2025 MEDA Winter Conference

Secretary Kevin Anderson is a business executive who has extensive experience in economic and community development as well as public service. He was named by Governor Wes Moore as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce in January 2023.
Anderson is the founder & CEO of Cardinal Atlantic Holdings, an economic and community development firm targeting scaled social impact and investment in urban centers. With specializations in real estate and education technology, CAH advises funds, corporations and governments on economic and community development strategy and projects.
Anderson previously served as Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships at EVERFI, Inc., an educational software company for financial literacy and life skills education where he led government relations and conducted business development. Anderson helped create and launch the company’s diversity content while securing public and corporate partnerships to support digital innovation in school districts across America. A SaaS company, Anderson helped lead EVERFI’s growth from 32 employees to over 600, and from $6mm in revenue to over $120mm during his tenure.
Before joining EVERFI, Anderson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of City First Homes, Inc. – a $6 million community land trust created to support workforce housing and ensure ongoing affordability for working families in the District of Columbia. Launched in 2008 as the District’s most aggressive affordable housing initiative, City First Homes navigated the financial crisis stabilizing mixed income development and created over 100 units of affordable housing.
Prior to his appointment at City First Homes, Anderson was Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Equity Capital at the Jair Lynch Companies, Inc., a for-profit real estate and community development firm in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for the financial management of JLC’s public, corporate and real estate ventures. Anderson helped establish JLC’s initial investment fund, a $120 million facility for commercial and housing development in the DMV region.
In 2000, Anderson served in Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration as Special Assistant to the City Administrator and Chief of Staff at the D.C. Department of Transportation. He helped usher an era of accountability and transparency in city operations and managed the restructuring of DDOT to a cabinet-level agency. Anderson led the hiring of over 100 new employees, the establishment of a local trust fund for street and infrastructure maintenance and implementation of performance metrics to meet citizen needs. Mayor Anthony A. Williams proclaimed March 31, 2004 “Kevin Anderson Day” in the District of Columbia.
Anderson began his professional career at the investment banking firm of Pryor, McClendon, Counts & Co., Inc. in Philadelphia, PA as an Institutional Bond Salesman. He served pension funds, insurance companies, investment advisers, and money center banks. Anderson provided coverage for PMC’s landmark financings as lead manager for the $320 million Atlanta Hartsfield Airport financing and the $390 million Denver Airport financing.
Anderson is the former Chairperson of the NEA Foundation’s Board of Directors (National Education Association), and recently completed 19 years of service on the Board of Trustees of Lawrence Academy. He is a member of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 2006 and Leadership Prince George’s Class of 2008. Anderson has held and holds professional licenses and designations in securities trading, commodity futures trading, and economic development finance. He has also prepared financial reports for expert testimony in D.C. Superior Court and local jurisdictions.
A native of Washington, D.C., Anderson graduated from Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA. He holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University, and has completed finance, leadership, and executive education at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University, and the National Development Council. Anderson lives in Upper Marlboro, MD with his wife, The Honorable Tiffany H. Anderson, daughter, Kendall, and twin sons, Kennedy and Kolby.

Ms. Beaver has served as the Carroll County Deputy Director of Economic Development since 2001. Prior to that Ms. Beaver held several Carroll County workforce development roles serving Carroll County businesses and citizens for a total of 27 years.
Selected as a Leadership Maryland Class of 2021 member and elected MEDA secretary in April 2021, Ms. Beaver also currently represents Carroll County at the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Advisory Board, the Baltimore Gas & Electric Carroll County Advisory Council, the Carroll Transit Advisory Council, and the Mid-Maryland Workforce Development Board. Previously, Ms. Beaver was a founding member, board member, and Secretary of the Carroll Technology Council (now Carroll Technology & Innovation Council) for 16 years.
Ms. Beaver holds degrees from Kutztown University and Towson University and resides in Westminster.

Lakey Boyd is the Greater Baltimore Committee’s new Chief Economic Officer, joining at a
pivotal time when the GBC aims to strengthen its investment pipeline, elevate the region’s
brand, and position Baltimore as a competitive global player. In the role, Lakey brings a wealth
of expertise in economic development, workforce development, redevelopment, innovation, and
entrepreneurship across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She leads GBC’s business
retention, expansion, and attraction efforts, as well as capital investment and attraction
initiatives. The Regional Innovation Office, which supports the federal Tech Hub work, is also
within her portfolio.

