Lessner leads climb for kidney foundation 

On the Move -- Business, 5/11

Posted: 2:56 pm Tue, May 11, 2010
By Wayne Countryman
Assistant Editor

Featured Mover

Wanda Lessner, director of executive inquiry of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, takes seriously her responsibility as president of the board of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland. The former nurse will be among those to climb down the 25-story Legg Mason Tower in Baltimore during the Rappel for Kidney Health. Anyone who raises $1,000 qualifies for the June 19 event. Matthew Cooper, associate professor of surgery and director of kidney transplantation and clinical research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Division of Transplantation, will be among the rappellers. Information: www.kidneymd.org

Accounting

Karyn Heckman, audit manager of the Reznick Group’s Baltimore office, has been selected to the inaugural class of Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland’s Getting Involved with Volunteer Experiences program. The initiative introduces young professionals to how they can improve their communities through volunteerism and leadership.

Architecture

Derk Jeffrey has been appointed to the board of SHW Group. He is a managing principal and oversees the firm’s Mid-Atlantic offices in Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., area. Jeffrey has been with the firm since 2002.

Awards

Edward J. Weinman, a doctor at VA Maryland Health Care System, of Baltimore, has received the William S. Middleton Award from the Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service for his work in basic research in kidney physiology (uric acid transport) and identification of a new and critical family of proteins involved in sodium transport. Weinman is also a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Travis Smith, a graphic communication student from the Center for Applied Technology North in Severn, took first place in the 46th annual Maryland SkillsUSA Championship. Richard Brewer, also from the Center for Applied Technology North, finished second and Derrick Martin, from Washington County Technical High School, placed third.

Peter Maller, a financial planner and partner at Heritage Financial Consultants’ Hunt Valley office, has been named the Lincoln Financial Network Planner of the Year. He also received this honor for 2007, which is awarded to the top advisor among 7,700 advisors affiliated with LFN. Among his degrees is a bachelor’s from Washington College.

Jim Wheeler, president of Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners, has received a 2010 International Business Leadership Award from the World Trade Center Institute. The awards are presented annually to leaders of Maryland companies that succeed with international projects. Ayers Saint Gross has offices in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Tempe, Ariz.

GraphTec, of Jessup, received the Best of Show award during the nonprofit Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic’s Excellence in Print Gala. Printing Specialist Corp., of Glen Burnie, won for best piece from a small press. Baltimore Color Plate, of Towson, won for best work done on a digital press. Mosaic, of Cheverly, won for Most Unique Use of Design, and Westland Enterprises, of Forestville, for Most Creative Use of Binding & Finishing, and Best Use of Color.

Boards

Arthur D. Ebersberger, a senior vice president at CBIZ Insurance Services Inc., has joined the board of directors at Howard Bank. He also serves on the boards of Anne Arundel Community College, the Professional Liability Agents Network, the School Board Nominating Commission of Anne Arundel County and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce PAC Board. Ebersberger is a past chairman of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Anne Arundel Health Services Board, the Anne Arundel County Executive’s Task Force for Fiscal Review, and the Anne Arundel Trade Council. He is past president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Safari Club International, and a former president and founder of Leadership Anne Arundel. Ebersberger earned his MBA from Loyola College Maryland.

Finance

Kolina K. Vortman has been hired as director of field development of The Washington Group, a general agency of MassMutual, headquartered in Bethesda. She will be responsible for recruiting financial services professionals. The Washington Group provides financial planning, insurance and investments.

Government

Cortney Fisher has been appointed director of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The agency annually disburses millions of dollars to help victims of crime pay their expenses. Fisher most recently managed the Office of Victim Services for the state Division of Parole and Probation. She is past president of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland College Park. She is also a consultant with the federal Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center.

Health Care

C. Patrick Chaulk has been appointed executive director and president of the Maryland Patient Safety Center. He had served as senior associate for health at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore since 1994. Chaulk provided primary care to children and adolescents in East Baltimore for eight years and has provided clinical services at Baltimore public health clinics. He is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease and an associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health. Previously Chaulk was staff director of the Governor’s Commission on Health Care Policy and Financing for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and legal assistant for the General Counsel’s Office in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Lauren Richter, a primary care physician and licensed acupuncturist, has been promoted to assistant medical director of the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine Clinic. She will oversee the clinic’s medical services and its planning. Before joining the clinic in 2008 Richter had practiced family medicine for 24 years.

Ellen L. Barton has been appointed vice president, administrative services at St. Joseph Medical Center, in Baltimore. She joined the medical center last year, serving as the interim corporate responsibility officer until October 2009, when she assumed responsibilities as the interim chief administrative officer.

Saint Agnes Hospital’s Breast Center, of Baltimore, recently received a full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

Marketing

Michael Getzlaff has been hired as senior writer at Devaney & Associates, of Towson. He most recently worked as a copywriter for Merrick Towle Communications in Beltsville, where he served as creative team leader and the primary writer for new business development.

Nonprofits

Volunteers of America Chesapeake has named Kimberly Todman its director of benefits and compensation and Linnette Bradley its operations manager. Todman served in similar capacities at Advanced Resource Technologies, Global Professional Solutions and Mattress Discounters; her degrees include a bachelor’s from Bowie State University. Bradley spent the past two years with Children’s National Medical Center, handling administrative operations, billing and customer service for the D.C. KIDS Program. Volunteers of America Chesapeake operates 26 programs that serve the homeless, mentally ill, intellectually disabled, ex-offenders, substance abusers, the elderly and children.

Real Estate

Investors United School of Real Estate, of Baltimore, celebrating its 30th anniversary, has launched an online campus to offer live and on-demand real estate investment classes via Internet.