AAGC Board of Directors
2022-2023
President
Damon Highsmith ’03
Highsmith is a project manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington,
DC, where he develops water pollution regulations. He has also been involved in the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill recovery. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Highsmith
studied Management and Political Science at Goucher, was a member of the men’s soccer
team, and studied abroad in Havana, Cuba. Since his graduation, he has also received
his Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from The Johns Hopkins University.
Vice President
Kim Van Newkirk Shaffir ’83, P ’15
A communications major, Shaffir began working during her senior year at Baltimore’s
WMAR-TV, where she operated a studio camera for local news programs. Later that year,
she made the move from local news to the network, beginning her now 39 year career
in the Washington Bureau of CBS News. As an editor, Shaffir has covered every major
beat in Washington: the Capitol, the Pentagon and the White House. For six and a half
years, Shaffir worked primarily for the CBS program, Face the Nation, as a producer/editor.
In 2013, she and her team received an Emmy for their broadcast about the 50th Anniversary
of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In early 2018, Shaffir was promoted
to Digital Media Operations Manager, overseeing and managing the bureau’s transition
to an all digital editing system. Shaffir served as her class’s Quarterly representative
for twenty years and has also been a member of the AAGC nominating committee. When
not covering the news or volunteering for Goucher, Shaffir designs and sells knitting
patterns in her spare time. She lives in Annapolis with her husband Greg; her daughter,
Kira, graduated Goucher in 2015.
Secretary
Alicia Ladson Copeland '01
Copeland began her career as a Spanish teacher and college prep program coordinator
in Baltimore County, MD. She continued to teach for 10 years at the elementary, middle
and high school levels and considers herself an educator for life. Alicia is currently
the After-School & Summer Programs Director at the Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore,
MD. She oversees the Foundation’s middle school sports program, after-school paid
internship for local high school students and SuperKids Camp. In her spare time, she
is a CollegeBound Foundation mentor, advises her sorority’s HS youth group, is a mother
of 2, and plans weddings and events.
Admissions Officer
Nadiera Young '12, M.Ed. '14
Young studied English at Goucher with a concentration in Secondary Education. As a
requirement to the undergraduate experience, she had the opportunity to travel abroad
to Grahamstown, South Africa and taught fifth grade for three weeks. After graduating
in 2012, Young accepted a fellowship to continue her education. She received a Master’s
in Education with a focus on at-risk youth. Young is a teacher at Roland Park Elementary
Middle School teaching eighth-grade Language Arts. She also coaches for Stepping Into
Sisterhood (SIS), which is a step and mentoring program for Black girls.
Annual Giving Officer
Gretchen Gilliland ’03
A recipient of the Jenifer Mitchell Reed Young Alumnae/i Award, Gilliland graduated
in 2003 with a BA in Psychology and minor in Art. She earned her MA in Higher Education
Philanthropy from Regis College and has been in Denver for the past ten years. Since
graduating, Gilliland has worked with a number of universities and nonprofits in fundraising
and development, utilizing skills she learned as a student while working in Goucher
Phonathon at the Alumnae/i House, and as an active member of the SGA exec team. She
is currently Director of Major Gifts for the Colorado School of Mines and volunteers
regularly in the Denver community around human services.
Alumnae/i Trustees
Deanna Galer '17
Galer is a nonprofit professional who uses her Goucher B.A. in Sociology & Social
Justice to inform all aspects of her work. She remembers so clearly the moment she
received the notice of her acceptance and then – the important bit – her financial
aid package to attend Goucher. It was the day after the Baltimore Ravens won the Super
Bowl in 2013. Galer served on Goucher’s Board of Trustees from 2017–2020 as the Recent
Graduate Trustee. She is currently the Director of Development at Maternity Care Coalition,
a regional maternal and child health organization based in Philadelphia. She lives
in West Philadelphia with her partner, Hayim Wolf ’14, and their service-dog-in-training
Frances.