Lakey is a Certified Economic Developer (IEDC) with over two decades of experience. She has
led several city and county business investment efforts, worked with military bases and federal
installations to leverage local and state economic impacts, and driven synergistic commercial
real estate development. Additionally, she has partnered with higher education institutions to
build workforce development efforts and innovation ecosystems. Lakey also has extensive
experience supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs, including outreach, programming, and
incentives. She has led attraction campaigns and programming targeting local manufacturers,
urban artisans, and women- and BIPOC-owned businesses. Her diverse background includes
consulting, where she worked on nearly 100 projects in over 50 cities across12 states.
Lakey moved to the Baltimore Region over three years ago and has held leadership roles at
Columbia Association and Howard Community College She is actively engaged in the greater
Baltimore Region with Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s Chesapeake Connect and was
appointed by Governor Moore to the Baltimore Regional Transit Commission. Lakey has
delivered keynote addresses at the Howard County Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s
Leadership Conference and Community Action Council of Howard County’s Holland Awards.
She has been recognized as a Woman of Influence by I95 Business Monthly and is an alumna
of Leadership Howard County.

Lakey is driven by a passion for increasing economic mobility and transforming lives. She holds
a master’s degree in city planning, with specializations in economic development and land
development from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She holds professional certifications
from American Institute of Certified Planners and International Economic Development Council.

Member of House of Delegates since January 14, 2014. Minority Leader, 2021-. Member, Ways and Means Committee, 2015- (election law subcommittee, 2015-17; finance resources subcommittee, 2015-19; revenues subcommittee, 2017-; racing & gaming subcommittee, 2020-); Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2019-; Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 2021-; Legislative Policy Committee, 2021-; Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2021-; Spending Affordability Committee, 2021-; Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, 2021-; Consent Calendars Committee, 2021-; House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Work Group, 2021-. Chief Deputy Minority Whip, 2017-18. Member, Tax Credit Evaluation Committee, 2017-21; Work Group to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, 2020. House Chair, Allegany County Delegation, 2016-. Member, Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, 2014-.
Member, Maryland Redistricting Reform Commission, 2015-18; Tri-County Council for Western Maryland, 2015-; Local [Video Lottery] Development Council, Allegany County, 2015-; Task Force to Study Tax Sales in Maryland, 2017-18. Chair, Task Force on the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority, 2018-19, 2020-. Co-Chair, Task Force on the Economic Future of Western Maryland, 2020-22. Member, Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans’ Courts, 2021.

Born in Allegany County, Maryland, November 3, 1971. Attended Bishop Walsh High School, Cumberland, Maryland; George Mason University, B.A. (political science), with honors; University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., with honors. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1996. Attorney. Managing Partner, Buckel, Levasseur & Pillai, LLC. Member, Maryland State Bar Association. Member, Allegany County Republican Central Committee, 2006-14. Member, LaVale Lions Club. Associate member, Lodge no. 40, Frostburg, Fraternal Order of Police. Member, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Cumberland, Maryland.

Amy Gowan has worked across the land use spectrum for over 15 years managing and leading teams within the areas of land use, housing, community and economic development. Amy is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC), where she directs the organization’s efforts to promote economic growth and business development. She oversees all aspects of AAEDC’s operations, including business attraction and retention, workforce development, financial lending, revitalization efforts and small business support.

Prior to her current role, Amy served as the Director of Howard County Planning and Zoning and as the Deputy Director for approximately eight years. In her leadership roles, she oversaw department operations, programs and initiatives including review of development projects, commercial center redevelopment projects, long–range community planning, historical and agricultural preservation programs, and all zoning issues affecting the County. Key initiatives during her tenure include a new character based Comprehensive Plan for the county focused on sustainable redevelopment, an unprecedented community engagement effort targeting populations underrepresented in planning processes, an urban renewal project to redevelop a blighted village center and creation of a Citizen Planning Academy.

Prior to moving to and working for Howard County, Amy worked for the City of San Diego, where she held numerous policy and land use related positions. She served as an advisor to the Mayor on various land use projects, most notably as a project manager for a multi-million dollar public/private partnership to construct a new iconic downtown library for San Diego.

In her role as Assistant Deputy Director of Economic Development, she was responsible for implementing the city’s economic development programs, including managing over $15M in Community Development Block Grants, business assistance resources and commercial and neighborhood revitalization programs.

Amy also spent several years as a Policy Advisor for the San Diego Housing Commission and the City of San Diego, working on affordable housing and homeless issues and programs.

