Margarita “Magui” Cardona has spent the majority of her professional career in research administration. She is currently the Assistant Provost for Sponsored Research at the University of Baltimore. In that capacity, she coordinates fiscal and program management for all externally funded research and scholarly activities at UB. She also oversees the activities of the Institutional Review Board, and all internal and external reporting related to sponsored research funding.Before NASA, she worked at the University of Puerto Rico as a Program Coordinator for the Puerto Rico Space Grant and EPSCoR programs. She holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and two MS degrees in Chemistry (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Materials Science (UW-Madison). She is a Certified Research Administrator, has a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting (GWU School of Business), and is currently doctoral candidate in Public Policy at UMBC.
Carlye Christianson is an attorney licensed in the District of Columbia and California. As a consultant and advisor through The Christianson Company, she has concentrated her activities in the nonprofit sector, focusing on governance, management, operations, financial management, strategic planning and implementation, business development and program development/management.
Formerly as Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, she advised and provided educational opportunities to nonprofit leaders in a wide range of risk management issues. Ms. Christianson served as Interim Executive Director for Life Skills Center and as Vice President of Community Impact for the United Way of the National Capital Area and Director of Operations for the United Way of San Diego County.
Prior to moving to the National Capital Area, her experience centered on her career as a civil trial lawyer, specializing in civil litigation and dispute resolution. Now, in addition to consulting work, she is on the faculty of the University of Baltimore’s Certified Public Manager program, teaching courses including Understanding Leadership Styles, Building and Leading Effective Teams, Conflict Management and Effective Negotiation, Project Management, Administrative Law, Nonprofit Governance and Management and Effective and Appropriate Use of Social Media. She also is an instructor of data-based decision making for managers and analysts of the Social Security Administration. She also facilitates retreats for the Housing Authority of the City of Baltimore. In addition to being counsel, Ms. Christianson has served as board, officer, committee member and volunteer for a wide range of nonprofits including associations and service providers.
Ann Cotten is the Executive Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore and an affiliated faculty member in the College of Public Affairs. She has been working with government and nonprofit organizations for the past 25 years in the areas of strategic planning, program evaluation, survey research, policy analysis, management consulting, and performance measurement.
Dr. Cotten directs the Maryland Certified Public Manager® (CPM) program. The Maryland CPM Program teaches applied public management skills to supervisors and managers in Maryland’s government and nonprofit organizations. Prior to starting the Maryland CPM Program, Dr. Cotten directed the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Fellows Program from 2007-2011 on behalf of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The Weinberg Fellows program was a leadership development program for executive directors of nonprofit organizations that serve the financially disadvantaged in the Baltimore area.
A main focus of Dr. Cotten’s work is to help public and nonprofit organizations address strategic
challenges. Dr. Cotten has led numerous research projects during her career. Recent projects include an
assessment of the civil legal needs of low-income Marylanders for Maryland Legal Aid; a study about
health insurance access and use among Marylanders in low-income, rural, and medically underserved
areas of the state; an evaluation of Maryland’s Tobacco Control Program; a financial projection and
staffing model for a large non-profit organization in Maryland; and a comprehensive review of Baltimore
City Community College.
Dr. Cotten has extensive experience training public sector managers in Managing for Results, performance
measurement, and strategic planning. She has facilitated the development of strategic plans for a number
of Maryland agencies and the Midtown Special Benefit District. She regularly leads accreditation/reaccreditation teams for the National Certified Public Manager® Consortium. She served as Treasurer for the National Certified Public Manager® Consortium (2015-2019) and Executive Council Member (2013-2015). Dr. Cotten previously served as President of the Southern Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (2012-2013); National Council Member of the American Society for Public Administration (2010-2013), Finance Committee Member for the American Society for Public Administration (2013-2016); and President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.
She also served as chair of the University of Baltimore’s Institutional Review Board and Council on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. In 2008, Dr. Cotten was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record. She is a member of Leadership Maryland Class of 2012 and the GBC Leadership Class of 2015. She has taught strategic management for government and nonprofit organizations and survey research in the University of Baltimore’s School of Public and International Affairs. Dr. Cotten is a professionally trained focus group moderator and is an experienced trainer of mid and upper level managers. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).
