Our Staff & Board

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

Our Staff

Claudia Allen (she/her)
Director of Advancement
(410) 618-5633
callen[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Isabella Altherr (she/her)
Program Coordinator
History
(410) 685-0452
ialtherr[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Lindsey Baker (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer
(410) 699-3130
lbaker[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Ellie Benedict (she/her)
Development Specialist
(410) 618-5725
ebenedict[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Stephanie Boyle (she/her)
Program Officer
History
(410) 685-4185
sboyle[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Alexandra Cenatus
(she/her/ella/elle/li)
Director of Programs
(410) 618-0753
acenatus[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Aditya Desai (he/him)
Program Officer
Literature
(410) 618-3769
adesai[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Eden Etzel (she/her)
Program Assistant
Maryland Center for the Book
(410) 685-3715
eetzel[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Robert Forloney (he/him)
Program Officer
Partnerships
(410) 541-7612
rforloney[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Lia Özizmirli (she/her)
Maryland History Day Outreach & Professional Development Coordinator
(410) 618-5429
latanat[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Emily Ross (she/her)
Program Officer, Grants
(410) 618-5017
eross[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Camilla Sandoval (she/her)
Program Coordinator
Grants & Community Engagement
(410) 762-8663
csandoval[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Emmie Schulz (she/her)
Maryland History Day Outreach & Professional Development Assistant
(410) 618-5709
emiliam[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Savannah Imani Wade (they/she)
Grants Specialist
(410) 685-1653
siwade[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Sarah Weissman (she/her)
Communications Specialist
(410) 618-5893
sweissman[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Lou Williams (they/she)
Operations Manager
(410) 564-1548
lwilliams[at]mdhumanities[dot]org

Our Board

Dr. Ronald (Ron) H. Nowaczyk
Chair
Allegany County

Chanel Johnson
Governance Committee Chair and Vice Chair 
Baltimore City

Carmel Roques
Secretary
Howard County

Ruth Kim, a young or middle-aged Korean or Korean American woman, smiles in front of a solid gray photo backdrop. She wears a dressy tan jacket, dark grey top, and drop necklace.

Ruth Kim
Finance Committee Chair and Treasurer 
Montgomery County

Julia (Julie) Madden*
Government Liaison
Howard County

Alejandra Balcázarzar, a young or middle-aged light-skinned Latine woman, in a professional or classroom building on a college campus. She smiles and has long brown hair, wears a navy and light blue striped blouse, and navy slacks.

Alejandra Balcazar
Baltimore County

Dr. Elizabeth Benton
Montgomery County

Kendra Brown
Prince George’s County

Mollie Caplis
Baltimore County

Dr. Brian Casemore, a middle-aged white man, stands outside in front of a fence with trees in the backyard and smiles. He wears a checked button-down shirt and a navy blue blazer.

Brian Casemore
Montgomery County

Tahira Christmon
Howard County

Jill Ferris
Talbot County

Dr. Kara French, a young or middle-aged white woman with dark red or brown curly hair, smiles in front of her bookshelf. She wears a cream-colored blouse with embroidery on top, and hoop earrings.

Kara French
Wicomico Count

Veronica Gallardo, a young or middle-aged Latine woman with curly brown hair, poses by standing in front of her green door to a brown house. She subtly smiles and wears a white suit and light blue blouse.

Veronica Gallardo
Prince George’s County

Rachael Gibson
Programs Committee Chair
Montgomery County

Mary Hastler
Harford County

Dr. Shauna Knox
Montgomery County

Soo Koo
Montgomery County

Alicia Jones
Immediate Past Chair
Baltimore City

Dr. Kimberly R. Moffitt
Grants Committee Chair
Baltimore County

Jeanne Pirtle
St. Mary’s County

Christian Pulley
Prince George’s County

Tamar Sarnoff
Baltimore City

Saima Sitwat
Baltimore City

Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson, Jr.
Somerset County

Allyson Black Woodson
Anne Arundel County

Dr. Charmaine Weston
Frederick County

*Gubernatorial appointee

Are you or is someone you know passionate about the humanities and lifelong learning and have an interest in volunteer service? Consider nominating yourself or them to our Board of Directors.

FIND OUT MORE

  • “History Day has taught men how to interpret and effective use primary sources in my writing to create and support claims. Now I am much more likely to explore databases, go to libraries, and explore further external sources for credible and effective sources.”

    Maryland History Day 2019 Student

  • “Lifelong learning is a philosophy, practice, and lifestyle that I’ve long advocated for in both my professional and personal lives. In the rapid pace, constantly changing, technological, social, and cultural environments we find ourselves in, a continuous adjustment to change is necessary. Lifelong learning is essential to understanding where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go, both as individuals and as a society.”

    ​Maryland Humanities survey 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 it very much and I learned quite a lot. I think there is a lot that can be learned from these experiences and I think this could be a positive experience for the veterans also.

    Standing Together: Veterans Oral History Project, student participant

  • “The Smithsonian exhibit, Key Ingredients: America By Food, has left the building but not the community. We got a glimpse of what we can do and how we can bring the community together around a common goal. From this day forward, the sky is now the limit for DCHS.”

    ​Carol Lacy ~ Dorchester County Historical Society, Cambridge, MD, Host Site, Museum on Main Street

  • “The program gave me new insights and reinforced many of my attitudes and commitments to the care of the seniors whom I see in my clinic. Interacting with colleagues whom I have now had a different and delightful “book club” experience with improves my work performance and work enjoyment.”

    ​Literature & Medicine participant

  • “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

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

    Pulitzer 100 event attendee

  • “My participation continuance with the program comes from the great cohesiveness of our group… even when new people join… everyone’s ideas and work philosophies teach me something new about how to handle my work and my own life.”

    ​Literature & Medicine participant

  • “The OMOB 2014 selection seemed to touch the hearts of so many teachers and students. Everyone who read the story was in awe of the struggles, the will to survive, and then the motivation to write the memoir. The Distance Between Us created such an impact on each reader that s/he handed the book to someone with the request, “you must read this story!” Plus, the selection was inter-disciplinary and ‘captured’ students in all grade and academic levels. Renya Grande captivated the readers who, “couldn’t put the book down.” It is one of the best selections. Thank you!!”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2014 teacher

  • “Being a part of the group provided me with a safe area to revisit my thoughts and feelings on my experience during the war.”

    Veterans Book Group participant

  • “The excitement of the research was wonderful for my students’ academic progress. They now feel capable of doing any research paper that may be assigned in college!”

    Maryland History Day 2019 Teacher

  • “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

  • “[The humanities] are what allow us to see the beauty of the world. I often think that humans are the only species that can reflect on how beautiful the world is, can step back and take intense delight in the sounds and colors of it all, can record not only the world but our reactions to it. The humanities matter because beauty matters.”

    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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

    Veterans Book Group participant
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