President
Samuel C.P. Baldwin, Jr., Esq. LSM ’16 (2022)
Senior Partner & Founder
The Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C.

Samuel Baldwin is a senior partner and founder of The Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C. Baldwin has practiced family law for over 30 years and handles cases across Southern Maryland. He is a graduate of University of Virginia and the University of Chicago School of Hospitals & Clinics. Baldwin pursued his law degree at University of Baltimore’s School of Law and graduated in 1984.

Baldwin has supported various community and civic organizations, including St. Mary’s City Foundation where he created their signature summer event, Beer Fest, and is an active volunteer for Historic Sotterley. He recently completed an online history of St. Mary’s County, “The John Hanson Briscoe Historical Project.”

Vice President
Mary Beth Cook, LSM ’17 (2023)
Director, Planning & Zoning
Calvert County Department of Public Works

Mary Beth Cook was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Cook began her civil engineering career at a private engineering firm in Silver Spring, Maryland. She then moved to Calvert County and was hired as an engineer IV by the St. Mary’s County Public Works Department. This led to her first position with Calvert County Government.

Cook’s career with the Calvert County Public Works Department spans 18 years. She is currently the director for the Department of Planning & Zoning. Cook resides in Calvert County with her husband and three sons. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running, biking, and kayaking.

Treasurer
Joan Thorp, LSM ’18 (2023)
Assistant Chief of Accounting
Charles County Government

Joan Thorp graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She worked for Calvert County Government for over 13 years in the Department of Finance and Budget. In 2019, Thorp was hired as the assistant chief of accounting for Fiscal & Administrative Services, Charles County Government.

Thorp is a former president of the Scientists Cliffs Association and the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Maryland Association of CPAs. She is a member of several professional organizations including the AICPA and national GFOA. Thorp currently plays clarinet with the Southern Maryland Community Band. She currently resides in Port Republic with her husband, John. The couple has three grown daughters.

Thomas Clark LSM ’18 (2023)
Executive Vice President
The MIL Corporation

Thomas Clark is the executive vice president for the MIL Corporation’s Rapid Engineering, Integration, and Prototyping Solutions (REPS) Sector. He is a program manager and project management professional with over 30 years of progressive engineering and technical services and business operations management experience, primarily focused on Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems.

Clark was educated during his five-year enlistment in the United States Navy where he received his information system technician rating and multiple technical certifications in information technology and systems administration. He also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Barry Friedman LSM ’09 (2021)
Market Manager
Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc.

Christa Hood LSM ’18 (2022)
Audit Principal
Askey, Askey & Associates, CPA, LLC

Christa Hood was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. She earned a Bachelor of Science in international business with a minor in Spanish from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She went on to earn her MBA in marketing and a post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting.

After moving to Southern Maryland, Hood joined the Young Professionals Initiative where she met her husband in the group’s run club. She has worked as an audit manager at Askey, Askey & Associates, CPA, LLC for several years and was recently promoted to director of audit services. Outside of work, Hood spends time traveling with friends and family, running, and reading.

Christina Johannsen LSM ’19 (2022)
Senior Analyst
WBB, Inc.

Christina Johannsen is a highly motivated mid-level analyst with nine years of experience in both industry and government support roles. Her educational background is in both international business and project management and she currently holds a certification as a certified associate in project management through the Project Management Institute. Johannsen has previously worked for Lockheed Martin in their Operations Leadership Development Program and for Global Linguist Solutions as a program management analyst. She currently works for WBB, Inc. as a senior analyst and consultant for DoD acquisition and program management. Additionally, she identified the need for, created, and is the current president of St. Mary’s Young Professionals (formerly NextGen Professionals).

Christa Kuhl LSM ’14 (2021)
Senior Proposal Manager
Sabre Systems, Inc.

Christa Kuhl is a senior proposal manager for Sabre Systems, Inc. where she leads and manages assigned proposals and facilitates the proposal development and review process. Prior to joining Sabre, she was vice president and chief administrative officer at PSI Pax, Inc. Her early work experience includes ten years with the United States government working as a strategic planner and process improvement director for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).

Kuhl was born and raised in Charles County, Maryland where she currently resides with her fiancé Mike and twin daughters Lexi and Dillan. Kuhl received her undergraduate degree in international business from James Madison University and her master’s in business administration (MBA) from American University.