Lana Farley has worked in the field of career development for over 10 years. As the Associate Director of the University of Baltimore Career and Internship Center, her main functions include promoting recruitment events, educating area employers on managing interns, as well as providing coaching to students in the areas of self-efficacy and career search strategy. Lana has experience coaching traditional and non-traditional populations, which includes incarcerated, international, and first-generation college students.
Sarah Ficenec is assistant director for research with the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore. In this position, she manages evaluation and research projects at the Center. Her work includes serving as a contact point for clients, conducting quantitative and qualitative research, and writing proposals, reports, and presentations of research findings. She has served as a lead researcher and author for projects at the Schaefer Center, including assisting the Maryland Department of Legislative Services with developing race equity statements for criminal justice legislation, modeling the benefits cliff for the United Way of Central Maryland, and exploring the civil legal needs of the state’s low–income residents for Maryland Legal Aid.Most recently, Dr. Ficenec was the senior research and policy analyst at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center. For four years, she conducted research concerning economic development in Connecticut for clients, including the state legislature and executive agencies, town governments, regional organizations, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Her work included prospective and retrospective economic and fiscal impact reports for public and privately funded economic development projects in the state, as well as statistical analyses, literature reviews, survey design and analysis, and interviews with policymakers. She also presented demographic, economic, and fiscal data on Connecticut towns at municipal economic development workshops for local elected officials and other community members. Prior to her work in Connecticut, Dr. Ficenec served as a budget management analyst for the City of Baltimore, a research assistant at George Washington University, and associate director for policy and communications at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, among other positions.
Derryck Fletcher is the Chief Operating Officer for The Y in Central Maryland where he leads the complex $90M organization’s efforts across its operating verticals spanning multiple industries serving its 132,000 members. He also has oversight responsibility of the organization’s strategy, partnerships, advocacy, public policy, and social responsibility divisions. Derryck obtained his Certified Public Manager designation as a part of the University of Baltimore’s inaugural CPM cohort. He has received numerous awards including a 2019 recognition by the Baltimore Business Journal as one of the City’s top 40 executives under 40.In his spare time, Derryck works for WEAA–FM, Morgan State University’s National Public Radio affiliate, where he hosts an award–winning Sunday Morning gospel music show. His commitment to meaningful causes extends to volunteering at his local church and serving on multiple non– profit boards including Leadership Maryland, Project Jumpstart, and the Redeemed Family Life Center.
Since 2008, Jeff has served as the Executive Director of the Maryland World Class Consortia (MWCC), a non-profit organization that helps public and private sector organizations build cultures of continuous improvement. He delivers training on lean improvement methods, facilitates improvement activities, coaches leaders, and develops strategic improvement plans. He has served a variety of roles with the MWCC, including a term on the Consortia’s founding member Advisory Board in 1996.
In 2000, Jeff founded Neovista Consulting to focus on operational excellence, Lean Thinking, leadership development, change management, and culture change. Jeff’s passion for Lean Thinking began in 1993, as the plant manager of a small aerospace firm where lean manufacturing provided the cornerstone of a dramatic multi-year business turnaround. He has served in other industries including automotive, machining, defense, and solar power, in roles including quality manager, engineering director, and lean champion.
Jeff was deeply involved in the creation and expansion of a nationally-recognized system of Lean Certification that is today jointly supported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, and the Shingo Institute. He holds Lean Bronze and Silver Certifications, and is working toward Lean Gold. He has served on the Lean Certification Oversight Committee and is Past Chair.
Jeff has a deep interest in Lean for the public sector. He is an instructor for the University of Baltimore’s Certified Public Manager Program. He has designed training curricula for Virginia Tech’s Lean Academy and Harrisburg University’s Agile Lean Academy. He has designed lean training and coaching programs that have together graduated over 1,500 lean leaders across a range of government agencies and private sector companies. Jeff’s current specializations include lean leadership, lean for personal and administrative processes, and lean government. Jeff’s clients have included Raytheon, GlaxoSmithKline, OrbitalATK, Halliburton, U.S. Air Force, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the City of Baltimore, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Jeff received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from West Point. He is a lifelong student of team leadership, a combat veteran of the first Gulf War, and was awarded multiple Bronze Star Medals. He is an examiner for both the Shingo Institute’s Shingo Prize and the AME Excellence Award. He is the past Chairman of the Maryland Advisory Commission for Manufacturing Competitiveness and serves on the Board of Directors of Open Works, a Baltimore community maker space and small business incubator.
