Leaders-in-Residence Program

Spring 2025 Leadership Studies Leaders-in-Residence Series

Thursday, May 8

Speaking on Political Leadership

Lillia Rose

Legislative Assistant, Delegate Vogel, (Maryland)

Ms. Lillia Rose earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from American University’s School of Public Affairs, where she focused on applied political writing, legislative research, and campaign strategy. Her experience spans local, state, and federal government, including serving as a Legislative Assistant and Staff Correspondent in the Maryland General Assembly for Delegate Joe Vogel, and interning in the Office of Congressman David Trone (MD-06). She also served as Digital Specialist for the April Delaney for Congress campaign, where she managed digital outreach and served as liaison to Garrett County. A passionate advocate for civic engagement and rural Appalachian representation, Ms. Rose is the founder of the Mountain Maryland Young Democrats and a member of the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee. In 2024, she was a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, representing Western Maryland on the national stage. Ms. Rose also serves on the Board of the Garrett County Historical Society and previously co-coordinated the Autumn Glory Festival and Maryland State Banjo and Fiddle Tournament, while managing media and outreach for the Town of Oakland.

Spring 2025 Leadership Studies Leaders-in-Residence Series

Thursday, May 1

Speaking on Safety Leadership

John Adams

(Communication Studies alumnus, 2012), Director of Safety, KCI Technologies

Mr. John Adams graduated from FSU with a Bachelors of Science in Communication Studies, with a focus on Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. After graduating, he entered into the Civil and Environmental Engineering industry utilizing his previous work-related experience of hazardous materials and started working as an Industrial Hygiene Technician in 2014. Mr. Adams has worked for KCI Technologies, Inc. since 2017 and progressed to becoming a Senior Scientist and Project Manager where he consulted on Occupational Safety for his clients, some of which include The Smithsonian Institute, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Port Administration, The Johns Hopkins Hospital System, and the Architect of the Capitol in Washington DC. In 2024, Mr. Adams stepped away from his role as a consultant for KCI’s clients and was appointed as the Director of Safety. In this role, he manages the safety program for KCI’s 80+ offices and over 2,700 employees across the country. He is responsible for driving a culture of safety consciousness for his fellow Employee Owners and advising KCI’s leadership on trends in occupational safety. Currently, Mr. Adams is an active member of the American Society of Safety Professionals’ Chesapeake Chapter and is a Board Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

Spring 2025 Leadership Studies Leaders-in-Residence Series

Thursday, April 24

Speaking on Health Advocacy Leadership

Dr. Judy Stone

Infectious Diseases Physician and Author

Dr. Judy Stone is the daughter of Hungarian Holocaust survivors, a physician specializing in infectious diseases, and an author. She is a Forbes Pharma and Healthcare contributor, a former columnist for Scientific American, and the author of a nationally recognized textbook, Conducting Clinical Research: A Practical Guide. Dr. Stone’s clinical practice and writings have been shaped by growing up as the child of survivors. Dr. Stone came to Cumberland in 1983, wanting to practice in an underserved area. She had a solo infectious disease practice until 1983 and then, practiced part-time in Pennsylvania until 2020. Her latest book is Resilience: One Family’s Story of Hope and Triumph over Evil, a study in human contrasts: kindness and callousness, tolerance and hatred, humanity and cruelty. 

Spring 2025 Leadership Studies Leaders-in-Residence Series

Thursday, April 17

Speaking on Inclusive Leadership

Candice Crenshaw

Director of Education and Outreach, Maryland Commission on Civil Rights

Candice Crenshaw is a dedicated educator and community advocate with over 12 years of experience working with Boys and Girls Clubs, where she fostered the growth and development of countless young individuals. Her passion for service and education has shaped her career, culminating in her current role as the Director of Education & Outreach with The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. In this capacity, Candice is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of civil rights issues across the state of Maryland. She works tirelessly to engage communities, develop educational programs, and facilitate outreach initiatives that empower individuals to advocate for their rights and navigate the complexities of civil rights in today's society. Candice’s enthusiasm for her work is evident in her approach to education and outreach. She believes in the transformative power of knowledge and strives to create inclusive environments where every voice is heard and valued. Her dedication to serving others continues to inspire those around her, making a significant impact in her community and beyond. With a strong foundation in youth development and a passion for social justice, Candice exemplifies the spirit of advocacy and leadership. Through her efforts, she is helping to build a more equitable Maryland for all residents.

