Community Leadership Faculty – Office of Professional Programs

Sally J. Scott, Ph.D. | Graduate Program Director
Ph.D., International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
M.S., Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
B.A., American Studies, Yale University

Sally J. Scott has worked for over 30 years in community development, initially in West Africa, then in Maryland and Iowa. As a foundation program officer and a nonprofit executive director, she has led collaborative, multi-sector initiatives to bolster neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing. In the Baltimore area, Sally has partnered with grassroots, multi-neighborhood, citywide and regional organizations. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on civil society and community development, and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland.

As Director of the M.P.S. in Community Leadership, Sally leads an interdisciplinary program that draws on the teaching and research strengths of UMBC, and helps students build collaborative leadership skills as well as strong connections to local nonprofit organizations.

Ashley Bush, M.B.A. | Adjunct Faculty
M.B.A., Sports, Arts and Entertainment, Point Park University
B.S., Mass Communications, Norfolk State University

Ashley has been engaged in non-profit and public servant work for over 20 years. She graduated from Norfolk State University, with a B.S. in Mass Communications in 2007. After graduating from undergrad, she made a bold decision to move to Suwon, South Korea to teach English to young Korean children.

Ashley obtained her M.B.A. in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management from Point Park University in 2019 and has since worked for the Mayor of Baltimore City in the Office of Children and Family Success. She has adopted the term “Generational Curse Breaker” as a means to describe her and her life’s journeys. As a 1st generation graduate, former expatriate, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the Order of the Eastern Star, she continues to defy the odds and embrace every new adventure that life has to offer. Passionately working to help young girls realize – and work toward achieving – their own dreams, she is creating a positive path for young, African American generations to come.

.In January of 2021, she decided to make one of her dreams a reality and start her own business. Curated Creatives, LLC is a company that curates travel and event experiences for its clients. Curated Creatives may be a new business, but as the owner and Chief Curator, Ashley has been planning events for well over 15 years. She truly enjoys providing memorable moments for her clients.

Currently, she is the Chief of Special Events & Permits for Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) where she is responsible for permitting all of BCRP green spaces, curating events such as Birds, Bourbon, and Bacon, AFRAM, and Charm City Live, and managing a wonderful team of permit and event managers.

Ashley hopes to continue portraying the message that with an abundance of faith, determination and drive, anything that you want out of life is possible, if you are willing to take a leap of faith. And while the City of Baltimore and her personal endeavors keep her busy, you can often find her flying the friendly skies, as she is also an avid traveler.

“She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.” — Kobi Yamada

Gayle Carney | Adjunct Faculty
P.A. B.S., Computer Systems Technology, Spring Garden Institute
B.S., Early Childhood Education, Boston University

Gayle Carney is an effective, get-things-done leader with an entrepreneurial spirit who cares about her clients and dives deep to understand their world. As the Co-founder and Director of Strategy at Pulse Forward, Gayle builds out innovative plans and comprehensively organizes entities committed to making a change in the world. By strengthening client programs and brands, Gayle’s strategizing leads to increased individual, team, and organizational performance. She also coaches leaders, providing an external perspective on organizational challenges.

Prior to Pulse Forward, Gayle founded the Center for Community Technology Services at the University of Baltimore which was created to provide strategic technology and website development services. Gayle’s focus on nonprofits began in her role as Chief Technology Officer for The Enterprise Foundation headquarters and its 21 national offices, now Enterprise Community Partners. As the Senior Director of Training at PowerUP, a Steve and Jean Case Foundation initiative, Gayle designed and directed professional development for over 1000 nonprofits around the country.

Gayle graduated from Boston University’s School of Education and made a career shift from education to technology after teaching for several years. In her spare time, she volunteers with various nonprofit boards and schools in the Baltimore area, where she and her family currently live.

