Executive Board

The Maryland Women’s Heritage Center Executive Board includes women and men from across the State of Maryland who are working to make the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center a reality.

Coordination of the development of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center is provided by:

Maria Johnson Darby
  President,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Maria J. Darby, a seasoned fundraiser with 22 years of fund development, management, communications and board development experience in the nonprofit community, is currently the Director of Development and External Relations at Keswick. She manages Keswick’s philanthropic efforts as well as its external relations activities and partnerships. During her years as an advancement professional, she has developed, implemented and cultivated philanthropic partnerships, led grassroots advocacy efforts and managed local and state government relations activities as well as developed media and community partnerships in Maryland. Ms. Darby is active in the community and is a past president of the Junior League of Baltimore, the Govanstowne Business Association and the Hampden Family Center. Ms. Darby is a LEADERSHIP Baltimore County graduate, a Leadership Washington graduate, and a Network 2000 Mentoring Program graduate. In September 2006, the Baltimore Business Journal named Ms. Darby one of Baltimore’s Top 40 Under 40 professionals, and in 2009 and in 2011 she was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record. In 2012, Ms. Darby was named The Spirited Woman of Baltimore 2012 for outstanding spirit, service, dedication and commitment to excellence. She is married and lives in Baltimore City.</p>

Frances Hughes Glendening
Former First Lady of Maryland,
Immediate Past
President,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Frances Hughes Glendening, Former First Lady of Maryland, CEO of Jobs for America’s Graduates, and Immediate Past President of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.  Ms. Glendening also serves as chief executive officer of Jobs for America’s Graduates in Washington, D.C., a school-to-career program implemented in high schools, alternative schools, community colleges, and middle schools across the United States and the United Kingdom, and is a senior fellow and adjunct faculty member of the University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership. Ms. Glendening co-founded the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and has served on the board of directors since 2004. Under Glendening’s leadership, Women of Achievement in Prince George’s County, Maryland History, a book showcasing exemplary women from throughout the county’s history (1650 – 1990), was published in 1994. In 2002, she led the effort to publish Women of Achievement in Maryland History, a women’s history book profiling exemplary Maryland women from throughout the state’s history. </p>

Josie Thompson
Vice President,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Josie Thompson, Vice President Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. As a small child growing up in the Philippines, Josie had a love for drawing. That passion drove her to complete fine arts degrees in Advertising Design and Communication Arts. After working for a design firm for 10 years, she decided to honor her entrepreneurial spirit by starting her own graphic design business. Josie has been the sole proprietor of JosieDesigns (formerly, Thompson Design) for the past 17 years. With a focus on high-quality design, Josie prides herself on being cost-effective and responsive to her clients while providing quick turnaround times. She assists corporations, government entities, industry associations, and nonprofit organizations with logo creation, collateral development, and a plethora of additional graphic design needs. She has also designed a stunning array of greeting cards, shirts, and tote bags. Josie is active in the Baltimore-Washington business community and continually gives back through volunteer and Pro Bono work. Josie designed the STEM exhibit display for the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, that visually shows the achievements of Maryland women and was truly honored to be able to make such a contribution to the organization. She is also a member of the Fort Meade Alliance, Pass it Forward Maryland, Katipunan (the Filipino-American Association of Maryland), board member of the Howard County branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and board chair of the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber. Josie is the co-founder of the Asian Business Women of America and the first Asian American woman to chair the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce. Josie Thompson has been honored with several awards for her entrepreneurship and community involvement. In 2006, she received the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber President’s Award. In both 2009 and 2012, Josie was recognized in the Top 100 by the Minority Business Enterprise. Josie’s commitment to excellence has also earned her a considerable amount of praise from her clients whose loyalty is attributed to her dedication, innovation, and quality. Josie currently resides and enjoys her family time with her husband and two children in Ellicott City, MD.</p>

Danita Terry
Vice President
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Danita Ferguson Terry is a seasoned communications professional with experience in feature writing, production management, editing, public and media relations and special event planning. Adept at building coalitions and developing relationships; she is able to collaborate across hierarchical boundaries to set and meet goals. From 2004 to present she has served as the Director of Communications and Marketing for the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland council located in Baltimore, MD. In this capacity she annually generates over $300,000 in in-kind media support for the Council and the 24,000 girls it serves in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. She also served as Chair of the Girl Scout Research Institute subcommittee of Girl Scouts of the USA’s MARCOMM committee from April 2009-April 2010. Prior to working for Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, Mrs. Terry provided public relations and communications consultant services for Walls Communications, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the United Negro College Fund’s Sports Ball. She also served as the director of public relations for the Congress of National Black Churches, Inc. (2000-2002). Mrs. Terry has written several magazine articles that include: Innovative Israeli School Teaches Students to Reach Out,” Near East Report, 1993 Going Away to School: Blacks and Boarding School,” Independent School, 1995 “The Dance of Meaning, The Meaning of Dance,” Independent School, 1997 Technology Enters the Auditorium of Ideas,” Independent School, “Developing a Legacy of Leadership,” Focus on Women Magazine, 2009 “Volunteering Empowers Others…And Yourself,” Focus on Women Magazine, 2010 ”Scouts Honor,” Her Mind magazine, 2013 In addition she has been a guest on WNAV, WRNR, WBAL/98Rock and WCBM’s Women Talk Live radio programs; a Maryland Business Roundtable Education Scholars Program speaker and speaker for the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference opening session in Dallas, TX (1999). Mrs. Terry received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Arts from Howard University and her Master of Arts from Trinity College (Washington, DC).</p><p> </p>