Leda Fuller Favor ’79
Favor has over 30 years’ experience in Human Resources and managerial experience that
expands to both union and non-unionized settings. She possesses a Bachelor’s degree
in Psychology/Economics from Goucher College, and a Master’s degree in Labor and Industrial
Relations from the University of Illinois. She is currently Senior HR Manager for
Maryland Auto Insurance and remains Owner and Principal Consultant for Creative HR
Solutions, LLC. Favor ascended to positions within a wide range of Fortune 50 companies
such as General Cable Company, Mobil Oil, Allied Signal, Raytheon, and Siemens Corporation.
She provided leadership to multi-national and global-based accountabilities in Germany
and China, focusing on competency assessment, career development, and delegation assignments,
also focusing on safety and occupational health. During her tenure with Siemens, Favor
was appointed HR business consultant for the CEO and the US based corporate office
of Siemens AG based in Washington, DC.
She and her husband, Kevin Favor PhD., spend their vacation time traveling to locations in China, Spain, Mexico, and the Caribbean. They are the parents of one married son, Trevor, who is currently employed with Siemens Corporation and is a graduate of Purdue University with a master’s in mechanical engineering. Trevor and wife Ebony are the proud parents of Leda and Kevin’s first grandson, Issac. Favor’s hobbies and pursuits include golf, exercising, dancing, reading and music. Favor has maintained her strong religious affiliation with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church throughout her life and is currently serving a leadership role as chairperson of the local Social Action committee. Other affiliations include the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Society of Occupational Health Psychology, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and the Conference Board.
Jodie Hirsch Slaughter ’79
Slaughter graduated from Goucher in 1979 with a degree in English. For more than 25
years, she dedicated her career to helping non-profit, membership associations solve
their most pressing challenges. She founded McKinley Advisors, the largest association
research and strategy firm, in Washington, DC in 1994.
Slaughter was an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). She is an ASAE Fellow, past Chair of the Fellows, and a past Director on the ASAE and ASAE Business Services Boards. She was a frequent speaker and was recognized as a “best of” presenter at the ASAE Annual Meeting, and in 2011 was inducted into ASAE’s Academy of Leaders. Slaughter also appeared frequently in Associations Now and was a contributing author of the book, Generating and Managing Non-dues Income in Associations.
Since retiring from McKinley in early 2018, Slaughter has focused on her passions, completing her first triathlon and serving on the board of a professional membership organization. Jodie lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, David, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Jellybean.
Directors
Caroline Mandala Bauerle '89
Bauerle is the Director of Development for Benedictine, a multi-functional, year-round
educationa and residential center for children and adults with severe intellectual
disabilities, multiple disabilities, and autism, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
After receiving her degree in Communications in 1989, she worked for an investment
bank as an equity sales trader and then financial services professional. She spent
14 years working in philanthropy, starting that chapter of her career at Goucher where
she was Director of Annual Giving, Director Of Parent Programs and a Major Gift Officer.
She feels fortunate to have met thousands of Goucher Alumnae/i through the years and
is grateful for this opportunity to serve on the AAGC Board. Bauerle is a mom, wife
and avid Baltimore sports fan.
Carol Brooks, MACS '16
Brooks is a collaborative activist, currently working with African American elders
and community leaders from throughout Baltimore County, MD, connecting them with the
resources and support they need to sustain their cultural and historic preservation
efforts. Her work includes launching the Diggs-Johnson Museum Legacy Preservation
Project, establishing the Baltimore County Coalition of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project (MLMP), and conducting oral history interviews as part of the Maryland Lynching Truth, Racial
Healing, & Transformation Oral History Initiative.
As a graduate of the Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program (MEILP) through the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and University of Baltimore Shaefer Center for Public Policy, Carol uses a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion to inform her work as a senior workforce analyst. She also serves as a liaison to the Chief Diversity Officer and the Baltimore County Employee Diversity Council.
Marie Brown '03
Inspired by her time as a student to pursue a career in higher education administration,
Brown is pleased to return to her alma mater as a new member of the AAGC Board. A
graduate of the class of 2003, Brown majored in American Studies with a minor in Women
Studies and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her senior year. After Goucher, Brown
earned a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
She is now in the process of completing doctoral studies at Morgan State University.