Spring 2024 Leader-in-Residence

"The Future of Communication"

with the new Department of Communication Advisory Council

Spring 2023 Leader-in-Residence

Eat. Learn. Teach.: Influencing Community and Strategy Online and On the Ground

Facilitated discussion and cooking demonstration featuring leader-in-residence Theresa Stahl

Eat. Learn. Teach.” was a discussion and demonstration held on Wednesday, April 26^th, 2023, in the Teaching Kitchen in Chesapeake Hall on FSU's campus. A snack-based cooking demonstration was led by the Kitchen's Chef James DeCarlo and local author and dietician Theresa Yosuico Stahl, who spoke about her recent book (I’m Full: Remindful Eating Tips to Feel Great and Make Peace With Your Plate, 2022) and served as the annual leader-in-residence. The Eat, Learn discussion series began in 2016 to put food at the center of civil conversations about mindful food choices, sustainable food processes, and diverse food partnerships. This was a Choose Civility: Allegany County event co-sponsored by the Leadership Studies program and Wholesome Harvest Co-op that supported the Center for Teaching Spring 2023 Excellence’s Be Well, Learn Well Campaign. The discussion was hosted and facilitated by FSU’s Communication Leadership Lab and students from the CMST 310 Civic Communication class. For more on Stahl's work, visit the Remindful Eating web site.

Spring 2022 Leader-in-Residence

Social Media Civility: Influencing Community and Strategy Online and On the Ground

Panel featuring leader-in-residence Dr. Dorene Caletti

Frostburg State University’s Communication Leadership Lab presented "Social Media Civility: Influencing Communication and Strategy Online and On the Ground" on Thursday, April 7^th, 2022 at 6 p.m. in the Atkinson Room (232) of FSU’s Lane University Center. The event was also livestreamed. This year’s leader-in-residence was Dr. Dorene Ciletti, an associate professor, director of marketing and sales program and H.J. Heinz Company Endowed chair at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. Ciletti’s experience in marketing, sales and strategy has been instrumental in developing new curricula, facilitating corporate and community-facing initiatives and leading student teams to success in regional and national competitions. Her teaching centers on experiential learning and design thinking, including consulting and collaborating with businesses and community organizations.

Additional local panelists joined the discussion to add their diverse perspectives on how to contribute to constructive and responsive communication that connects and moves people across channels, modalities and purposes.

Panelists included:

• Mandela Echefu, owner of Wheelz Up Adventures in Cumberland
• Ian Robinson, vice president and co-chair of the social media committee for NAACP Local Chapter 7007
• Ashley Swinford, director of marketing and outreach for the Allegany County Library System
• Ashli Workman, director of tourism for Allegany County

As a part of the FSU Day of Civility, this event was also part of #BobcatsAgainstBias and #ChalkItUpToCivility campus and community campaigns to promote an inclusive campus environment.

Spring 2021 Leaders-in-Residence

Why Not Nonprofit?

Three Local Leaders Discuss the Relevance of Nonprofit Leadership Today

Tuesday, March 30^th @ 6:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Event will feature a virtual discussion among Leah Shaffer of the Community Trust Foundation, Julie Westendorff of the Allegany County Arts Council and Jennifer Walsh of the Greater Cumberland Committee.

Leaders will discuss how they became involved and invested in nonprofit leadership, as well as strategies for addressing Zoom fatigue, projecting an engaging presence online, balancing work and life obligations, building a network locally and supporting each other.

Sponsored by the Leadership Studies program and the Department of Management

Leah Shaffer, Executive Director of the Community Trust Foundation

Since joining the organization in 2017, Shaffer has successfully doubled its assets, increased name recognition and helped many philanthropic donors enhance the quality of life in their community. Shaffer’s career has always been guided by her underlying passion for youth development and community wellness.

Julie Westendorff, Executive Director of the Allegany Arts Council

Westendorff's career includes more than 15 years of corporate event planning and nonprofit management, as well as several years spent traveling with two lawmakers managing logistics around the globe. Westendorff is active in the community and serves on the boards of the Western Maryland Health System Auxiliary and Allegany County Chamber of Commerce.

Jennifer Walsh, Executive Director of The Greater Cumberland Committee

A fellow in the inaugural 2019-2020 Appalachian Leadership Institute Class, Walsh served as a law clerk for Justice Joseph Baca at the New Mexico Supreme Court and for Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo at the District of Columbia Superior Court. She also worked as a legislative assistant at the U.S. Senate and practices law in Cumberland.