Being a latecomer to teaching heightens my appreciation for the exchange of ideas in the classroom. I spent the early part of my career as a programmer, supervisor and manager within the information technology industry, working for a company called EDS, better known for its famous founder, Ross Perot, who ran for president in 1992 and 1996.
Getting my M.B.A. from the University of Maryland enabled me to swap the language of bits and bytes for that of dollars and cents by joining a government contractor, Performance Engineering Corp., where I consulted with federal agencies, chiefly the federal courts, for more than a dozen years. Practicing the arcane art of cost-benefit analysis and related programmatic and financial techniques introduced me to bureaucratic decision-making processes. I gained a deep respect for the capabilities of public managers, who often labored under tremendous deficits of resources and excesses of guidance, yet managed to conduct the public’s business. In particular, visiting federal courts, which fairly hummed with the steady disposition of cases and dispensing of justice, and interviewing judges and court executives impressed upon me the reality of high-performance public organizations.
Daily involvement with federal agencies forced me to confront a new set of issues stemming from missions undertaken in the public interest, in sharp contrast to the for-profit orientation of the IT industry, where I’d spent 15 years. Accordingly, I set about gaining a theoretical grasp of public administration by getting a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech—a 10-year endeavor! Joining the faculty of the University of Baltimore represents a fresh opportunity to tackle the challenges of public service, without the need to stoke the “bottom line” as a member of the “shadow government,” with its attendant consequences of downsizing and contracting out. I feel most fortunate to be part of the UB community. Aside from a business degree from the University of North Carolina, all of my education has been obtained while working. The challenges of the part-time student are second nature to me. While pleased to take my position in front of the class, I remember what it feels like from the other side and do my best to keep the learning experience mutual, engaging and light.
Al Gourrier was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and educated at Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Al holds a B.A. in Finance, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), is a graduate of ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Georgetown University, and holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs. Al started a banking career in 1993. In November of 2005, Al began the organization of a new State-Chartered FDIC Institution (De novo), 1st Commerce Bank, which he opened in October 2006. After a successful 19-year career, Al Gourrier left banking in January 2012 to pursue a career in academia and joined the faculty of The University of Baltimore in January 2016.
Gourrier’s scholarship in academia focuses on community banking and finance, social equity, and community development through financial and economic representation by exploring decisions and structures impacting the economic health, development, entrepreneurship, and well-being of urban communities. Locally he serves as a board member on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Community Advisory Council and the Upton Community Development Corporation. He is a member of the Urban Affairs Association, American Society for Public Administration, and Urban Financial Services Coalitions, and in February of 2021 received designation as a Fulbright Specialist Program Scholar.
Patricia S. Hall is an attorney of 35+ years specializing in various areas of the law and has been instructing at the University of Baltimore since 2013. She provides multi-discipline instruction to classes about law, expert testimony, and legal and Constitutional issues in the fields of Criminal Law and Cyber Forensics and Investigations. She received her B.S. from UMBC and J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1988. She has attended the Roper Victim Assistance Academy, served as Vice-President of the CPA from 2022-2023, is on the Student Academic Support Committee, and is co-advisor to both Nu Omicron and the Criminal Justice and Forensic Society at the University of Baltimore.
She is a full-time resident of Baltimore County and a part-time resident of Worcester County, Maryland. She has two daughters who are also newly admitted practicing attorneys, who are both graduates of the University of Baltimore School of Law as well. When possible, she enjoys boating, traveling, and relaxing with her Malti-poo Bentley.
Scott A. Hancock is the recently retired Executive Director of the Maryland Municipal League (MML) in Annapolis, Maryland. He was appointed to the position in December of 1995. As Executive Director, Mr. Hancock served as the chief executive officer and oversaw the day-to-day operation of Maryland’s only association of cities and towns.Prior to the MML appointment, Mr. Hancock served three communities as a City/Town Manager; Centreville, Maryland, York, Maine and Narragansett, Rhode Island. Mr. Hancock is a life member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and was elected ICMA Northeast Region Vice President for the 2007-2010 term, a member of the American Society of Association Executives, a charter Trustee of the Local Government Insurance Trust in Maryland and a member of the professional management honor society of Central Michigan University. He is a member of the Class of 2003 of Maryland’s statewide leadership program, Leadership Maryland and was elected a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration in 2013.
