through the grant-making process and through the project. The grant was crucial to the success of the project, and instrumental in bringing the poet (and 2016 MacArthur Fellow) Claudia Rankine to our campus. As the author of “Citizen: An America Lyric,” Rankine’s powerful reading and discussion of her work provided the anchor for our programming about public education and the role it plays in shaping the political citizen… (Maryland Humanities staff) were a constant source of encouragement and support–and we are proud to have been one of the projects that it recognized this year.”

    Dr. Kimberly Coles ~ Chair, Education and Citizenship Project Committee, University of Maryland College Park

  • “[I enjoyed the] thoughtful discussion about complex social issues that gave me hope for our future.”

    Pulitzer 100 event attendee

  • Thank you once again for the opportunity for me to share with your students a little about my Vietnam experiences. What you are doing is very special and I hope you will be able to continue this fine effort.

    Standing Together: Veterans Oral History Project, veteran participant

  • “Left on my own, I would choose the same kind of books over and over again. Now, [participating in One Maryland One Book,] my reading experience is broader and richer and all the more enjoyable.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • Humanities matter because humanity matters. The best thoughts, the highest questions, the most profound actions of courage and sacrifice are found in written accounts, art, and creative expressions throughout the ages. To study the humanities is to study oneself in a way that develops cultural literacy, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant
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About Us
Maryland Humanities is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities.
Maryland Humanities
108 West Centre Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4565
(410) 685-0095
(410) 685-0795 fax
info@mdhumanities.org
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