Leadership Evolution

In the last episode of this limited edition series, Rachel Harrison shares her personal leadership journey and the lessons she has learned along the way. She also gives insight into her experience hosting the Leadership Evolution podcast and how it has shaped her own leadership style.   Craig Bedard, Deputy Associate Commissioner for the Office of Strategy, Learning, and Workforce Development at t...

The public library has played a major role in Bryan Hissong's life for almost 20 years now. He started out doing story times and puppet shows at various daycares, and he continued to grow in his career within the library over the years. Eventually, Bryan stepped into his current role as the Community Engagement Manager for the Frederick County Public Library. This new position was created for him...

Not all of us will take the traditional path when it comes to our careers. Life tends to throw us curve balls when we're least expecting it, and this was definitely the case for Becki Delauter. Her career path was very non-traditional - she found herself needing to get back into the workforce after going through a divorce. After being a stay-at-home mom for several years, Becki started supporting...

Leadership isn't necessarily something we all want to pursue in our lives, but sometimes we end up leading more than we realize. For Margaret Simoneau, her career path started in massage therapy, but the wear and tear on her body pushed her to do something different. After working with the Frederick County Workforce Services, she was introduced to Plamondon Hospitality Partners. Margaret has been...

Sometimes those around us need a little extra support in their lives, and someone to advocate for them. That's exactly what Christine Cambareri-Kay did when she began working with adults with developmental disabilities after college. Christine felt like her career 'found' her, because she wasn't sure what her career path would look like after completing her Master's degree. She's held various lead...

Leadership has always been a key part of Karan Kalantzis' journey - it actually started for her back in junior high when she joined student council. Over the years, Karan was drawn to planning and organizing activities for others in school and with her career, and she's gained a great deal of experience in the small business community working in program development. Karan learned about the Marylan...

The arts have always played a major role in Andrea Baker's life. Whether she was participating in dance and theater throughout her childhood or just living life in a more creative and exploratory fashion, Andrea has continually felt drawn to the arts industry. While she was very comfortable in her previous job, Andrea felt a 'shift' when the pandemic happened - especially with having 2 young child...

Sometimes it takes another person to show us our true potential when we can't see it ourselves. After talking with her high school counselor, Mary Geasey decided to go down the path of higher education and pursue a degree in education. Along her journey, she wanted to learn more about how she could better support her students with special needs. Mary soon became recognized as a special educator, a...

When we're young, we may not clearly know what we want to do in life - especially when it comes to our careers. This was the case for Andrew Moore; he didn't find what he truly enjoyed until his early thirties, which ended up being aviation. Andrew previously worked in construction on environmental and infrastructure projects. After a few years of obtaining certifications and interviewing, he beca...

The fire and rescue service world has been a huge part of Chris Mullendore's life since he was a young boy. Both his dad and brother worked for the fire department, which eventually influenced Chris' decision to become a firefighter. Over the years, he has worked hard and continued to promote through the various ranks of fire and rescue. Chris is now the Battalion Chief of Health and Safety for th...

Becoming a teacher was what Karine Myers envisioned for her life as a young girl, and that's exactly the path she started out on. Karine began her career as an elementary education teacher, and she has since gone on to serve in other various positions. Karine has been a teacher specialist, assistant principal, and principal in the Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS), and is now the Supervisor o...

Born and raised in Frederick, William Trott has always felt like it's the right place for him, and there's nowhere he would rather be. His career started in the service industry; he worked in a restaurant where he wore many hats. After graduating college with a marketing degree, he eventually landed a job with a local business, Morgan Keller Construction.   William enjoys cultivating meaningful re...

Dr. Benita Rashaw is the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at Frederick Community College. In this episode, Benita shares her story of growing up in Washington D.C. and talks about her love of school from an early age. Growing up, school was a safe space for her. In college, she worked as a Resident Director, where she could help young women transition from high school to college. She he...

Sara Abrecht has had a lifelong interest in business and leadership, which began at the age of 8 when she started working for her father's CPA business. Today, she has found success as the location leader in the automotive industry.    Sara has an approachable and straightforward attitude towards her interactions and leadership style. She has learned to be understanding of the struggles of other p...

Jackie Dougé brings passion and focus to all aspects of her life. As a young girl, she envisioned herself becoming a pediatrician and worked hard to make that dream come true. She is extremely creative and channels that creativity through content creation, program development creation, and finding new ways to bring healthcare to children and families in Frederick County.   One of the topics discus...

Empowerment is something Shannon Morgan is working towards in her leadership journey. As the Senior Strategy Analyst for Thermo Fisher Scientific, Shannon has had the opportunity to grow professionally and is now learning to empower others to excel in their role as well.    Shannon started her career in publishing, and then moved on to other roles, such as content marketing and communications, bef...

David Cornelius wears many hats at Frederick Health. By involving other leaders in day-to-day choices and trusting them to also make their own decisions, David takes a collaborative approach when it comes to the multiple departments that he leads.   Accountability and communication are the topic of discussion in this episode as David shares how the pandemic drastically changed things. As the hospi...

There is no doubt that Kenny Mcdonald has a strong willingness to learn, as well as help others grow personally and professionally. Kenny started his banking career in 1985, but due to the housing market crash of 2008, he switched gears and changed industries. After 10 years of being out of the banking system, he returned and is now the branch manager of Woodsboro Bank in the 40 West office.    Ke...

Ashley Goldsborough is a very determined woman with the drive and motivation to get things done. With all of the feelings that came along with the covid pandemic, she was able to see more clearly what was most important in her life. Realizing that she had outgrown her long-term role in banking, she landed a new role with The Family Heritage Trust Company that fit her much better, yet also came wit...

Andy Schotz has worked as a professional journalist for 31 years. Today, he tells us about how journalism has changed drastically throughout the years. Being in this industry and having major information at your fingertips can be extremely exciting. Andy talks about the importance of verifying information before reporting it and even refers to things happening on social media as being just like th...

At 37-years-old, LT John Corbett entered the police force and began a new career. In this episode, John talks about the extensive process he and his family had to go through to join the Frederick Police Department. While the department has felt like a family since day one, life as a police officer hasn't always been easy. The last few years have definitely come with its share of ups and downs.   ...

Not everyone was meant to be a leader. Some need training for it, and some are born with the skill set to do it. In today's episode, Timika Thrasher shares her story of those who saw more in her and encouraged her to rise up to her true potential. She explains how this path is what led her to become the C.E.O of the Boys and Girls Club of Frederick County.   Timika has worked hard to help the chil...

Playing sports can really positively impact and shape a person - not only for today, but for the future too. In today's episode, Korey Cobb shares his story of originally pursuing his dream to play professional basketball, and how differently his path changed. He's learned a lot of important lessons from playing sports, and they have really helped build his character, personality, and mindset in l...

We all experience pivotal moments in our lives that define and change the trajectory for us, even if we don't realize it at the time. In today's episode, Dawn Lowe shares her story of going down a career (and life) path that she never planned on, but has been extremely fulfilling for her. Dawn has worked in a variety of roles with large companies like Citibank and Wells Fargo. She is now the Execu...

Losing a loved one is heartbreaking - especially when it's the unexpected death of a child. In today's episode, Brooke Desantis shares her story of losing her young son tragically due to complications from the flu. By courageously telling her and her family's story, she began to inspire and educate others regarding influenza and sepsis. The Love for Lochlin Foundation Inc. is a community foundatio...