FACILITATORS: 

Bess Langbein
Founding Partner at Due East Partners
Bess Langbein specializes in business and strategic planning, constituent engagement, capacity building, philanthropic advising, organizational design, and fundraising. She coaches organizations on adaptive leadership to navigate rapidly changing conditions while delivering on their mission/purpose. Through each client partnership, she passes on knowledge, skills and expertise that individual leaders and their teams need to effectively guide organizational sustainability and growth.

Lauren Maddox
Founding Partner at Due East Partners
Lauren Maddox has guided 100+ strategic planning processes for public, private, and nonprofit organizations. With deep expertise and experience in change management—both organizational and systemic—Lauren provides leaders with tools and techniques to adapt to changing conditions and new opportunities. Lauren designs co-creative planning processes that lead with vision, spark sustainable growth, and bolster an organization's bottom line, resulting in a strategic plan or fundraising campaign that inspires and activates an organization’s diverse constituency to be part of the solution.

PANELISTS:

Larry Clark
Board Chair, Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County
Larry Clark was president of the Deerbrook Charitable Trust from 2007-2022, a position he held since his retirement from the National Science Foundation (NSF). He held several positions during his 27 years at the NSF, culminating as director of the Division of Ocean Sciences. Larry was board chair of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation from 2014 until 2022. He also currently serves on the boards of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Nora Demleitner
President of the Annapolis campus of St. John's College
Nora Demleitner is an expert on criminal justice issues, including sentencing guidelines, she was dean of the law schools at Washington & Lee and Hofstra University before bringing her ample experience in academic and institutional leadership to the college. Throughout her leadership career, Nora has exhibited the ability to increase educational access, grow fundraising and institutional support, and uphold educational rigor.

Danista Hunte
President and CEO of Maryland Philanthropy Network
Danista Hunte has a wealth of experience spanning over three decades in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. Maryland Philanthropy Network is a statewide membership association committed to building and activating a diverse, informed, and effective network of philanthropists to inspire transformational impact throughout Maryland.

Jerray Slocum
Assistant Vice President, Business Banking Relationship Manager with Shore United Bank
Jerray is responsible for managing profitable branch financial performances and achieving sales and service goals through motivating and coaching team members. He is a Leadership Anne Arundel Flagship graduate (2020), Leadership Anne Arundel 2022 Distinguished Graduate, Leadership Maryland Class of 2023, and a Severn Leadership Group Alumni. His civic duties include the Annapolis Rotary, Downtown Annapolis Partnership, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Hospice of the Chesapeake, Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation board, Historic London Town and Garden, and he is the incoming Arts Council of Anne Arundel County Chairperson. He is a graduate of The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.

Mary Spencer
President and CEO, Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County
Mary Spencer is responsible for leading the strategic direction and financial growth of Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC), enhancing greater philanthropic awareness throughout the county, and increasing stakeholder knowledge about the issues that impact the health, vitality, quality of life and future of Anne Arundel County.