Beatrice D. Dane
Secretary,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Beatrice D. Dane Secretary, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. As a retired Sr Staff financial analyst of a major defense company, Bea’s current goals are to give back to her community through volunteering with organizations that promote women’s leadership, equity and equality. Over 34 years experience in corporate finance at IBM and Lockheed Martin (LM) Corporations, Led the implementation and administration of the financial planning software used by over 800 financial analysts at the LM federal division, Project Finance led the design, testing and implementation. Finance supervisor of the team responsible for maintaining and improving the system, and training financial analysts in its use. Other experience includes project budgeting, scheduling, and cost accounting. MBA from Marist College, NY; BS with major in accounting from Austin Peay State University, TN; 2 years hotel administration at Cornell University, NY. Memberships and Volunteer Positions: President, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Howard County MD Branch; 2014-16,Treasurer, AAUW Howard County MD Branch; 2013-14, Volunteer Docent, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, Baltimore – 2014-present, Member, Mount Vernon Belvedere Association, Baltimore,Volunteer – Flower Mart – 2014, Volunteer Road Scholar (RS) Ambassador (RS is a leading non profit educational travel organization) Maryland Director, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders/Exhibitors Association (TWHBEA), 2005-2011, Volunteer, Day’s End Farm Horse Rescue, Lisbon, MD.Volunteer, Glenwood Community and Senior Center, Glenwood, MD. Hobbies and Family: Spending time with family (husband currently employed as teacher in Howard County; son lives in Denver) Travel – US and International, Reading History</p>

Rhonda J. Tomlinson, CPA
Treasurer,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Rhonda J. Tomlinson, CPA,Treasurer, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. Rhonda J. Tomlinson, CPA has over 25 years of experience in corporate accounting operations of government contractors and is currently the President/CEO of RJ Tomlinson & Associates, LLC (2004-present). Rhonda spent three years working with a Big 8 accounting firm in New York and in Washington, D.C. She has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and a MBA in Accounting from C.U.N.Y. Rhonda was the first African-American chair of the BWCC’s board of directors. She is a co-chair on the BWCC GovCon Council which hosts an annual Government Procurement Fair. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the BWCC Women in Business Group. Through the Women in Business, Rhonda served as a mentor in the STARS program at the Woodland Job Corps Center which is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helped young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. She is the Treasurer of Women of Christ Episcopal Church group and sits on the boards of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, AAUW, BWCC and BWCC Foundation. Her awards and recognitions include the BWCC Presidential Award (2005), the BWCC’s Small Business of the Year Award (2008), Top 100 MBE 2009, The Daily Record’s Maryland’s Top 100 Women (2010) and SmartCEO SmartCPA award (2010).</p>

Diana M. Bailey
Executive Director,
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center

Bio

<p>Diana M. Bailey, Executive Director, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. Prior to moving from the MWHC Board of Directors to the position as Managing Director then Executive Director, Ms. Bailey retired from the Maryland State of Education, Division of Career and College Readiness (2012) and serves as a consultant to MWHC and other organizations. Ms. Bailey has been an educator and administrator for more than 30 years. She has extensive experience working with a broad range of special populations in education, occupational training, and employment and STEM career pathways. Several of Diana’s roles have focused on educational equity as well as community organizations supporting gender equity. She was a member of the Maryland Commission for Women, Chair of the Howard Co. Commission for Women, currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Howard County Women’s Giving Circle, Vice Chair of the National Gender Equity Leadership in Education (NCSEE/AGELE), and chairperson for several years of the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame event for the Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legislators. Ms. Bailey is ABD (all but dissertation) from George Washington University in policy and leadership development as well as a MS from Johns Hopkins University. Diana holds numerous degrees and certifications related to career and workforce development such as Global Career Development Facilitator/Instructor certified by National Career Development Association/CCE. She also holds several National Institute of Corrections certifications including Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS-I) and Master Trainer/OWDS. Ms. Bailey was selected by a national inter-agency committee for a national award for leadership and policy changes supporting Offender Workforce Development in April 2009. Since 2012, Diana brings her experience and passion for gender equity and women’s history to her Executive Director’s position for the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.</p>