Candace Chance, M.A. | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Cultural Sustainability, Goucher College
B.A., Biology, Goucher College

Candace is a Baltimore City native (with Guyanese roots) who spent over a decade exploring the dynamics of social & economic ecosystems and their impact on communities of color. In collaboration with her partners and clients she has been developing strategies to serve the development of sustainable, regenerative and self-determined communities.

Candace leads The V.P.I. Firm (Vision, Performance, & Impact): a process and strategy design firm for community development & social impact, supporting innovative leaders to create a bold new future.

Candace is also spearheading the development of a community-owned Data Cooperative for BCIITY (Baltimore City Intergenerational Initiative for Trauma & Youth), a community-managed alliance of over 60 organizations and social enterprises. Other volunteer work includes sitting on the board of Maryland’s 1st Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts & Entertainment District in West Baltimore and a part of the advisory committee for CLLCTIVLY.

Ciara Christian, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy and Culture, UMBC
M.A., Applied Sociology, UMBC
B.A., Political Science; Howard University

Ciara serves as Co-Director for the Center of Social Justice Dialogue, UMBC Division of Institutional Equity. Ciara explores digital media platforms, specifically podcasts, as spaces for knowledge production, identity formation, and organizing for Black identity, Black feminism, and Black thought more broadly. Ciara came to UMBC in 2016 as a Shriver Peaceworker Fellow in the Applied Sociology graduate program and to continue the spirit of her Peace Corps experience (Rwanda ‘13-’15) in service to UMBC’s campus. She received a Ph.D. from UMBC’s Language Literacy & Culture Program in 2022. Through the many partnerships and connections forged through her graduate assistantships across campus, Ciara has found meaning and fulfillment in working to help cultivate a sense of belonging for herself and others at UMBC. Outside of campus, Ciara enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, and sharing quality time with friends and family. Ciara is a very proud alumna of Howard University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Tom Coale, J.D. | Adjunct Faculty
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
B.A., Political Science, Lycoming College

Tom Coale is an attorney with the law firm of Talkin & Oh, LLP. His practice concentrates on affordable housing, land use, and zoning. Mr. Coale has served on numerous nonprofit and government boards and commissions, including the Howard County Charter Review Commission, the Ellicott City Master Plan Committee and the Maryland Comptroller’s “Reform on Tap” Task Force. Mr. Coale serves on the Board of Trustees for the Maryland Science Center, the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership, and the Steering Committee for the Howard County Housing Affordability Coalition. He lives with his wife and three children in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Janssen Evelyn, J.D. | Adjunct Faculty
J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law
B.A., Political Science, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Janssen E. Evelyn is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Anne Arundel County, where he oversees land use policy, housing, and economic development. An attorney by training, he has held senior leadership roles in local government since 2017, bringing a strong commitment to equity and community-centered policy. Dedicated to ensuring that marginalized voices are heard and included, Janssen ran for elected office in 2022 and remains deeply engaged in civic leadership. He serves as Board President of the Howard County Conservancy and Vice-Chair of the Maryland Commission for Civil Rights. He is also a board member for Howard County NAACP #7020, Columbia Community Care, and the Howard Progressive Project.

Denise Griffin Johnson| Adjunct Faculty
M.S., Family Counseling, Coppin State University
B.S., Biology, Coppin State University

Denise has extensive experience in Human Services, supporting both family and community life. She has developed program policies, procedures, and practices to empower, enlighten, and support family well being. She practices the philosophy that organizations and institutions can play a major role in supporting family life, which supports community life. Denise also has over twenty years of organizing experience, addressing housing, homelessness, infant mortality, and culture. In 2008 she co-created CultureWorks and developed the CultureWorks Cultural Organizing Practice with a focus in West Baltimore. As Executive Director of the Arch Social Community Network, her practice and messaging have expanded across many national groups. Denise received a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Family Counseling from Coppin State University.