In addition to her multi-faceted work experience, Amy has a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in city planning from San Diego State University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Scranton.

Richard Griffin, AICP, CEcD is the Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick.
In that role oversees four City Departments including the Department of Economic
Development, Downtown Parking Department, Frederick Municipal Airport, and Weinberg
Center for the Arts. Griffin is accredited economic developer and urban planner with over 30
years of experience.
During his 20+-year tenure in Frederick he has overseen major City Projects including the design
and development of award-winning Carroll Creek Park, airport expansion, and parking garage
development along with coordinating complex development projects delivering jobs and tax
base in downtown and commercial corridors. He has worked with many businesses in Frederick
including AstraZeneca, Fort Detrick, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Stulz,
Wilcoxen, Precision For Medicine, and many small mom and pop shops, and minority and
women owned businesses.
Richard has experience working at the city, county, regional, and federal level in Maryland,
Virginia, North and South Carolina and Washington State. He served on the district staff of the
late US Representative James Clarke from the 11th District of NC. He is a US Army veteran
having served as a Cavalry border guard on the East German Border during the cold war and as
a commissioned Armor officer in the NC National Guard and Army Reserves.
Mr. Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He is the
President of the Board for the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), and
serves on the Boards of the Fort Detrick Alliance, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center,
Inc, and others. He is Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and volunteers as a scout leader and youth
mountain bike race team coach. His wife Lynne is a FCPS teacher and they live, work, and play
in Downtown Frederick.

Tiffany Harvey, Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs for Maryland and Delaware. In her role, Tiffany leads Comcast’s government advocacy programs in both states and represents the company’s interests in front of the state legislatures along with respective executive branch agencies and Attorney General offices.

A Maryland resident since 1990 with extensive legislative and legal affairs experience, Tiffany previously was Director of State and Government Affairs for Verizon, handling legislative matters before the Maryland General Assembly. Prior to that, she served as Chief Counsel for Legislative Affairs in the Office of the County Executive for Prince George’s County in Largo, Maryland, and the Office of the Attorney General in Baltimore.

Before working in legislative and government affairs, Tiffany spent several years as a trial attorney in Maryland.

Member of Senate since October 1, 2013. Member, Finance Committee, 2015- (health subcommittee, 2015-18; energy & public utilities subcommittee, 2019-). Member, Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, 2014-; Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, 2015-; Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight, 2015-; Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2019-; Joint Covid-19 Response Legislative Work Group, 2020-. Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2013-15; Joint Committee on Access to Mental Health Services, 2014; Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, 2014; Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, 2015-16. Minority Whip, 2015-20. Member, Executive Nominations Committee, 2015-20; Legislative Policy Committee, 2015-20; Rules Committee, 2016-20; Marijuana Legalization Work Group, 2019. Chair, Kent County Delegation, 2013-; Queen Anne’s County Delegation, 2013-; Caroline County Delegation, 2015-.
Member, Maryland Offshore Wind Business Development Advisory Committee, 2013-; Governor-elect’s Transition Team, 2014-15. Board of Directors, Upper Shore Regional Council, 2014- (council member, 2011-). Member, Task Force on the Maryland Clean Energy Center, 2016-17; Work Group on Rural Health Care Delivery, 2016-17; Strategic Energy Investment Advisory Board, 2016-; Oyster Advisory Commission, 2016-. Alternate member, Southern States Energy Board, 2019-.

Member of House of Delegates, representing District 36, Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties, January 12, 2011 to October 1, 2013. Deputy Minority Whip, 2013. Member, Economic Matters Committee, 2011-13 (banking, economic development, science & technology subcommittee, 2011-13; unemployment insurance subcommittee, 2011-13); Business Climate Work Group, 2013. House Chair, Queen Anne’s County Delegation, 2011-13. Member, Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2012-13.

Member, Bainbridge Development Advisory Board, 2011-; Mid-Shore Regional Council, 2011-; Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, 2011-.

Member, Economic Development Commission, Queen Anne’s County, 2002-06.

Assistant Secretary of Planning, 2003-04. Assistant Secretary, Department of Natural Resources, 2004-06.

Born in Washington, DC, May 2, 1964. Attended Bowie High School, Bowie, Maryland; James Madison University; Catholic University of America, B.C.E. (civil engineering), 1987; George Washington University, M.B.A., 2002. Vice-President, Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate services company, 2006-. Vice-President, Trammell Crow Company, 1999-2003. President, Queen Anne’s County Republican Club, 2002-04. Chair, Queen Anne’s County Tricentennial Celebration Committee, 2004. Youth football coach, 2006-09. Delegate, Republican Party National Convention, 2012. Past member, Board of Directors, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.. Member, Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, Centreville, Maryland. Married.