Aside from his professional life, he loves to SCUBA dive and is an amateur singer and actor active in several theatrical groups in Maryland and in an ensemble vocal group at the US Naval Academy prior to his retirement in November 2022.
Scott holds a Master of Management Degree from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Sociology from Western Maryland College.
Quinton M. Herbert serves as the Director and Chief Human Capital Officer for the Department of Human Resources (DHR) for the City of Baltimore. In this capacity, he is responsible for creating, developing, and driving comprehensive and strategic programs and initiatives that align with organizational goals and strategies. Mr. Herbert has an extensive background in labor and employment relations and leadership development. He previously served as the Deputy Labor Commissioner for the City of Baltimore, where he functioned as the lead negotiator for the City in collective bargaining with all non-public safety unions. He also advised management and HR professionals in a wide array of employment and labor-related issues.
Mr. Herbert is an American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellow and is a recipient of the Maryland Daily Record Leadership in Law Award and the American Institute of Legal Counsel “10 Best” Employment and Labor Law Attorney for Maryland Award. He has been recognized as one of the National Black Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers in 2017. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Public Employer Relations Association (MdPELRA) and The Maryland Labor and Employment Relations Association (MdLERA) and is a member of several bar and professional associations.
David works as the Writing Services Coordinator and Director of the Writing Center. In these capacities respectively, David trains and supports development of writing center staff so that they are more equipped to engage students’ autonomy, agency, lived experiences through the performance of disciplinary writing; and oversees the writing fellows program to collaborate with faculty through providing embedded support in writing intensive courses.
Inspired by his work with students, David presented original research at the Mid-Atlantic Writing Center
Association (MAWCA) conference (2019); Towson Conference for Academic Libraries (TCAL) (2020); and
was the keynote speaker at MAWCA 2020 summer mini conference on antiracist pedagogy.
Mike Kiel is the Interim Head of Reference and Instruction at the University of Baltimore’s Robert. L. Bogomolny library. He has previously been the Head of Information Literacy Initiatives, which is the librarian in charge of teaching and assessment of student learning. He has also been the government documents librarian.
Prior to earning his Masters’ in Library Science he received a BA in Linguistics with honors from the University of Maryland, but that belies his unusually broad background which also includes significant course work in some of the STEM disciplines as well as psychology. Knowing a little bit about a lot happily turned out to be a great background for helping library users research and find information about any topic. Mike has also recently stepped down after three years as the President of the UBalt faculty senate, and in his spare time loves a good story no matter what medium it comes in.
Danny Mays, CPPO, CPPB, NIGP-CPP, CPSM, CPSD, CMPO is a seasoned public procurement professional dedicated to ensuring an efficient, transparent, and accessible process for all stakeholders, while maintaining a focus on integrity, honesty, and optimal customer service.In his current role as Director of Procurement for the Maryland Judiciary, Danny is responsible for managing all procurements across the entire judicial branch, including establishing and maintaining a portfolio of master contracts for use across the judicial branch and beyond. He also administers all grants and memoranda of understanding. In this role, Danny has demonstrable experience with policy writing, streamlining processes and procedures, developing and delivering training, establishing standard templates, implementing emerging technologies and overall organizational transformation.
During his 15 years in the public procurement profession, Danny has previously served as Director of the Maryland Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement, Associate Director of Procurement at Towson University and as a Procurement Officer at The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In these various roles, he has attained significant experience leading efforts to procure a wide variety of goods and services, including issuing solicitations for complex professional services, information technology, construction and architectural and engineering.
Danny is currently credentialed as a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) and Certified
Professional Procurement Officer (CPPO) by UPPCC, a Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP) by NIGP and a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) and Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD) by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and a Certified Maryland Procurement Officer (CMPO) by the Maryland Procurement Academy. He also serves on the Board of Examiners, CPPO team for the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC), a member of the Leadership Development Committee and certified instructor for NIGP, President-elect of the Maryland Public Purchasing Association, and an instructor and content developer for the Maryland Procurement Academy.