Charlotte Keniston, Ph.D. | Affiliate Faculty
Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program
Ph.D., Language, Literacy, and Culture, UMBC
M.F.A., Intermedia and Digital Arts, UMBC
B.A., Houghton College

Charlotte came to Baltimore in 2011 to participate in Peaceworker and pursue an M.F.A. in Intermedia and Digital Arts at UMBC, where she completed a thesis on the intersection of art, food systems, and social justice. She remained in Baltimore as an Open Society Institute Fellow and later ran community food programs at Paul’s Place, a non-profit in Southwest Baltimore. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Charlotte served in San Sebastián Huehuetenango, Guatemala from 2008-2010, helping to form women’s groups organized around gender equity and rural community development. Charlotte has taught classes at UMBC in Food Systems, Photography, and Public Art in the Visual Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies programs. Currently, Ms. Keniston is a doctoral student in the program of Language, Literacy, and Culture, studying participatory visual research methods and social change. Charlotte helps to organize the UMBC campus Digital Storytelling initiatives and is active in the International Digital Storytelling community. She lives in NW Baltimore County with her partner Arnold and their children Cole and Greta.

Jasmine Lee, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Social Work, Michigan State University
M.S.W., University of Michigan
B.A., Social Work, Eastern Michigan University

Jasmine serves as Co-Director for the Center of Social Justice Dialogue, UMBC Division of Institutional Equity. She completed her doctoral degree in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program at Michigan State University. Jasmine’s research focuses broadly on Black college student experiences, social justice, critical race theory, academic resilience, and theory-to-practice methods for higher education professionals. Additionally, she is a trained clinical social worker, with a B.S.W. from Eastern Michigan University and M.S.W. from the University of Michigan.

Katie Long, M.A. | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Intercultural Communications, UMBC
B.A., Psychology and Spanish, Towson University

Katie Long works as the program director for Friends of Patterson Park, implementing free youth and family sports programming, adult wellness programming, and healthy living seminars and projects. She produces (or works with organizational partners to produce) free annual community events such as Día del Niño, Baltimore Kite Fest, Patterson Park Summer Concert Series, Haitian Caribbean Festival, The Great Halloween Lantern Parade, Latin American Folklore Festival, Winter Lights, and many others. Katie is a fluent Spanish-speaker and serves as the liaison to Patterson Park’s immigrant community. She has a Master of Art degree in intercultural communication from UMBC, where she was also a Shriver Peaceworker fellow.

Lauren Mauriello, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Public Policy, UMBC
M.Ed., James Madison University
B.S., James Madison University

Lauren Mauriello is the Assistant Director for Residential Student Conduct at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she has worked since 2013 overseeing residential student conduct and residential assessment initiatives. Prior to 2013, Lauren worked in residential life and student conduct at George Mason University and James Madison University, where she also received a master’s degree in College Student Personnel Administration. Lauren received a Ph.D. in Public Policy, specializing in Education Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research interests include restorative practices in higher education and in community settings.

Charmeda McCready | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Nonprofit Management, Notre Dame of Maryland University
B.A., International Studies and Economics, Towson University

Charmeda “Char” McCready has twenty-four years of experience in nonprofit management and leadership. She is a local county housing commission’s 504/ADA Lead Coordinator. Char has a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Notre Dame of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics from Towson University. Throughout her career, Char has worked to empower and aid marginalized people. She has worked with many nonprofit agencies and held various roles. One of her most recent notable roles was as one of the coordinators of Baltimore City’s Inclusionary Housing Coalition (IHC). She assisted with the passage of Baltimore City’s second Inclusionary Housing law in January 2024. Char continues to volunteer and serve on the IHC Steering Committee. Additionally, Char is currently assisting with creating a local community organization. Char has been a certified consultant with the Standards of Excellence Institute through Maryland Nonprofits from 2020-2024. In December 2024, Char was appointed to Baltimore County’s Human Relations Commission as one of its commissioners.

