EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

director@smcart.org

Susie has spent many years working as a writer, in various scopes of marketing and business development, management, and other areas of expertise. She holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University and a minor in German from Christian Albrechts Üniversität.

Most recently Susie was employed at the Art Center of Wilmington Island before moving to Southern Maryland.

Susie resides locally with her husband and children. She is an avid painter and crafter and enjoys traveling and scuba diving as well as volunteering her time for several different community projects.

Susie has been an active Board Member since 2020 and as of January 1st, 2023 started her position as Executive Director.

OUTREACH COORDINATOR

outreach@smcart.org

Wednesday Davis has been a part of the SMCAC team since September of 2017. She organized and launched the Gallery & Gift Shop and can be found “behind the scenes” editing the monthly e-newsletters, writing monthly Spotlights on the Arts, and working on other projects and initiatives.

Originally from California state, Wednesday relocated to the area with her husband following his military retirement. She draws upon her travels to places such as San Francisco, Austin, and Asheville to bring innovative ideas and creativity to the local arts scene.

In 2016 she pitched the idea of an audience participation Drum Circle of which she states is one of her most favorite projects to have developed and also to be a part of!

GALLERY MANAGER

gallery@smcart.org

Caitlin Wakefield has been working within the art community in St. Mary’s County since she moved back to Maryland in 2016. Caitlin started her work with Carrie Patterson, at Yellow Door Art Studios, helping teach art classes to younger artists. And that grew into becoming a freelance illustrator creating Meenyx Studio.

Caitlin began working at the St. Mary’s County Arts Council in 2018 as a Gallery Assistant and has been able to meet and work with many local artists. In 2023 she became the Gallery Manager and is very excited to create exciting opportunities for local artists.

Being able to be apart of a community so passionate about the arts is exactly what she was looking for.

PRESIDENT

Barbara Bershon was appointed to the Maryland State Arts Council in 2008 and served as Chair from 2012 to 2014.

Bershon also serves on the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Board where she was Secretary and is currently the Vice Chair.

Barbara is the Emeritus Executive Director of the Chesapeake Orchestra in Southern Maryland and also has served as a past president of the St. Mary’s County Arts Council.

For many years Bershon was Director of Arts Outreach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland where she was the Managing Director of the River Concert Series, which is still one of her very favorite events in our community.

VICE PRESIDENT

Dr. Christine Bergmark has 30 years of experience in research, education, and development, both nationally and internationally.

She is a strong entrepreneurial professional, skilled in economic development and strategic planning. Dr. Bergmark possesses impressive leadership abilities and has a rich background in community development, food systems, environmental programs, marketing and public policy.

She has a passion for humanities and the arts and created the Southern Maryland Trails: Earth, Art, Imagination program showcasing Southern Maryland arts, farms, food, parks, and cultural heritage. She currently resides in St. Mary’s County, where she runs a 104-acre organic produce farm along with her husband.

TREASURER

Sue grew up in upstate New York and has been a resident of St. Mary’s County for over forty years with a past career in accounting and systems analysis.

Music has been a part of most of her life from piano lessons beginning in third grade on. She has used her skills to accompany high school glee club and musicals and was also a chorus member. In adult years she has been a member of church choirs and Encore.

More recently she helped her husband to establish a Maryland non-profit organization called Power Jam Music Alliance with a mission to join musicians with the community to provide opportunities to share and improve their musical talents. The organization provides the venue, the sound and the logistics needed for performances and the musicians provide their talent!

SECRETARY

Julia Nichols (she/her) has lived in St. Mary’s County since 1997. After receiving her B.A. in French and her Masters in Library Science, she worked at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary’s City in the development office for several years before leaving to be a full-time mother.

Julia founded the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra & Choir in 2012 and served as President of the Board for its 10 years of operation. She played violin starting at the age of five, and it was her experience in the Vermont Youth Orchestra that inspired her to start SMYOC. She has three children who play several instruments.

Julia has used her organizational skills to lead and strengthen several community groups. Currently, she is President of the Democratic Club of St. Mary’s County, serves on the board of the Friends of the Library, and is Treasurer for both the Sierra Club MD Chapter and Southern MD Group.

Ruby Bassford (they/them) was born and raised in St. Mary’s County and has loved watching the art community grow! They are a multimedia artist whose work has been exhibited all over Maryland and centers themes of disability and identity.

Ruby received a BA of Art and English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2019, and began working as a preschool Art Instructor for a Reggio Emilia program in Western Maryland shortly after. Currently, Ruby is a teacher and manager at The Yellow Line Art Studio in Leonardtown, working closely with artist Carrie Patterson.

Over the years, Ruby has volunteered for the St. Mary’s Arts Council, PFLAG Somd Chapter and led Art-Healing Nights for Women Veterans with Operation Second Chance. Currently, they facilitate Queer Community Nights at St. Inie’s Coffee and have participated in painting and designing murals all around the county!

They are interested in making the arts more accessible, specifically in line with Disability Justice, LGBTQIA inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

Adam currently works as a Senior Graphic Artist/Technical Writer for ManTech, where he develops documentation aerospace solutions for the Department of Defense. He also develops a myriad of graphic and design solutions w/ his work featured at: www.adambradleystudio.com

Adam has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, Master of Business Administration, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Information Technology. Adam has shown tremendous excitement to be a part of the St. Mary’s County Arts Council and he looks forward to contributing to the community’s arts and culture.

Michael Brown has been a member of the Arts Council board since 2013 and has resided in St. Mary’s County for almost 40 years. He likes to say he has no arts skills whatsoever, but does have an extreme appreciation for all types of art.

One of the reasons that he has been part of the Arts Council has been to assist in bringing art to all people of St. Mary’s County no matter of their age, income, or ethnicity.

