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Chesapeake College Board of Trustees
Board by county


Chesapeake College Board of Trustees

Caroline County
Margaret Myers Margaret Myers (2000-2012)
Mrs. Myers was elected to and served as President of the Caroline County Commissioners from 1990 –1998. During her tenure in office she represented her county on the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO), serving for several years on the Executive Committee. She was appointed to the Chesapeake College Board of Trustees in 2000 and is currently completing her first full term. She was elected as trustee at large to the board of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) in 2002 and is serving a second year as President of that organization. She is or has been actively involved on numerous boards including the Caroline County Human Services Council, Choptank Community Health System Board of Directors, and the St. Martin's Ministries Board of Directors. She is currently Vice President of the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation, treasurer of the Caroline County Friends of the Public Library and President of the University of Maryland Institute for Governmental Service Advisory Board. She is a 1998 graduate of Shore Leadership. She earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue University with a major in Speech & Hearing Pathology and a minor in Speech and Drama.
J. Owen Wise J. Owen Wise (1999-2010)
Retired Circuit Court Judge J. Owen Wise was appointed as a Trustee in 1999. Judge Wise served as 2nd Circuit Administrative Judge for 12 years and was Caroline County State's Attorney from 1970 to 1978. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and earned his law degree from the University of Maryland. He is past president of the Denton Volunteer Fire Company and Rotary Club of Denton.
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Dorchester County
Dewey E. Blades Dewey E. Blades (1979-2009)
A member of the Board of Trustees since 1979, Mr. Blades is a 1979 graduate of Chesapeake College with a degree in Electronics Technology. He served as Board Chairman during the 85-86 Academic Years and held positions as Vice Chairman for seven years and Administrative Affairs Committee Chairman for two years. Mr. Blades was appointed by the Northeast Region ACCT Chairman to serve on the Nominating Committee in1986. He is presently representing the Board of Trustees as one of three members who hold positions on the Chesapeake College Foundation. He has also taken courses toward a degree in Engineering Technology at UMES and completed coursework at Delaware Technical & Community College, Salisbury University and Wor-Wic Community College. Mr. Blades served as the Town of Vienna's Mayor for 25 years. He presently serves as the Chairman of the Vienna Zoning Appeals Board He is a member of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for more than 50 years and he served as the President of the Dorchester Fireman’s Association in 1966 and was awarded Firefighters Hall of Fame status in 2005. He was appointed by the Dorchester County Commissioners to serve as a community representative serving on the Dorchester Community Development Corporation (DCDC) for a period of more than twenty-five years and was awarded their Volunteer of the Year Certificate on May 18, 1994. In 1992, with 43 years of service, he retired from Delmarva Power where he was employed as a Project Engineer in the Production Operations Training Department after having held various positions in the power plant operations and maintenance departments.
Don Bradley Don W. Bradley (2002-2008)
Appointed as a Trustee July 1, 2002, Mr. Bradley graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Wake Forest University in 1973. Mr. Bradley has served as an elected local government official since 1977 and is currently serving in his sixth, 4-year term as Mayor of Hurlock. He also serves as Chairman of the Maryland Advisory Council on Libraries, is a member of the Board of Directors of the FORVM for Rural Maryland, is Past President of the Maryland Municipal League, and is a member of the Class of 2000 of Leadership Maryland. Mr. Bradley has held economic development positions with Dorchester County and the State of Maryland and is a licensed real estate broker.
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Kent County
Vickie Neal Vicki J. Neal (2007-2011)
Mrs. Neal, a native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a graduate of Aakers Business College. She is currently the Branch Manager/Vice President of SunTrust Bank in Chestertown and has been with the bank since July 1974. She also serves as an Investment Associate for SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. Mrs. Neal is a Past President and current member of the Kent County Soroptimist Club, a Kent County Cancer Society Board Member, Kent County High School Academy of Finance Board Member and actively participates in the Relay for Life for Kent County. She is also past Chairperson for the Kent County Lung Association.
