On
May 23rd, Leadership Southern Maryland presented its most prestigious award to
three individuals whose service has benefited not only their respective
counties, but the entire Southern Maryland region. The Heritage Awards are
intended to honor individuals within the community who embody one of the
organization’s three tenets – Leadership, Service, and Mentoring. This year’s
event, held at the beautiful Sotterley Plantation, called attention to the
importance of meaningful and innovative service, while providing a networking
opportunity for LSM alumni.
Past
president of LSM’s Board of Directors and Executive Director of Civista Health
Foundation Susan Vogel said, “We really wanted to align ourselves, in several
ways, with the heritage of Southern Maryland, showcasing our traditions and
legacies and chose a venue that really speaks to that.”
Vogel
explained that Heritage Award recipients receive a signature crystal oyster
which displays a polished pearl in addition to a plaque commemorating the
honor. “It’s fitting,” she said, adding, “the symbol will be a reminder to our
winners of the regional heritage we share and that they indeed are a pearl
among our strong and growing LSM family.”
For
Calvert County, the group commended Harriet Yaffe, Executive Director of the
ARC of Southern Maryland. Since 1998, Yaffe has worked to effectively create a
positive impact for children and adults in the region with intellectual and
developmental disabilities through her work with the ARC, while growing the
organization to the success it is today. In addition to protecting these
individuals’ human rights and supporting their life-long inclusion in the
community, the ARC operates with the core belief that those receiving services
should have as much control of their own lives as possible. Yaffe has been an
advocate throughout the region, lending her leadership skills to many boards.
“Harriet
has dedicated her career to helping others,” said LSM Executive Director Karen
Holcomb. “She is a leader of action, an inspiration to the individuals she
serves and a cherished member of the community.”
Yaffe
was also a founding member of LSM and continues contributing her time to
support regional collaboration via the group’s Leadership Council.
The
Charles County recipient, Evelyn “Evie” Hungerford, was recognized for her
willingness to commit her time, talent and contagious energy to many important
areas in our community. Frequently sought as a key player on a variety of boards,
Hungerford has garnered a reputation as a “roll your sleeves up” person with a
strong will to succeed, said Vogel, who presented the award.
Hungerford
is the president and owner of Hungerford Associates Consulting and is very
involved with the Charles County Chamber of Commerce. Her passions for
education and the arts, combined with her can-do attitude, have benefited the
community in a bevy of ways. From her board work with Annmarie Garden and the
Indian Head Center for the Arts to her leadership with the College of Southern
Maryland Foundation, which raised more than $1.5 million for scholarships,
construction and renovations, Hungerford’s volunteer efforts have benefited the
community greatly.
St.
Mary’s County award winner Glen Ives came to Southern Maryland as Commanding
Officer of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
“His
high regard for the people that worked with him and the war-fighters they
support is his legacy at Pax and carries forward to his current role as Group
Vice President of Sabre Systems,” announced LSM Board of Directors president
Bert Johnston.
Embracing
the community, Ives gives his time and leadership skills to numerous boards,
including the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, The Patuxent Partnership,
Annmarie Garden’s Ann’s Circle, Inc., College of Southern Maryland Foundation
and the Board of Trustees for St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He
is Honorary Chairman of the United Way, Christmas in April and the Special
Olympics. The retired Naval Officer continues to support a plethora of groups
with interest in maintaining a healthy and stable Patuxent River Complex. “Glen Ives is a man who truly embodies leadership
and service through his passion for his country and the community where he
lives,” Johnston said.
The
three winners chatted after the award presentations, knowing each other from
various boards they’ve served on together, and caught a glimpse of the crystal
oyster LSM bestowed on them for their outstanding service. “I feel kind of guilty getting recognized for
something that I completely enjoy doing,” Ives said, adding he was honored,
nonetheless.
Ives
is a graduate of the state-wide Leadership Maryland, while his wife, Barbara,
attended the regional Leadership Southern Maryland, both Class of 2009. He said
he has always admired the level of camaraderie and shared, localized experience
an LSM alumni enjoys and pointed out the advantage to the program being “right
here at home.” Evie Hungerford
commented, “It’s just a beautiful thing to see the things you’ve poured
yourself into grow.” She said she’d like to see something done to encourage
younger generations to step up and get involved. “Rolling up the sleeves and
spending face-to-face time is necessary to get stuff done in the community,”
she said.
Yaffe
agreed with both sentiments, adding she has sent someone, often a young leader,
from the ARC staff through the LSM program for the last five years. Humbly, she said, “I absolutely did not expect
this … I was just astonished to receive this award.”
Award
winners and alumni enjoyed an evening of conversation and networking with food
from Earth 2 Home and a bar featuring selections by Rob Plant of Blue Wind
Gourmet thanks to the generosity of sponsors like SMECO, Dominion, BG&E and
Community Bank of Tri-County, among others.
Next
year’s award will focus on mentoring and then the cycle will start again. These
acknowledgements often go to those who work diligently to improve the community
without much fanfare and Leadership Southern Maryland continues to teach others
how they too can be a part of the regional collaboration that shapes the vision
of tomorrow. For more
information about Leadership Southern Maryland, visit www.leadsomd.org.
Carrie G. Munn