Keiffer J. Mitchell, Jr., serves as a Vice President in BGR’s State and Local Advocacy Practice. Keiffer helps clients navigate issues at the state and local level and shares his unique, bipartisan perspective as a former aide to a Republican governor, an elected Democratic State Delegate, and a former Baltimore City Councilman.Keiffer served in various roles for eight years under state Maryland Governor Larry Hogan including Acting Chief of Staff, Chief Legislative Officer and Senior Counsel, and Senior Advisor. He worked with Governor Hogan and cabinet agencies to prioritize policy issues as well as to advance budgets and the legislative priorities before the Maryland General Assembly. He also acted as the Governor’s chief negotiator with the General Assembly leadership and drive consensus on critical issues including allocating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Additionally, Keiffer was involved in advancing Governor Hogan’s signature issues including the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P–Tech) Program, education, cybersecurity, broadband deployment, and infrastructure policies.
From 2011 to 2015, Keiffer served as an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates where he served on the Judiciary Committee, the Economic Matters Committee, and the Baltimore Regional Revitalization Task Force. He previously served on the Baltimore City Council from 1995 to 2007. As a city councilman, Keiffer was Chairman of the Taxation Committee and Education Committee. In addition to his public service, Keiffer also taught middle and high school history at his alma mater Boys’ Latin School and coached basketball and tennis.
Currently, Keiffer serves on the Board of Directors at the Maryland Center for History & Culture, Maryland Government Relations Association, and The Signal 13 Foundation. His past board service includes the University of Maryland Medical System, Habitat for Humanity, Midtown Academy Charter School, and Boys’ Latin School.
Keiffer earned his B.A. from Emory University (Political Science) and his J.D. from District of Columbia School of Law. Keiffer lives in Baltimore City with his wife Nicole. They have 2 children – Jack and Kenna. Keiffer is a passionate cook and appreciates all food that is southern, smothered, or fried!! Keiffer is a diehard sports fanatic cheering on his beloved Ravens and Orioles.
Dr. Naylor is an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and the program director for the undergraduate degree in Politics, Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program. She trains public servants to make a difference in their communities, cities, and country.
Dr. Naylor was nominated as a National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) fellow (2021) and has distinguished herself as one of the top ten scholars in public administration pedagogy. She has over 30 publications and delivered over 75 presentations. Her work has been published in Public Integrity, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Journal of Health and Human Services, Journal of Maternal Child Health, Clinical Therapeutics, Journal on Leadership and Development, and the Journal on Comparative Asian Development.
She earned her Ph.D. in Public Administration from American University, Washington, D.C., Master of Public Health degree from the University of Kansas, Medical School, Kansas City, KS, and Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
Steven Scalet is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Hoffberger Center for Ethical Engagement at the University of Baltimore (UBalt). Before UBalt, Scalet served as Director of the Program in Philosophy, Politics, and Law at Binghamton University (SUNY), where he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Matt is the Director of Operations and Outreach for the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM). He promotes the Clark School’s role in integrated education and research (specifically focusing on autonomous technologies), outreach, and economic/community development. He also supports the USMSM mission of increasing the impact of the institution on the local and regional community by increasing non–traditional educational partnering opportunities, creating integrated educational and research opportunities both internally and externally, andincreasing research expenditures by supporting interdisciplinary research initiatives.
Before this Matt was the Director of the University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site, focusing the resources and efforts of the state of Maryland on working with the FAA to integrate UAS into the national airspace and enabling public access to these valuable assets to empower a flourishing new industry. Before his work with UAS, Matt was the Chief Contracts Officer for Melwood, a non–profit dedicated to empowering people with differing disabilities to enrich their lives through rehabilitative services and employment opportunities.
Before joining Melwood, Matt completed a 27–year career in the US Navy, retiring at the rank of Captain as the Vice Commander for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, the Navy’s principal research, development, test, evaluation, engineering, and fleet support activity for naval aircraft and systems. He is certified by the federal government in program management, test and evaluation, software acquisition, safety program management, and electronic warfare operations. Matt earned a BS in Physics (Oceanography) from the United States Naval Academy in 1982, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore in 2017, and a Leadership Maryland 2007 graduate.
Michael Shochet has worked at the University of Baltimore since 2004 where he has served as Systems/Reference Librarian, Head of Reference, and Associate Director first at the Langsdale Library and now at the Robert L. Bogomolny (RLB) Library. He is currently the Interim Dean of RLB Library.
Michael is also an affiliate faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences, having taught 3-credit classes on Information Literacy and an Interdisciplinary Studies capstone. Michael recently earned a certificate in Open Educational Practices and a certificate in Servant Leadership from the Greenleaf Academy at Seton Hall.