Thomas M. Groce, Jr. Thomas M. Groce, Jr. (2003-2010)
Retired administrator and educator Thomas Groce, Jr. was appointed as a Trustee in 2003. A Kent County native who has spent his entire professional career in education, he is a graduate of Morgan State University with Bachelor's and Master's degrees and a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) from Johns Hopkins University. A member of Emmanuel United Methodist Church, he is involved in a wide range of professional, civic and community activities. Thomas serves on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Rural Development Corporation, Board of Trustees of Thomas H. Kiah Masonic Lodge #101, and is past Executive Board member of the Kent County Retired Teachers Association and a volunteer for American Red Cross of Delmarva Peninsula. Some of Mr. Groce's memberships include National Association of Secondary Principals, Maryland Association of Secondary Principals and Morgan State University Alumni Association
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Queen Anne's County
Karen Oertel Karen Harris Oertel (2004-2009)
Appointed to the Board in 2004, Mrs. Oertel is a native of Queen Anne's County, whose family has enjoyed at least seven generations of living and working on the Eastern Shore. With her family, she currently partners in the owner-operation of W. H. Harris Seafood, an oyster processing plant nearing 60 years in business and Harris Crab House & Seafood Restaurant with 23 years of operation. Mrs. Oertel's passion is Chesapeake Bay restoration, and she currently serves on the Executive Board of the Oyster Recovery Partnership as well as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Board, the Seafood Marketing Advisory Commission, Title Fisheries Advisory Commission, Maryland Task Force to Study Economic Development of Maryland Seafood and Aquaculture Industries and the Oyster Roundtable Board. She has served as a Queen Anne's County Planning Commissioner, on the Shore Health System Board and on Governor Robert Ehrlich's 2002 Transition Team. Mrs. Oertel was a member of the Inaugural Class of the Shore Leadership Program and volunteers in many community activities.
Dr. Michael E. Pelczar Dr. Michael E. Pelczar (2002-2012)
Dr. Pelczar was appointed as a Trustee in July 2002. He obtained a B.A. degree from Loyola College, graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and obtained postgraduate training in anatomic and clinical pathology at U.S. Public Health Service Hospital and St. Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore. He is Board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Infection Control. Dr. Pelczar is a member of several societies and associations related to his profession, including the Queen Anne's County Medical Society. Although retired from the practice of pathology, he continues to work as the Infection Control Officer and Clinical Consultant to the Microbiology laboratory at St. Agnes. During his tenure prior to retirement, he served as President of the Medical Staff and chaired numerous committees.
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Talbot County
Richard Bulman Richard B. Bulman (2004-2008)
A retired Chief Executive Officer of an Electric Utility Power Pool operating in nine mid-western states and portions of Canada, he holds a Masters of Business Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Merrimack College. Over his career, he held various management and executive positions in the electrical power industry. Mr. Bulman is a long-time member of the Foundation for Rural Education and Development Board, a charitable foundation. He also served on the Bowie, Maryland City Council for six years. He includes among his volunteer activities, Choices Pregnancy Help Center Golf Tournament, Knights of Columbus, the religious education program at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, and the Talbot County Council Gateway Zoning Taskforce.
James S. Maffitt James S. Maffitt (2002-2011)
Mr. Maffitt was appointed to the Board in 2002. He is a principal in the law firm of Miles & Stockbridge, PC which has offices in Easton and in Baltimore, among other locations. Mr. Maffitt resides in St. Michaels and has previously been president of the Academy Art Museum in Easton (1994-1997) and the United Fund of Talbot County (1997-1999). He received his B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University in 1964 and his J.D. degree from the Washington and Lee School of Law two years later. Mr. Maffitt is currently serving on the Board of Leadership Maryland.
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Board of Trustees meeting dates: (Meetings normally begin at 4:00 p.m.)
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