Mr. Brown serves on the board of the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions and has been instrumental with organizing the Juneteenth Celebration held annually in Lexington Park.

Lisa has a Masters of Public Administration and 25+ years experience working in the public sector, including government and nonprofit administration. She has spent the last 15 years as a civil servant at Pax River, but also has experience in grant writing and development, and a passion for the arts.

She served as the first Treasurer for the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and has been an active volunteer for many community organizations. She dabbles in multiple art forms including knitting, playing piano, and taking art classes and workshops whenever she can locally. She and her family enjoy attending live performances and visiting galleries and museums. She also has fond memories of working on art projects and learning to knit and crochet with both her grandmothers.

As a parent with two sons in the local public school system, she would love to see even more opportunities for art in all its forms to be made available and accessible to kids and their families. Playing cello in her local youth orchestra as well as acting in community theater are counted among some of her favorite experiences while growing up in Pennsylvania, and she is excited to work with the Arts Council to continue to foster similar opportunities throughout St. Mary’s County.

Although Fred grew up in upstate New York, he has been a resident of St. Mary’s County for over 40 years and works as an electronics engineer at Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command.

In his youth his music interest was mainly as a listener but after a friend gifted him a guitar and challenged him to learn to play at church he realized that he loved playing and making music.

Fred and his wife have established a Maryland non-profit organization called Power Jam Music Alliance of which he is the President of, see description under “Sue Heather” to learn more.

Description goes hereMike is a singer and a member of the Board of Directors of St. Maries Musica, an a capella choral group which performs in Southern Maryland and beyond.

Mr. Judd is a lifelong choral singer having performed nationally and internationally while in college at Indiana University and as a member of the Wolf River Singers in Memphis, TN.

He has also performed with the Light Opera Company of Southern Maryland.

Judd has been a member of St. Maries Musica since the early 1970.s and now serves as their Treasurer and fundraiser.

Heidi Kaselemis moved from Tucson Arizona to St. Mary's county in 2015 and is enjoying the uniqueness and beauty of Southern Maryland. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a BFA she pursued a career in interior design and retail management until deciding to be a full-time mom and raise her children.

Heidi has always been very active in her church and community. She has had the privilege of serving on committees for Ballet Arizona, Moms in Prayer, Bible Study fellowship International, Boy Scouts, Young Life, and other organizations. Heidi lives in Leonardtown with her husband Chris and miniature Dachshund Kelvin.

Deb McClure started painting with tremendous glee in kindergarten and started drawing in earnest in her teens. She became fascinated with watercolors in her twenties and has completed several stained glass pieces as well

Subsequently Deb started selling her watercolor collages to collectors and decorators and worked as a muralist and faux finisher, using primarily acrylics and venetian plaster.

She has a special interest in creating wind chimes made with natural materials and also enjoys working with other artists on collaborative projects.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Laschelle McKay currently serves as the Town Administrator for the Town of Leonardtown and has held this position since year 2000.

The Town Administrator is responsible for all of the day to day operations and management of the Town as well as all capital projects.

Laschelle also oversees the Arts and Entertainment District and coordination of a variety of public events held in the town each year.

She lives in Hollywood, MD with her husband, Tommy.

Colonel Susan P. McNeill (USAF, ret.) served in the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate and earlier as a Procurement Officer for over 23 years. She spent her last years before retiring in a variety of litigation and Headquarters, Air Force legal staff positions, and as a representative of the Air Force with the Dept. of Justice.

As a volunteer arts administrator, Susan has been one of the founders and managers the St Mary’s College Art Arts Alliance Arts Bridge Program which has, since 2003, provided multi-disciplinary arts education at St. Mary’s College to hundreds of County high school students. She has also been a member of the SMC Arts Council since 2006.

Aris grew up in St. Mary’s County. She moved to Virginia and received her Bachelors in Food Service Management and Masters of Business Administration from the Culinary Institute of VA and ECPI University, respectively. She started in hospitality industry and transformed into new roles such as business analyst, creative director, and events coordinator.

After nearly a decade away, fate brought her back to Maryland in January 2023. She currently works for the Town of Leonardtown as an Events Coordinator and additionally works at St. Mary’s College of Maryland as an Adjunct Professor of Movement & Dance. Coming back to St. Mary’s County has been a wonderful experience and she proud to see how much the area and accessibility of the arts has grown.

IMMEDIATE PAST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Nell Elder started her career as a News Graphic Artist for the 10 o’clock news at WTTG-5 (currently Fox-5) in Washington DC.

She then spent 10 years as a designer and production artist at the Washington Post magazine.

In 2011 Nell joined the board of the St. Mary’s County Arts Council and in 2013 became a staff member serving as the Outreach Coordinator.

Soon after she was offered the position as SMCAC Executive Director and worked in this role until her retirement in December 2022. Nell continues to serve as an Associate Member & Volunteer.

Hailing from Va. Beach, Donna Jordan has been celebrating dance and movement for a lifetime. She continued to follow her passion for years to come taking dance and movement classes all over the world. All different styles, all different types - all different focus - from hip hop to ballroom to bellydance to ballet - there was no dance style she didn’t like to explore.

In 2002, when she moved to St Mary’s County, Donna shifted gears and gave up her full-time career as a chemist to teach dance and movement full time. She has been delighted to work with many local schools, colleges, nonprofit agencies, and countless others.

Jeffery Silberschlag, Music director and founder of the Chesapeake Orchestra since 1994, is the winner of the European Union Lifetime Achievement Award for Music and the 2009 Governor’s Citation for Providing Music to the Southern Maryland Region.

Since 2001, Mr. Silberschlag also holds the position of co-music director of the Alba Music Festival in Italy. He has recorded with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Czech Radio Orchestra. Mr. Silberschlag has directed over 60 major orchestral world premieres.