Leadership Premier Graduates of 2025
Jul 25, 2025 09:24AM ● By Karen Bryant
Leadership Howard County, which seeks to empower leaders to strengthen and transform the community, accepted 41 professionals from Howard County businesses and nonprofits into the Leadership Premier program’s class of 2025. Leadership Premier is an exploration of the Howard County community, during which participants meet with Howard County businesses and local leaders and learn about issues in the county.
The members of the class of 2025 are:
Donyel Bacon, United States Department of Defense
Liz Banach, Community Advocate
Meredith Barclay, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Sherman Braxton, Baltimore City Fire Department
Cherie Brooks, Power52 Foundation
Antoinette Brown, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland
Tamika Bybee, Howard Community College
Chuck Chandler, Residence Inn Fulton at Maple Lawn
Auna Cooper, United Way of Central Maryland
Vera Davies, Howard County Library System
Lynda Eisenberg, Howard County government
Felix Facchine, Howard County government
Celina Figueroa, Howard Hughes Corp.
Jeff Fink, Howard County Public School System
Mike Garcia, Bon Secours Foundation
Melissa Green Parker, Community Advocate
Vinicio Guzman, Hispanicpreneurs
Ahmad Hachicho, Allen + Shariff Corp.
Jamar Herry, Howard County government
Kierra Kimmie, Howard County Economic Development Authority
Chet Knaup, Spectrum Energy
Wendy Letow, Respite Retreats
Bryan Linkous, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Shawn MacInnes, Columbia Association
Uche Maple, Noteworthy Consulting
Camille Mazelev, Maze Consulting LLC
Renee McSwain, Sagelight Integrative Wellness Center
Christopher Mills, First Citizens Bank
Gabriel Moreno, Luminus Network for New Americans
Ngozi Obineme, HopeWorks of Howard County Inc.
Darshni Patel, Howard County Economic Development Authority
Marie Ritzenberg, OriginPoint
Eric Rosenberg, M&T Bank
Carrie Ross, Community Action Council of Howard County
Sandy Sicinski, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Cindy Skalny, Howard County government
Yolanda Vazquez, Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office
Jay Vidyarthi, Community Foundation of Howard County
Wende Weber, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.
Keli Wilson, DCI Consulting
Bofta Yimam, StoryLede
The Leadership Premier program was launched in 1985 to develop capable, well-informed individuals committed to devoting their time and resources for community improvement. The program addresses countywide issues in monthly, daylong seminars where participants meet with established leaders in business, government and community services. Since its inception, more than 1,500 individuals have graduated from Leadership Premier and now lead nonprofit boards and civic organizations serving Howard County.
Leadership Howard County provides innovative programs designed to empower and connect community leaders and keep them engaged in the critical issues facing Howard County and the region. Drawn from private businesses, nonprofits and the public sector, Leadership Howard County participants share a common interest in learning more about their community and a commitment to making a positive impact. (www.leadershiphc.org)