Professionally, Brown spent nearly two decades in various academic administration
and enrollment leadership roles at several local colleges including Johns Hopkins
University, University of Maryland Baltimore, and Notre Dame of Maryland University.
At present, Brown serves as Senior Advisor to the Dean of Nursing at George Washington
University, commuting to the DC campus from her home in Baltimore County. She has
one daughter, Juliette, who is a star soccer goalie and statewide spelling bee champion.
Marc Cousins ’95, M.ED. ’07—Athletics Liaison
Marc Cousins began his career as a middle school science teacher in Baltimore City
before spending the next 20 years at two independent schools in the Baltimore area,
the majority of that time as an Athletic Director. In 2016, he began a new career
as a non-profit fundraising consultant for The Compass Group where he partners with
organizations in their fundraising efforts. Originally from Maine, Cousins graduated
with a BA in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Sports Administration and Athletic
Leadership. While at Goucher, he was a member of the basketball, lacrosse and cross-country
teams and was also a house president for two years.
Jeanne Derderian ’83
Jeanne Derderian, a member of the Class of 1983, graduated from Goucher with honors
in International Relations. As a Class of 1905 Fellowship recipient, she pursued
her interests in International Relations and received a MA degree from the University
of Chicago in 1984. Jeanne returned to Baltimore after graduate school and worked
for the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs before entering the world of international
banking. Jeanne “retired” in 1998 as the head of LaSalle National Bank’s International
Banking Division’s marketing group to raise her children. Jeanne has recently come
out of retirement and is a Luxury Travel Advisor, creating lifelong memories for her
clients.
Throughout the years, Jeanne has been an active Goucher volunteer. In recognition of her volunteer work, she was the first recipient of the Jenifer Mitchell Reed '86 Young Alumni Award in 1993 and also received the Dorothy Lamberton Clapp Award in 2018. Jeanne resides outside of Atlanta Georgia with her husband, Douglas Seeb (’88 post-baccalaureate pre-med graduate) and their three sons. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis, photographing her family and adventures, and volunteering at her youngest son’s school.
Joey Fink ’15—Race, Equity, & Identity Liaison
As Regional Sales Director with Lincoln Financial, Fink has recently relocated to
Minneapolis, MN after three years in Philadelphia, PA. He educates financial advisors
and their clients on strategies to protect their wealth from the costs of extended
health care in retirement. As a Goucher Legacy (Julie Fink ‘09), Fink followed in
his sister’s “hoof steps” as captain of Goucher’s nationally ranked equestrian team.
Since graduation, Fink served as the 2015 Recent Graduate Trustee. After rolling off
the board, he looks forward giving back to Goucher as a member of the Undaunted Capital
Campaign committee and as a new addition to the AAGC board.
Jennifer Reynolds Hervy ’96
A 1996 graduate with a degree in Communications and minor in Business, Hervy has worked
in the Human Resources field for nearly 25 years and is currently Vice President of
Human Resources for ConnectYourCare, an Optum Financial business. In addition to
her degree from Goucher, Hervy earned an MA in Public Communication from American
University and holds multiple certifications in Human Resources. Since graduation,
she has been an active alumna serving as Class Fund Manager for many years and providing
hours of support to students through the Career Education Office. Additionally, she
is an active member of the Chesapeake Human Resources Association serving on their
college relations committee, and she completed a three-year Board role at The Bryn
Mawr School for Girls in Baltimore where she was most recently the Upper School Parent
Association Chair. Hervy lives in Towson and enjoys spending time with family and
friends, traveling, cheering for the Orioles and Ravens, and sailing the Chesapeake
Bay.
Jennifer Lundgren Lewis-David ’94
Lewis-David graduated from Goucher with honors, double-majoring in European Studies
and History, as well as being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. While at Goucher, she
enjoyed singing with The Reverends’ Rebels, the Goucher Chorus and the Goucher Chamber
Singers, and also being part of the community service and environmental clubs. She
and her best friends lived in Gallagher House in Froelicher Hall all four years—of
course, it was physically located a little differently 1990-1994! Lewis-David obtained
a Juris Doctor law degree with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law
in 1997. While in law school, she had the opportunity to serve as Associate Editor
on The Business Lawyer, a legal journal jointly published by the American Bar Association and the University
of Maryland School of Law. Thereafter, she joined the corporate world as in house
counsel. Over the last 20 years, she has held roles in regulatory affairs, compliance,
and the legal department of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, a Fortune # 6 company. As a Deputy General Counsel with UnitedHealthcare, she currently serves
as general counsel for the $3B individual insurance businesses.
