Meet Some of Our Lead Advocacy Volunteers

Sudha Haley, Ph.D., AARP Maryland Executive Council Member, Lead of AARP Maryland’s AAPI Steering Committee

• Retired from the Department of Labor’s International Bureau as a senior policy adviser

• Managed oversight of programs, personnel and budgets for several agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Women’s Bureau

• Held positions as assistant superintendent of schools, director, supervisor, principal and teacher in New York and Maryland

• Served on the Advisory Board for Southern Maryland Community Colleges

• Serves as first vice president and legislative director for the Maryland Federation of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association; chaired the Calvert County Census 2020 Complete Count Committee; and serves on the Calvert County Commission on Aging

Laurel Peltier, Lead Energy Advocate, Director, Energy Supplier Reform Coalition

• Leads efforts to reform Maryland’s energy supplier marketplace in the state’s General Assembly

• Co-writer of the Abell Foundation report “Maryland’s Dysfunctional Energy Supplier Market”

• Writes for AARP Maryland on energy suppliers and consumer protection

• Created an online energy toolkit that offers information to help consumers save money on energy bills

• Former consumer brand manager at PepsiCo’s Pizza Hut and MCI

• Writer for CBS Baltimore’s EcoWatch, Baltimore Sun’s B’More Green, examiner.com, Maryland Family Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl

• M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Xenia Montenegro, AARP Maryland Executive Council Member

• Retired from AARP after serving as senior research advisor, acting director and market research manager

• Directed research and provided strategic insights to the AARP board of directors, management and staff

• Experienced consultant, evaluator and researcher for the American Association of School Administrators, the World Bank, the State of Maryland Delmarva Peninsula and the Hawaii Department of Education

Catherine Williamson, President of AARP Maryland Prince George’s County Chapter 939

• President of AARP Suitland Maryland Chapter 939, with a membership of over 200 seniors

• Member of AARP Maryland volunteer advocate team and AARP’s federal advocacy strike force

• Conducts outreach into the community with broad scope including traveling to the Maryland State House in Annapolis for Advocacy Day and AARP Maryland Delegation Friday

• Featured in an AARP television ad to advocate for Medicare

• Organizes and participates in health fairs, community day activities, the annual AARP Day of Service and Harvest for the Hungry