Leadership
Southern Maryland (LSM) hosted its third annual Heritage Awards ceremony on May
21 and bestowed the award for Excellence in Mentoring to retiring executive
director Karen Holcomb.
The
Heritage Awards were created to recognize, sequentially, individuals throughout
the Southern Maryland region for their outstanding leadership, service and
mentoring at a ceremony held at the beautiful Sotterley Plantation in
Hollywood. This year’s celebration continued that tradition and served as an official
farewell to Holcomb, the organization’s first executive director and integral
partner in LSM’s launch and growing success.
Current
LSM Board President Mark DeLuca told the large crowd gathered at Sotterley, “I
don’t think there is a person here today that doesn’t realize LSM and LEAD
wouldn’t be where they are today without Karen’s tireless efforts.”
Since
its 2008 inception, when launched by a group of graduates from the state-wide
Leadership Maryland program, Holcomb has been the face of the regional
leadership organization. From the recruitment breakfasts and candidate
interviews to the comprehensive, day-long programs and six graduation
ceremonies, she has worked behind-the-scenes and has been ever-present to
ensure the LSM experience is an inspiring one for those who take what she
called the leap of faith to be part of this incredible journey.
Holcomb’s love of education began with her work as a
special education teacher and her leadership skills were honed during a 33-year
career in a variety of positions at NAS Patuxent River. Her retirement in July
of 2007 was short-lived when the opportunity arose to become part of an
educational, experiential program for rising leadership within the region she
calls home.
Many
of the founding board members spoke at the ceremony, sharing personal stories
of how Holcomb’s natural mentoring had impacted their lives and their shared
goal of creating and strengthening a regional leadership program.
Capt.
Matt Scassero, (USN, Ret.), Director of UMD UAS Test Site, said the original
founders ran into the interesting quandary of who do you get to lead a
leadership program. He said while the choices were many, very quickly one rose
above the rest in Karen Holcomb and noted her competence, courage and
compassion offered exactly what was needed to steer the fledgling organization.
“Through
it all,” Scassero said, “[Holcomb] has exemplified what Lady Thatcher once said
about power and leadership: ‘Being powerful is like being a lady, if you have
to tell people you are, you aren’t’… Karen is certainly both.”
He
explained the representation behind LSM’s selection of a lighthouse for its
logo, with a clear signal of optimism shining through the darkness to lead the
way and presented Holcomb with an original painting by local artist Mary Lou
Troutman featuring a lighthouse of Southern Maryland.
Founder,
Past Board President and Principal at Booz, Allen, Hamilton Ray Wernecke
presented Holcomb with the traditional Heritage Awards gift of the pearl in the
crystal oyster and stated, “Almost all of us here have had the privilege of
being the beneficiary of an individual who so naturally shares her God-given
gifts and personal experiences… simply to have a lasting, positive impact on
someone else’s life.”
Past Board President Susan Vogel,
Executive Director, Charles Regional Medical Center Foundation, Inc. utilized a
bowl of fruit to deliver a humorous and heart-felt speech for Holcomb. “If
there is one word to describe Karen, it’s generous. And as we think back on our
lives during LSM, blossoming, growing and giving back, it’s only fitting that
one of our parting gifts to Karen would be the most generous of trees,
providing both flowers and fruit,” Vogel stated, presenting her with the gift
of a live, patio-sized orange tree.
Founding Boarding members Tom Jarboe, Bert Johnston and,
by letter, Delores Martin praised the strong leadership and continued mentoring
Holcomb has provided, making the personal experience of each graduate of the
LSM and LEAD programs a unique and inspiring one.
Strathmore Hall CEO and program facilitator Eliot
Pfanstiehl called Holcomb “a small but mighty force of nature” and said he was
sure, even after retirement, she would continue to work on behalf of community,
civility and progress. He stated, “There are far too few humans of her ilk in
this world.”
In a display of genuine humility, Holcomb’s acceptance
speech consisted mostly of thanking her daughter, Janice Tyson Zilch, for
celebrating the retirement with her, the founders for their faith in her, the
alumni that participate with enthusiasm and promote the program among their
peers, the facilitators, sponsors, volunteers and staff that have all supported
the LSM mission. “It really is all about the people,” she stated.
“I really am humbled and so very grateful to share this
time with you,” Holcomb said, adding the connections made, transformations
witnessed and experiences shared would stay with her for a lifetime.
As Holcomb transitions into her welcomed retirement to
spend more time with her family members, twin grandsons and husband, Jack, she
continues to be active within her community and has worked to ensure a smooth
transition to LSM’s new Executive Director Helen Wernecke.
The many lives Karen Holcomb has personally touched
through her astounding mentoring abilities, in addition to a strong and growing
LSM program, are only small pieces of her lasting legacy.
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