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ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED – BUT WE WELCOME WALK-INS AT PROGRAM!
The Patuxent Partnership invites members and colleagues to join us for our Annual Meeting! Executive Director, Ms. Bonnie Green, will provide a brief year in review of TPP’s programs, engagements and support in the community – as well as information about SOMD Workforce Development initiatives. Attendees will also learn about what is happening and what’s to come at University System of MD in Southern MD and the AeroPark Innovation District., and what the passage of the Southern Maryland Heritage Act means for the tri-county area.
Speakers include:
*Dr. Eileen Abel, Executive Director at University System of Maryland in Southern Maryland (USMSM)
*Mr. Chris Kaselemis, Executive Director, St. Mary’s County Dept of Economic Development.
*Ms. Lucille Walker, Executive Director, Southern MD Heritage Area and Destination Southern MD
AGENDA
8:00 a.m. Check in and coffee
8:30 a.m. Welcome/ TPP Year in Review/ Recognition of new and outgoing board members
Ms. Bonnie Green, Executive Director, TPP
8:40 a.m. USMSM Overview – Dr. Eileen Abel
Executive Director, University System of Maryland, in Southern Maryland (USMSM)
8:55 a.m. AeroPark Innovation District – Mr. Chris Kaselemis
Executive Director, St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development
9:05 a.m. Updates on Southern MD Heritage Area – Ms. Lucille Walker
Executive Director, Southern MD Heritage Area/Destination Southern MD
9:15 a.m. SOMD 2030 (Workforce development and paid internships)
Ms. Bonnie Green
9:30 a.m. Conclude
About the Speakers
Eileen Abel, Ph.D., was named Executive Director, University System of Maryland in Southern Maryland (USMSM) in November 2019. Dr. Abel served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) for four years prior serving in this position. She has more than 35 years of experience in higher education. Key among her CSM accomplishments have been overseeing the college-to-work pathways in engineering and cyber security with local military facilities; developing internship support for students engaged in research with the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), and working with St. Mary’s County Public Schools to create an early college academy at CSM’s Leonardtown campus for fall 2021. In providing leadership for faculty-led academic departments, the library, tutoring center, and other important divisions, she has managed an overall budget of $22.5 Million.
Before joining CSM, Abel was vice president of academic affairs at Raritan Valley Community College, a regional community college in Somerville, N.J. While there, she provided leadership for faculty-led academic departments, academic program review and assessment, academic support services, career advising, and transfer agreements. Abel holds a doctorate in English from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she also earned an M.A. in English. She earned her B.A. (international studies) at the College of Wooster in Ohio.
Chris Kaselemis, AICP, was appointed Director of Economic Development for St. Mary’s County in 2015. He previously worked for the City of Tucson for 28 years, holding various positions including Assistant to the City Manager and Economic Initiatives Program Director. He has been certified by the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Since coming to St. Mary’s County, Chris has helped guide the completion of the County’s “Strategic Plan to Build an Innovation Economy,” has led the effort to stand up the County’s first business technology incubator, and has led a consultant review of the County’s development review process. He received his B.S. degree and his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.
Lucille Walker has been the Executive Director of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area (also known as Destination Southern Maryland) for the past 6 years. She is the Chair and legislative lead for the statewide Maryland Heritage Area Coalition, and Vice-Chair of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). She serves on a number of statewide boards and steering committees and is the Cultural Heritage representative on the Advisory Council for the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Ms. Walker received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, followed by graduate studies at Oxford University. She received her Master’s degree in Liberal Arts (Great Books Program) from St. John’s College, Annapolis. She is a passionate advocate for the distinct heritage of the Southern Maryland region.
The Southern Maryland Heritage Area (a state-based heritage area) is in the process of becoming the 56th National Heritage Area in the United States, with legislation introduced into the U.S. Congress by Senator Ben Cardin and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, with the support of Senator Chris Van Hollen. This designation will raise the national and international profile of the region. Additionally, this heritage area has created the Maryland Rediscovery 400 initiative, with the purpose of telling a more complete history of Maryland and its beginnings, with a focus on descendant populations, African Americans, and First Peoples.
REGISTRATION
→ Registration is complimentary for all attendees.
→ Please register here. <<Attendees do not have to be TPP members>>
**Long form of registration link: https://paxpartnership.app.neoncrm.com/eventReg.jsp?event=350&
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