Mary D. Kane is a proven leader in state, federal and global organizations and joined the
Maryland Chamber of Commerce as President & CEO in October 2021. Kane leads the 6500-
member organization in Annapolis that advocates for Maryland businesses by advancing
inclusive partnerships for a Maryland where all businesses and their communities thrive.
Kane has a rich professional history, most recently at the U.S. Department of State as Director
of the National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD). NMAD is the first museum in the
nation dedicated to telling the story of American diplomacy through interactive exhibits and
thought-provoking education programs.
Kane also served as the President and CEO of Sister Cities International, a citizen diplomacy
network founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote global peace through mutual
respect, understanding and cooperation.
Prior to leading Sister Cities International, Kane was an Executive Director at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce and an Assistant States’ Attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland.
In 2005, Kane was appointed by Governor Robert Ehrlich to be the Secretary of State for
Maryland. In this position she led the Governor’s Subcabinet on International Affairs and
started the Maryland Safe at Home program to protect victims of domestic violence.
Kane received her J.D. from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and
earned her B.S. in Business and Finance from Mt. St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD, where
she served as the first woman Chair of the Board of Trustees. Kane has three grown children
and lives with her husband in Annapolis, MD.

Theresa Kuhns serves as Chief Executive Officer of The Maryland Municipal League (MML), a professional association serving Maryland’s cities, towns and special taxing districts. The League represents 160 local governments and serves as the voice for the 2 million Marylanders who call a municipality home. As CEO, Kuhns is responsible for leading the executive operations and day-to-day management of the association and its affiliate groups and has the honor to lead the 15 member staff team in its practice areas of advocacy, public policy, leadership development and member experience.

In addition to her executive role, Kuhns also serves as President of the Maryland Municipal Insurance Agency; Board of Trustee for the Local Government Insurance Trust and Board of Trustee for the NLC Mutual Insurance Company. Kuhns currently serves on the National League of Cities and American Planning Association joint effort, Housing Supply Accelerator National Committee. She also serves on the boards of Sustainable Maryland and the University of Maryland Academy for Local Excellence in Government. Kuhns was honored to co-chair a transition team for Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.

Her 20+ years public affairs background includes her tenure with the United States Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Realtors and Greater Washington Board of Trade and Aristotle International. Prior to her current role, Kuhns served on the Calvert County Economic Development Authority; United Way of Southern Maryland Board of Directors and the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce Business Advisory Group. Additionally, Kuhns also served on the National Association of Realtors Government Affairs Advisory Committee. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Southern Maryland Class of 2019, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Executive Leadership Program 2005 and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 2001. Kuhns and her family reside in Huntingtown, MD.

Jack McDougle
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Washington Board of Trade

Jack McDougle is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a business organization that has served the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland for more than 130 years.

Jack has worked with business, government, and nonprofits for more than 30 years to enhance competitive advantage. Before joining the Board of Trade, he worked on economic capacity building projects in the U.S., Central Asia, and India. Jack led the National Manufacturing and Innovation Initiative at the Council on Competitiveness. He also served as Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industry Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce. At the U.S. Department of State, he led components of the U.S.-hosted G8 Summit at Sea Island.

In the private sector, Jack was Vice President for Strategic Management at People’s United Bank.

Jack regularly discusses economic, business, manufacturing, and trade issues with
senior government and industry officials as well as presenting at various meetings and
events. Jack earned his M.B.A. in strategy and finance at Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts.

Steuart Pittman, Jr. was elected Anne Arundel County Executive after his first campaign for public office in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Born and raised on his family farm in Davidsonville, Steuart graduated from the University of Chicago and then went on to work as a community organizer in Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. In that role, he built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards, and attracted private investment to blighted communities.

Once back home, Steuart coordinated national programs for the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before starting his own business as a farmer and horse trainer. He is best known in the horse industry for creating the Retired Racehorse Project, an award-winning national nonprofit responsible for transitioning thousands of racehorses into second careers.

Steuart’s philosophy of government is both conservative and progressive. As a farmer, he worked hard against onerous regulations that had no public benefit and promoted policies to make the industry commercially viable. As a Director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, he pushed for compliance with erosion and sediment control standards to protect local waterways.