In many of Char’s roles, there was always an aspect of education, empowerment, and advocating for equity in marginalized communities. Much of her work has been conducted through a Fair Housing lens, where her expertise in Fair Housing laws is unparalleled. She has advocated for protected class persons covered under Federal, State, and local laws (race, color, religion, national origin, sex (includes gender and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status (covers families with children, single parents, pregnant women, etc.), and disability (mental and physical) and even age discrimination. Over the last two years, she has worked in public policy, community engagement, and organizing. Char resides in Parkville, MD, with her family.

Kaleigh Mrowka, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy, and Culture, UMBC
M.S., Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, SUNY Buffalo State
B.A., Speech Communication, Ithaca College

Kaleigh Mrowka currently serves as an Assistant Director for Student Engagement for the University Honors Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In her role, she coordinates student engagement and co-curricular learning for the largest honors living-learning program at UMD. Prior to her current role, Kaleigh worked at UMBC overseeing residential areas for first- and second-year students and co-coordinating the restorative residential curriculum. She holds a B.A. In Speech Communication from Ithaca College, a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from SUNY Buffalo State, and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture from UMBC. Her professional and research interests center around the development and maintenance of healthy and equitable communities through the use of restorative practices, relational research methodologies, integrative learning, and intergroup dialogue. She has presented regionally and nationally about living-learning programs and the integration of restorative practices into residential communities within higher education.

Samantha Novak | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Whole Systems Design, Antioch University Seattle
B.A., Philosophy, York College of Pennsylvania

Sam has worked in a diversity of fields and positions across networks and nonprofits, education and entrepreneurship. In all her endeavors over the last 15 years, she’s maintained a commitment to cultivating community and leadership at the intersections of social, environmental, and economic justice. She currently applies her skills in learning design, facilitation, coaching, and organizational culture craft to foster relational change, encourage emergent strategies, and develop adaptive leaders. Sam is graduate faculty at UMBC, Co-founder and Co-Director of Loam (a social change organization), a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab Program, and a 2022 Baltimore Weaver Award Nominee. In academia, Sam has received awards for National and Community Service, Excellence in the Humanities, and Leadership in Social and Environmental Justice. As an educator and facilitator, Sam strives to illuminate the wisdom of living systems. She is passionate about practicing our way into a future that is begging to remember that we are nature. And she invites us all to be more human, together.

Michael A. Sarbanes | Adjunct Faculty
J.D., New York University School of Law
B.A., M.A., Oxford University
B.A., Princeton University

Michael Sarbanes currently teaches physics at Green Street Academy. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Sarbanes’ work has focused on strengthening communities on behalf of children and families. He has served as an attorney with the Community Law Center, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Deputy Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and as Executive Director of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA) from 2003 to 2008.During his tenure at CPHA, Mr. Sarbanes focused on inclusionary housing, transportation improvements, enhancing drug treatment, and strengthening community capacity. In 2008 Mr. Sarbanes was appointed Executive Director of Engagement for Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools). He was responsible for engaging partners, parents, families, and community organizations in support of City Schools, as well as all internal and external communications for City Schools. During this period, City Schools dramatically expanded its engagement of families and communities, including a broad-based mobilization resulting in over $1 billion for new school construction. Mr. Sarbanes also was lay co-chair for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Michael has been active as a coach, mentor, church, and community leader.

Kate Scherr-Adams | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Nonprofit Management, Millersville University of PA
B.A., Social Work, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Kate Scherr-Adams has over two decades of experience managing programs and projects in the nonprofit sector. Kate’s strong passion for helping organizations achieve their missions led her to launch KS Solutions Consulting, a consulting firm focused on people and planning, in 2011 after 15 years of working for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Her background in Social Work (BA) and Nonprofit Management (MA) informs her consulting work with a wide variety of clients from those with a national presence to those that are local in Baltimore. She supports her clients and at the same time learns from them in every interaction. She continues her education in areas of wellness and change management to further her support clients. Kate is an active community volunteer leading Civics Club with middle school students, serving on Friends of Herring Run Park board and volunteering regularly in her community. She lives in Baltimore City with her husband and pup, where she has resided for over 20 years. She is originally from Columbia, MD, a unique community, which continues to play a large part in her values and perspective.