Lewis-David has been on the Board of Directors of the Maryland March of Dimes since 2014 and just completed several years as Chair of the Board. She has been singing for 25 years with the contemporary music group at The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Towson, MD. She and her husband, Rajesh David, a pharmacist with Ascension’s St. Agnes Hospital, will be celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary shortly and are the proud aunt and uncle of six amazing nieces and nephews, all under the age of 8 years.
Lewis-David recently established a scholarship at Goucher, The Gretchen Lundgren Lewis ’68 and Jennifer Lundgren Lewis-David ’94 Scholarship Fund, to honor her family’s mother-daughter legacy at the college.
Ellen Rosenblum Rubesin ‘78
After graduating Goucher with a BA in English in 1978, Ellen went on to receive her
master’s degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. While obtaining
her degree at Berkeley, Ellen worked part-time for the American Heart Association
in San Francisco. That’s where she realized how much she enjoyed fund-raising and
development work. Ellen returned to the east coast where she began working for the
American Cancer Society in Philadelphia. In addition to her work with the American
Heart Association and American Cancer Society, Ellen’s 40-year career in fund-raising
included executive positions at JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Association),
the Media-Providence Friends School and most recently the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(LLS) where she was the Executive Director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter until
her retirement in 2019. Since retiring, Ellen has continued to volunteer for both
JDRF and LLS.
Ellen lives in Media Pennsylvania with her husband of 44 years, Steve. They have 2 adult children and 2 grandsons.
Jessica Solomon '18
Jess is a native Philadelphian but calls Los Angeles her home. She currently is the
Communications and Content Coordinator at IKAR, a Jewish spiritual community. She
earned her B.A. from Goucher in 2018, majoring in Media and Communications, and graduating
Cum Laude, with Honors in Media and Communications. Jess enjoys exploring LA, photography,
and checking off her bucket list items. She is honored to continue serving on the
Goucher College Alumnae/i Board.
Denise Gotay Theunissen ’89 P’25
Theunissen is a Senior GIS Data Manager and has over 30 years working with the federal
government in various positions ranging from Intelligence/Geospatial Analyst to Librarian.
She is currently the GIS Division Chair, and past Assistant Chair for the Technical
Division Directors’ Council for the American Society for Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry
(ASPRS). She has been the class of 1989’s Fund Manager for more than 25 years and
has been active through various programs at Goucher such as the mentorship program.
Since Goucher, she has several accomplishments such as: a MS in Geospatial Information
Sciences, several Recognition awards, and being a Mom of 3. She’s most proud of the
fact that one of her children decided to join the Goucher family in 2021 and is now
enjoying life as a gopher.
She expressed a large part of her strong commitment to service and career on her Goucher college education which significantly contributed to her decision to stay in Washington. In every agency she’s worked in, she aided and contributed toward women and diversity, and continues to promote women in STEM through Women in GIS, ASPRS, and other organizational platforms. To continue the Goucher College legacy of supporting and promoting women’s issues, she created “Dr. Marianne Githens’ Scholarship Fund” – with the aid of other alums, which is awarded to a student pursuing Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies.
She's active in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as a treasure and parent volunteer. She serves as the Chorus Booster President of her youngest's high school.
Immediate Past President
Jay Gilman ’09
Gilman was an individualized interdisciplinary major primarily focused on anthropology,
arts administration, and theater. He also holds an M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership from
UPenn. While at Goucher, Gilman served as president of Red Hot Blue, sparking a continued passion for the intersection
of social impact and the arts. After a number of years working in performing arts
leadership capacities, Gilman is now a consultant for the global firm CCS Fundraising.
His sister, Laura Gilman, is also a Goucher alumna from the Class of 2007 and served
as president of Hillel.