Anna is an emergency services professional with over a decade of experience in emergency management, emergency medical services, and 9-1-1. Before her current role as Chief Development Officer for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MEMA), she was the Director of Emergency Services first for Dorchester County, and later Caroline County, where she was the appointed Local Emergency Manager as well as responsible for 9-1-1 and EMS services. Prior to her work at the local level, she worked at the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) in regional programs supporting local jurisdiction EMS operational programs, and hospitals to provide the best possible care to Marylanders. She got her start in emergency services with various federal contractors supporting domestic and international nuclear response programs.Anna has a BA in Political Science with minor in International Affairs and Security from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and an MS. in Disaster Medicine and Management from Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University).
Jessica Sowa is a professor in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. She previously served as the director of both the Master of Public Administration and the M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship programs at the University of Baltimore.
Sowa received her Ph.D. in Public Administration in 2003 from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on public and nonprofit management with an emphasis on the management of human resources in public and nonprofit organizations, organizational effectiveness and collaboration.
Her work has been published in a number of public and nonprofit journals, including Public Administration Review, Administration and Society, Public Personnel Management, American Review of Public Administration, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and the Review of Public Personnel Administration.
Dr. Debra L. Stanley is a Professor and Executive Director of the School of Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore, and Director of the Roper Victim Assistance Academy of Maryland. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland at College Park, her M.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University, and B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Rhode Island College.
Dr. Stanley has dedicated more than twenty-five years to applied research that promotes policy and system change in the areas of crime victimization, child homicide, substance abuse prevention and treatment, re-entry and diversion, drugs and crime, strategic management, and program development and evaluation. She works closely with both public and non-profit agencies in the areas of program development, strategic planning, organization diagnostics, assessment, and improvement, client tracking and monitoring, client success, data reporting systems, and program evaluation. She has served as principal investigator on dozens of federal, state, and local funded research projects. Her research has been widely disseminated in a number of publications, seminars, trainings, and professional presentations.
Dr. Stanley has a wide range of applied research experience in the areas of crime victimization, child homicide, drugs and crime, policy and practice in criminal justice systems, and program development and evaluation. She works closely with both public and non-profit criminal justice and victim service related agencies in the areas of program development, strategic planning, systems improvement, and program evaluation. She has served as principal investigator on dozens of federal, state, and local funded research projects. Her applied research promotes policy and system changes to better integrate crime victims into the criminal justice process and to enhance crime victim services. She has developed a wide range of treatment and prevention programs in criminal justice agencies for crime victims, inmates returning to the community, high risk youth and their families, substance abuse and mental clients, and the elderly. She currently serves as the President of the American Society of Victimology, and advisor to the U.S. Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus.
Gabriela Wasileski, Ph.D., is an associate professor and director of the BSCJ program in the School of Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from University of Delaware and the M.A. in Social Work from Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia.
In addition, to her academic career she worked as a social worker for over ten years working with marginalized populations. She has more than 15 years of experience as an independent research and lead evaluation researcher with expertise in survey/survey data analysis and qualitative research techniques. Her experience spans across a wide range of applied research areas to include substance abuse treatment and prevention programs, mental health programs, social work services, trafficking in persons, violence against women and migrant population, the impact of trauma and victimization, policy and practice in criminal justice organizations and the immigration system.
She is a certified trainer for the Trauma Informed Responses training program established by SAMHSA. She has been a professional trainer since 2009. Her work has been published in numerous national and internal journals, she has presented her research at conferences, workshops, and seminars.
Ken Weaver is a Policy Analyst for the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis. He works with Delegates and Senators to draft and implement legislation, audit government spending, and make recommendations for a balanced budget that is both fiscally and legally sound. He recently became Committee Counsel for the House Appropriations Committee, and was selected to staff the State Commission to Restore Trust in Policing as well as the Governor’s Salary Commission.Ken has worked on a variety of projects for government agency clients dealing with healthcare, elections, and public safety, starting with his time as a student Research Fellow at the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. He has also worked in Congress and presented at international conferences in the U.S., Brazil, Malaysia, and South Africa on healthcare, innovation in housing, and voting/election equity.
Ken also studied finance at Georgetown University and public policy at the University of Baltimore, where he was President of the MPA Student Association, sole student member on the state accreditation board, and recipient of the prestigious William D. Schaefer Fellowship, named after the former Governor of Maryland.