As president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland, Franklyn Baker leads one of the region’s most recognized nonprofit organizations, overseeing a staff of more than 200 and directing initiatives spanning early childhood education, veterans’ services, homelessness prevention and education equity. Under his leadership, UWCM completed its United For Our Futures Centennial Campaign, raising more than $20 million.

Baker holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University. He serves on the boards of Baltimore Public Media and Parks & People Foundation, among others.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The biggest challenge facing the nonprofit industry today is the shrinking number of revenue opportunities while the number of nonprofits continues to rise. Many funders are struggling with whether to contribute at much higher levels to the nonprofits that achieve the highest caliber of impact versus giving smaller donations to a larger number of nonprofits, so they can provide some level of funding support to many more nonprofits. The issue with this situation is that when the latter is chosen, community impact doesn’t happen at the desired and sorely needed scale.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I’ve received is to be as honest as possible when interacting with stakeholders, as they will truly appreciate truth-telling even when there may be adverse consequences. Character is everything, regardless of the outcome!

How do you define success?

I define success as fulfilling what Zig Ziglar once said: “If you will help enough people get what they want out of life, you’ll get what you want out of life in return.” Success also means that one must embrace what Rick Warren said in the first sentence of “The Purpose Driven Life”: “It’s not about you.” Our greatest level of success is when we are hyper-fixated on the advancement and success of others.

A career rooted in direct legal services shaped Sarah Coffey Bowes into one of Maryland’s foremost advocates for civil legal access. As executive director of Civil Justice Inc. since 2019, she has driven a 70% budget increase and launched the Maryland Justice Passport, a trauma-informed legal navigation platform that received the 2025 American Legal Technology Award for Access to Justice.

Earlier, as managing director of the Maryland Court Help Centers, she grew the program from a four-employee pilot to a statewide network serving nearly 200,000 Marylanders annually. Bowes earned a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she received the Ward Kershaw Award for Client Advocacy.

Before leading one of the region’s most prominent Jewish philanthropic organizations, Andrew Cushnir built his career at the intersection of law and community service. He serves as president and CEO of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, bringing experience from the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, where he rose from chief planning and program officer to executive vice president and chief development officer, leading fundraising and planned giving efforts.

Prior to the Jewish communal sector, Cushnir practiced financial services law at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and held roles at SunAmerica Inc.

Twenty years of classroom and administrative experience in adult education bring Sherry DeFrancisci to Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake Inc., where she joins as director of The Excel Center. Specializing in adult education and teaching English to speakers of other languages, DeFrancisci is committed to student-centered instruction and developing strategies that help participants reach educational goals and meaningful careers.

A Baltimore City native and graduate of its public school system, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Towson University and a TESOL certificate and a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Leading a 20-person nonprofit dedicated to marketplace trust, Mike DiGiacomo serves as president and CEO of greater Maryland’s Better Business Bureau. Under his leadership, the organization has pursued a series of innovations, including the January launch of the BBB Growth Map powered by EcoMap — making it the first BBB in the country to offer an artificial-intelligence-powered resource discovery and strategic intelligence tool for accredited businesses.

In March, the organization expanded its Western Maryland footprint with new office space at the Veteran Services Center in Frederick and announced a partnership with the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The biggest challenge facing our industry today is keeping trust strong in a marketplace that is moving faster than ever. Consumers are navigating more scams, more misinformation and more difficulty knowing which businesses are credible. At the same time, honest businesses are working harder to stand out and prove their integrity. That makes trust and transparency more important than ever, and it raises the stakes for organizations like BBB that help connect people with businesses they can rely on.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Do the right thing, even when it’s harder and even when no one is watching. Over time, I’ve found that integrity has a way of showing up in every part of leadership. It shapes your relationships and the culture you build. In our work at BBB, that principle still holds true every day.

How do you define success?

Doing meaningful work, helping people along the way and leaving things a little better than you found them. If I’ve been useful to others and made a positive difference, I consider that success.

Meredith Lathbury Girard, Esq., serves as executive director of Shore Legal Access, a nonprofit connecting limited-income individuals and families with free civil legal assistance across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Girard began as a pro bono attorney with the organization in 2017 while working in environmental law, joined the staff as managing attorney in 2019 and was appointed executive director in 2021. Her prior career includes roles as director of land protection at the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, vice president of conservation and general counsel at the Potomac Conservancy and a natural resources planner with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.