As County Executive, Steuart has pledged to make Anne Arundel County “The Best Place – For All,” by “Putting Communities First.” His strategy is to engage communities from every sector and to practice transparency and data-driven policymaking.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle was appointed Director of Economic Development for Charles County, Maryland, in November 2021, becoming the first female economic development director in the county. In this role, Ms. Robertson-Slagle directs all services and activities of the 10 person department including attracting increased capital investments and expanding and diversifying employment opportunities, agricultural development and marketing.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle is a results-oriented and strategic leader with over 25 years of extensive experience in planning, organizing and implementing economic development functions from conception to completion, including working with new and expanding businesses and cultivating relationships between the local business community, counties, and economic development agencies at the state, regional and federal level.

Prior to joining Charles County Government, Ms. Robertson-Slagle served fifteen years with the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development holding positions in both business retention and business development as well as serving as the Director of Economic Development from July 2017 – Oct 2021. Her previous economic development experience also includes serving as director of the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where she provided leadership in planning, coordinating and overseeing the development, delivery and reporting of all professional programs, activities and services for the Southern Maryland region and business development specialist with the Maryland Department of Commerce where she worked directly with local jurisdictions on business retention and expansion projects.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle currently serves on the Board and is the Co–Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Program Committee, is a founding board member of Southern Maryland Innovates initiative and is the current Chair of the Southern Maryland Regional Innovation Collaborative. She is Vice Chair of the Southern Maryland Economic Development Association (SMEDA) and is a board member of the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and the University Systems of Maryland at Southern Maryland Board of Advisors.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle earned her Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management Development from the College of Southern Maryland and Bachelors of Science Degree in Marketing from the Robert H. School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. She is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Maryland and a 2010 graduate of Leadership Southern Maryland and a 2021 graduate of the National Association of Counties (NACO) High Performance Leadership Academy.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle is a lifelong resident of Charles County and the proud mom of two children. She and her husband Jeff reside in La Plata, Maryland.

Michael Sanderson has served and represented county governments across Maryland for 30 years, and engages on policy, programs, and member education to help them deliver front-line services to every Marylander.

Ebony Stocks is the Executive Vice President with the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, an organization that provides business services that help attract, retain, and expand businesses in the County. She previously administered the County’s premier $50 million economic development tool, the Economic Development Incentive Fund which leveraged over $1 billion in capital investment and created over 13,000 jobs. Ms. Stocks is a Certified Economic Development Finance professional who has managed several financing and incentive programs. Ms. Stocks has worked in commercial lending providing non-traditional financing to rapidly growing small businesses. Ms. Stocks has a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

As TEDCO’s Chief Development & Marketing Officer, Tammi is primarily responsible for the overall strategic direction, leadership, execution and management of TEDCO’s marketing and fundraising strategies designed to broaden awareness of and resources for TEDCO and its various programs; this includes the development and implementation of the organization’s brand, marketing, and communications strategy.

Her leadership and knowledge are instrumental in forging relationships that will enable TEDCO to expand their reach and services, diversify resources and grow the innovation ecosystem as well as establishing TEDCO as the most recognized organization in Maryland for identifying, investing in, and growing technology-based businesses. Driven by this mission, she serves as TEDCO’s internal subject expert on media and public relations, social media, brand messaging, marketing, and special events.

Her resume includes C-suite positions as the Vice President of Strategic Management at Data Solutions & Technology Inc., a full-service technology solutions provider; and as the Director of Business Development and Marketing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Research Park & Business Incubator. Additionally, Tammi’s professional expertise was sought after to teach the next generation of communicators as an adjunct professor at Bowie State University and the University of Baltimore. She frequently speaks and publishes on such topics as leadership, entrepreneurship, and business development.

Tammi has been recognized by her industry peers for excellence in communication and marketing. She has received the Maryland Economic Development Association’s Marketing award for TEDCO’s Entrepreneur Expo (2020), the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland’s 2017 Cybersecurity Industry Resource Award and most recently was named one of The Daily Record’s Top 100 Women in Maryland (2023). She graduated from Leadership Maryland’s Class of 2018, completing the eight-month hands-on learning program focused on the State’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues. She serves on several boards, to include WeAchieve and MEDA, where she is currently serving as Vice President of the organization. Tammi earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Alabama State University and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. She is active in her community and serves in volunteer roles and on boards and committees for various schools and organizations in the region.