Heather Mizeur's Soul Force Politics

Spring 2020 Leaders-in-Residence

Heather Mizeur, former Maryland legislator and candidate for governor, was featured as the "leader-in-virtual-residence" for Frostburg State University (FSU)'s annual leadership residency program. Mizeur shared insights on “Cultivating Soulful, Resilient Leadership for Social Change,” a brief presentation that will be followed by a facilitated discussion to help attendees reflect and integrate ideas and practices of resilience. 

Now the CEO of the non-profit organization Soul Force Politics and the host its popular podcast, Mizeur interacted with students, faculty, staff, and community members during an interactive Zoom event. The event was co-sponsored by FSU’s academic programs in Leadership Studies and Women’s Studies and the Offices of Civic Engagement and Student and Community Involvement. The event was facilitated with assistance from  FSU's Communication Leadership Lab.

Interfaith Leadership: Leading Across and Beyond Faith

Spring 2019 Leaders-in-Residence

Thursday, April 11^th, 2019
9:30 a.m.– 10:45 a.m.
Lane Center, Rm 111

This second annual Day of Civility event features a panel of local interfaith leaders in a “fishbowl” and full-group facilitated dialogue. Topics of discussion will include:

• Reflection on interfaith connection within and beyond our community
• How to create an inclusive and safe environment for people of all faiths as well as for those who no not consider themselves part of a faith congregation or community
• Perspectives on changing social norms and expectations regarding faith in our community
• Considering how to address hate and bias locally and nationally
• Creating common goals across groups and coordinating citizen leadership to reach these goals

This dialogue provided an opportunity for individuals or groups associated with different faiths (or not associated with any faith) to have a safe space to share and learn about interfaith work and how it is a model for civility that helps us celebrate and benefit from our diversity despite the challenges. The following local leaders were featured:

Father Dr. Godswill Agbagwa serves as Catholic priest chaplain and adjunct professor in FSU's Department of Philosophy. In 2013, Godswill founded a national youth leadership and ethics program that trains future leaders to live beyond ethno-religious bias through structured mentoring and externships.

Rev. Dr. Marsha Bell is a recently retired Lutheran pastor. In her 16 years of ordained ministry, she has stood with Jewish and Muslim faith leaders at gatherings in response to tragedies that occurred on the national and international scene, as well as threatening behavior from hate groups.

Over the past three years, Rabbi Mark Perman has helped reinstate an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service in Cumberland, been part of a refugee resettlement group, led interfaith Passover seders at various churches and  worked on community-strengthening efforts designed to help combat the opioid/heroin epidemic. He is in the process of putting together a local public access TV program at FSU with faculty called “The Interfaith Roundtable.”

Dr. Nayano Taylor-Neumann participated in activities to support asylum seekers from Afghanistan, became the director of a refugee settlement for a Lutheran agency and wrote a dissertation examining how people who had been rabidly anti-Muslim became their strongest supporters.

Past Leaders-in-Residence Guests

• Dr. Joy Kroeger-Mappes of the Allegany County Women's Action Coalition, Spring 2018
• Carmen Jackson of the Allegany County NAACP, Spring 2018
• Nina Forsythe of Frack-Free Frostburg, Spring 2018
• Lady Brion, grassroots public policy think tank Leadership of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), Spring 2017
• Tara Taylor, director of Education and Outreach at the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, "Rural and Urban Values Dialogue," Spring 2017
• Blaine Siegel, Eat. Learn. Shift. Dialogue Series, Spring 2016
• Dr. Annette Holba, associate professor of Rhetoric at Plymouth State University (PSU), “Mindfulness Leadership: How Student Leaders Can Approach Leadership with Intention, Awareness, and Compassion," Spring 2015
• Dr. Janie Fritz, director of the B. A. and M.A. programs for the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University, “Promoting a Culture of Citizenship in Student Organizations," Spring 2014
• Dr. Ronald Riggi, Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology and former Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College, “Talking Leadership," Spring 2013
• Jonna Huseman and Larry William, "To Occupy or Not to Occupy: Leadership in the Labor Movement," Spring 2012
• Dr. Shann Ferch, professor of Leadership Studies with the internationally recognized Ph.D. Program in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spring 2011
• Liza Featherstone, a journalist based in New York City, Spring 2010
• Juana Bordas, president of Mestiza Leadership International, Fall 2008
• Dr. Susan Komives, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Fall 2004
• Dr. Jim Cain, Executive Director of the Association for Challenge Course Technology, Fall 2003
• Dr. Lea E. Williams, educator and author of Servants of the People: The 1960's Legacy of African American Leadership, Spring 2003