Meghann Shutt | Adjunct Faculty
M.P.P., Public Policy, University of Maryland Baltimore County
B.A., Sociology, New College of Florida

Meghann Shutt is a native Baltimorean who is passionate about supporting the work of nonprofits, visionaries, and big-hearted doers who are motivated to improve their communities. Meghann started Bridge Consulting, a grant writing consulting firm, in 2017, where she raised over $4m over two years for Baltimore nonprofits focused on workforce development, the arts, and transitional housing. She has taught and supported graduate students as the Assistant Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program at UMBC, adults at the Baltimore City Department of Social Services as the Chief Learning Officer, and in her current role as Senior Associate at Steele Strategies. Meghann is a proud alum of New College of Florida (B.A. Sociology) and UMBC (MPP). She lives in Baltimore City, and can be found exploring art, stoop sitting with friends, or traveling with her family.

Joby Taylor, Ph.D. | Affiliate Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy and Culture, UMBC
M.A., History of Religions, Missouri State University
B.A., Philosophy, Conception Seminary College

Joby Taylor came to Baltimore as a Peaceworker Fellow in 1999 and liked the program and the city so much that he has proudly stayed on, becoming program director in 2003. Joby was born and raised in Miami, Oklahoma, a small town that is also home to eight Native American nations. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon, Africa (91-93) helping build an elementary school in the village of Seka Seka, and, as all RPCVs soon find, he learned much more than he gave along the way. Joby’s involvement in service and service-learning has included other construction projects in the U.S. and the Caribbean, but also much work with youth, particularly at-risk and special needs youth. Academically Joby received his B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in Religious Studies, and completed his Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Language Literacy and Culture program. His dissertation is titled: Metaphors We Serve By: Critical and Constructive Play with the Discourses on Service. Joby lives in Baltimore City with his wife Beth and their two girls, Isabel and Katherine.

Lane Victorson | Adjunct Faculty
M.S.W., University of Maryland
B.A., Philosophy, Fort Hays State University

Originally from the great state of Kansas, Lane Victorson moved to Baltimore when he was awarded a fellowship from the Shriver Center Peaceworker Program at UMBC. He has worked in community practice to help people help themselves for over 25 years, in contexts ranging from service corps, to central neighborhoods, to neighborhood schools. Lane is a Clinical Faculty Instructor at the University Of Maryland School of Social Work, where he earned his master’s in Social Work. In addition to teaching macro courses including community organizing, community economic development, and social planning, he serves as Director of Community Organizing in the Social Work Community Outreach Services office, directing new site developments for field-based learning, and coordinating the Neighborhood Fellows Program and Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program, which recruit, engage, and excite students about the important world of community-based practice and the need to develop future leadership in this field.

Robert Watkins | Graduate Faculty

Rob Lee is a podcasting content expert and cultural curator from Baltimore, Maryland. With over ten years of experience in podcasting and data analytics, Rob guides clients in podcast marketing and brand development. His podcast, “Truth in this Art,” received recognition as Baltimore’s Best Podcast by Baltimore Magazine in 2022. Rob is excited to share his expertise and help aspiring podcasters bring their visions to life

Jessica Wyatt | Adjunct Faculty
M.F.A., Community Art, Maryland Institute College of Art
B.A., Beloit College

In both teaching in the classroom and working in community, Jess Wyatt (she/her) uses an asset based approach, facilitating experiences that allow for discovery and utilization of participants’ unique individual and collective power.Through creating and sustaining transformational relationships, Jess facilitates the co-creation of a just future in community with others. A lifelong organizer of people and student of life, Jess joined the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute in the summer of 2017 as a faculty member. Since joining, she has been a member of the team working to build structure for the Institute to become more accessible by creating clear avenues for new leadership, new efforts and to allow anyone who would like to have a clear relationship to the ABCD Institute and the ABCD Community.

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