Jacki Meiser LSM ’18 (2022)
Vice President – General Counsel
The Cove Cherry Group

Jacquelyn Meiser was born in Denville, New Jersey, but relocated to suburban Maryland with her family when she was three years of age and settled permanently in Southern Maryland in 1976. She attended St. Mary’s Ryken High School, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. Meiser attended University of Maryland School of Law and was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1996. Meiser serves as vice president and general counsel for The Cherry Cove Group. She also owns and operates a private practice of law.

Along with her husband, David, and their son, Henry J, she enjoys snow skiing, boating, and a variety of other outdoor activities. She and her family reside in Solomons.

Stephen T. Michaels, MD LSM ’17 (2022)
Chief Operating & Medical Officer
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital

Stephen T. Michaels, MD, is the chief operating and medical officer for MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital with direct responsibility for and oversight of the hospital’s day-to-day operations, as well as providing a comprehensive clinical vision and medical direction to ensure delivery of the highest quality healthcare services. Prior to joining MedStar Health, Michaels practiced orthopedic surgery in suburban Maryland.

Michaels holds a medical degree from Georgetown University, and completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at SUNY-Stony Brook University Hospital in New York and a spine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a published researcher, board certified in Orthopaedic surgery and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, among numerous other professional organizations.

Jacklyn Miles LSM ’17 (2022)
Chief Executive Officer
Miles and Chesley Consulting Services (MCCS), LLC

Jacklyn D. Miles is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Miles and Chesley Consulting Services (MCCS), LLC. MCCS is a professional management and technology consulting organization based in the Waldorf area that provides program and project management lifecycle support, management and technical consulting, business administration, and administrative solutions. Prior to forming MCCS, Miles served as special assistant of administration at the Census Bureau and program manager at the Department of Transportation. She holds a Bachelor of Science in international financial management from the University of Maryland University College.

Miles actively serves in community charitable organizations. In addition, she is active in the professional community through her membership in the National Association of Professional Women.

Joe “Mort” Mortenson LSM ’16 (2023)
Colonel, United States Marine Corps (retired)

Colonel Joe “Mort” Mortensen, USMC (Ret.) is a native of Albion, Nebraska. Mortensen enjoyed a 29-year Marine Corps career retiring in May 2009. He served in a wide variety of leadership positions that included commander, Naval Test Wing Atlantic and commanding officer, and chief test pilot, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23. After his Marine Corps career, Mortensen joined United States Federal Civil Service. He retired from federal service in July 2020.

Mortensen received an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Master of Science degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School and completed a fellowship with the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies.

Gadsden “Ed” Rule LSM ’18 (2022)
President
Naval Systems, Inc.

Gadsden “Ed” Rule grew up in Northern Virginia, earning a bachelor’s of business administration from William and Mary. After two years as a salesman and entrepreneur, he joined the United States Navy and served 20 years as a supply corps officer and acquisition professional, earning an MBA from the University of Georgia. Rule transitioned from the Navy to a consultant position with Booz|Allen|Hamilton in 2000. He joined a start-up in 2002 as chief operating officer, then co-founded Naval Systems, Inc. (NSI) in early 2004, serving as its president ever since.

Rule is a father of four grown sons. He married his former college sweetheart, Sally Harwood, in October 2016. Rule also serves on the board of directors of The Patuxent Partnership.

Kristine Wilcox LSM ’15 (2023)
Senior Communications & Multimedia Specialist
AVIAN, LLC

Kristine Wilcox is a senior communications and multimedia specialist with AVIAN, providing internal and external communications and design to Navy and Marine Corps aircraft acquisition programs at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. She has been supporting NAS Pax River for over 12 years.

An Iowa native and graduate of Buena Vista University, Wilcox has more than 25 years of experience in journalism, strategic communications, and graphic design. She is a volunteer committee member of St. Mary’s County Ducks Unlimited, member of the Pax River Officer’s Spouses Club (PROSC), and served as a judge for St. Mary’s County 4-H oral presentations during the county fair. She and her husband, Brett, a retired Navy commander, reside in Saint Inigoes with their three fur-children.