“THE MARCH SESSION focused on education and diversity. The day began at the newly-constructed Paint Branch High School. Our class was fortunate to have classmates who understood the inner workings of MCPS: Joshua Starr, Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Board of Education then President Shirley Brandman, Spark Matsunaga Elementary School Principal Judy Brubaker, Montgomery County Association of Administrators & Principals President Debra Kay Mugge, and Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations Immediate Past President Kristin Trible. My impression is that the MCPS stakeholders are very passionate about providing the best education for our kids and making sure that teachers, administrators, and parents have the resources and support to do so. To our delight, the Paint Branch Culinary Arts students treated us to a delicious lunch at the school’s Panther Paw Restaurant. The afternoon session conducted in the Open Space Technology format was a great opportunity to discuss challenging issues in an intimate and safe setting. I walked away learning new things about my classmates and realizing that we have more commonalities than differences. I am also proud of the work that our community has done and continues to do to prepare our kids for the future.” – Yen Le, Realtor/Assistant Vice President, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
“THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SESSION in November was a long and tiring yet rewarding day. We are very lucky to live in a County that gives 100% support to its first responders and public safety workers. From a personal perspective, I may not have seen anything that I had not seen before, and, as at each LM session so far, I learned things that I did not know before.” – Lisa MandelTrupp, Chief of Staff, Councilmember Phil Andrews, Montgomery County Council. Pictured classmate Joshua Starr, Super-intendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, as a firefighter in training.
Special Advertising Publication | June 2013
“THE DECEMBER SESSION focused on the Growing Pains of Economic Development in Montgomery County. Evan Goldman, Vice President of Development at Federal Realty Investment Trust, guided the class through the White Flint Redevelopment project from idea through the planning stages. After lunch we climbed onto a Montgomery County school bus and went to visit the Shady Grove Recycling Center. It made the entire class re-think our own recycling habits when we realized how much of the recycling is done by hand. A tour of Rockville Town Center was next on the agenda that allowed us to see the community gathering spaces (modeled after Italian piazzas), the extensive array of retail shops and restaurants, and beautiful residential buildings. The day concluded with a provocative and thought-provoking presentation by Blair Lee (Founding Board), CEO of Lee Development Group. Mr. Lee discussed his long tenure working as a lobbyist in Annapolis and his unique perspective in living and working in the County.” – Kelly Gibson Caplan, Community Outreach Manager, Washington Gas
“AT THE MAY SESSION, Art in the Mix, Bonnie Fogel (‘95), Executive Director, and Janet Stanford, Artistic Director at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, spoke to the class about the nature of creativity and how it helps leaders. For the afternoon, we drove over to Glen Echo Park and we got a behind the scenes tour of the park. Executive Director Katey Boerner (‘07) explained the role of the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, then Ranger Happy provided a historic perspective and she let us climb on the carousel for photos. After the tour, classmate Suzan Jenkins, the CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, explained the role of her organization and described the state of the arts in Montgomery County. It was interesting to hear about the role of public art in our County and to learn about the County’s expansive collection. The last activity gave us an opportunity to stretch our creative muscles. Mini classes included Mask Making, Improv/Theatre, African Drumming, Dance, and T-Shirt Making.” – Ann Bevans, Chief Smarty Pants, Ann Bevans Collective
LEADERSHIP MONTGOMERY 2013 ANNUAL REPORT | 7