Region II Committees
Steering Committee
The Regional Steering Committee shall assist the Chair in directing the activities of the Region, and shall be made up of the Regional Officers; the Chairs of the Standing Committees (who all serve as voting ex‐officio members); and no more than six (6) At-Large Members.
The responsibilities of the Regional Steering Committee are to:
a. Advise the Chair on Regional business;
b. Develop strategies for Regional activities;
c. Evaluate Regional issues;
d. Confirm candidates for Regional office, the National Board, Travel Awards, the National Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (N&LDC), and other positions that are nominated by the Regional Leadership Development and Nominating Committee;
e. Select among nominated individuals for receipt of Regional Distinguished Service Awards, as well as Travel Awards to National and Regional Meetings;
f. Serve as an advisory council to the Chair and the membership; and
g. Review and comment on the Region II budget each year, including the budgets of all Standing Committees.
2024 Steering Committee Members:
Chair: Sandy Collier, University of Maryland
Chair-Elect: Cassie Moore, University of Maryland
Past Chair: Lamar Oglesby, Rutgers University
Secretary: Soraina Baez, Stevens Institute of Technology
Treasurer: Chea Smith, Rutgers University
Treasurer-Elect: Jennifer Vessio, Johns Hopkins University
Professional Development Committee Chair: Catherine Parker, University of Maryland
Mentor-Me Chair: Mary Louise Healy, Johns Hopkins University
DEI Chair: Margarita Cardona, University of Baltimore
2024 Program Committee Chair: Charles Bartunek, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
At Large Members: Albana Cejne, Princeton University; Adam Greenberg, City University of New York; Rashonda Harris, Johns Hopkins University; and Rebecca O'Brien, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Leadership Development and Nominating Committee
2024 Leadership Development and Nominating Committee Members:
Chair: Lamar Oglesby, Rutgers
Members: Margarita Cardona, University of Baltimore; Rashonda Harris, Johns Hopkins University; Albana Cejne, Princeton; Brianna Wilkerson, Rutgers; Jillian McIntosh, University of Pennsylvania
The Leadership Development and Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past-Chair of the Region, who will serve as Chair of the committee for one Year.
The responsibilities of the Leadership Development and Nominating Committee are to:
a. Implement the nominating and election procedures for all the Regional officers as outlined and to conduct the election process, with candidates to be confirmed by the Regional Steering Committee;
b. Identify and nominate individuals for the following, with candidates to be finalized by the Regional Steering Committee:
i. Member of the National Board;
ii. Regional Distinguished Service Award;
iii. National and Regional Meeting Travel Awards; and
iv. Member of the National Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (N&LDC).
c. Write and maintain role descriptions for all Committee positions;
d. Present a concurrent session each year at the Regional Meeting that explains the roles and responsibilities of Region II officers and committee chairs, which shall be attended by Region II officers and committee chairs attending the Regional Meeting; and
e. Develop and maintain onboarding materials for each officer and committee member to facilitate their performance of duties.
Communications Committee
2024 Communications Committee Members:
Chair: Soraina Baez, Stevens Institute of Technology
Members: Aaron Tobiason, University of Maryland; Meena Ilyas, University of Delaware; Cassie Moore, University of Maryland; Wayne Brown, Rutgers
The Communications Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary, who shall appoint members for a one‐year term beginning January 1.
It is the responsibility of this Committee to:
a. Collect and archive pertinent Regional information via the Region II website and the Region II document archive, as applicable;
b. Update and maintain the Region II website and other platforms;
c. Publicize and disseminate information regarding Regional activities through the Region II website and various Internet‐based platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter);
d. Work with the Regional Chair and Regional Steering Committee to determine if there will be content theme for any given year and then to monitor the continuity of this throughout the year;
e. Work with the Regional Chair and Regional Steering Committee to develop and present a consistent appearance of all communication tools (when possible); and
f. Work with other Officers and Committee Chairs to disseminate relevant information to the Region II membership in a timely fashion, including, but not limited to, the publicizing of upcoming Professional Development Committee workshops and Subregion activities.
The Communications Committee shall further work with the Treasurer to organize the operation of the Region II Hospitality Suite or its equivalent (e.g. Netzone) at the Annual Meeting. Responsibilities may include the coordination of theme, decorations, food, fun, entertainment, marketing and communication and be in conjunction with the other Regions as appropriate.
Volunteer and Membership Development Committee
The Volunteer and Membership Development Committee shall be chaired by the Chair‐ Elect, and shall further include up to nine other members, selected by the Chair‐Elect from the nine Subregions, who will serve one‐year terms beginning January 1 with the option of serving an additional year based on interest.
It is the responsibility of this Committee to:
a. Coordinate volunteer opportunities for members of Region II;
b. Update the Volunteer Roster and the Volunteer Action Plan submitted to the National organization each September;
c. Coordinate the New Member Reception and other events (e.g. dinner groups) at the Annual Meeting;
d. Coordinate member events at the Regional Meeting; and
e. Conduct special activities to welcome new members, including:
i. Designing and implementing hospitality‐related activities at Annual and Regional Meetings aimed at assisting new members in meeting and networking with current members; and
ii. Managing and carrying out the Mentor Program at the Regional Meeting.
f. Work with the Communications Committee and Treasurer to organize the operation of the Region II Hospitality Suite or its equivalent (e.g. Netzone) at the Annual Meeting
2024 Volunteer and Membership Development Committee Members:
Chair: Cassie Moore, University of Maryland
Members: Rebecca O’Brien, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Megan Elmendorf, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University; Rashonda Harris, Johns Hopkins University
Professional Development Committee
The Professional Development Committee (PDC) shall be chaired by the Region II Professional Development Chair. The Regional Chair, in coordination with the PDC Chair, will appoint a PDC Co-Chair with the understanding that the PDC Chair mentors the CoChair in preparation for them transitioning to Chair of the PDC the following year.
It is the responsibility of the Professional Development Committee to:
a. Develop and present Regional Professional Development workshops
b. Identify faculty to deliver and present workshops
c. Coordinate the comprehensive assessment of professional development activities offered by Region II and report the findings to the Regional Steering Committee, along with recommendations for filling identified needs or addressing concerns identified by the assessment
d. Support the other Committees’ needs to provide professional development‐related programs and activities
e. Prepare and submit a budget to the Regional Steering Committee for approval each year
f. Prepare and submit all required reports to the National organization
2024 Professional Development Committee Members:
Chair: Catherine Parker, University of Maryland, College Park
Co-Chair: Cynthia Kane, Lehigh University
Members: Brandon Begarly, Lehman College, The City University of New York; Katie McKeon, University of Maryland, College Park; Chea Smith, Rutgers University
Cheryl-Lee Howard Mentor Me Committee
2024 Cheryl Lee Howard Mentor Me Committee Members:
Chair: Mary Louise Healy, Johns Hopkins University (mhealy11@jhu.edu)
Members: Jared Littman, St. John’s University; Jennifer Harman, University of Rochester
The Cheryl-Lee Howard Mentor Me Committee (MMC) shall be chaired by the Region II Mentor Me Chair. The Regional Chair, in coordination with the Chair of the Mentor Me Committee, will appoint a MMC Co-Chair with the understanding that the MMC Chair mentors the MMC Co-Chair in preparation for them transitioning to the position of Chair the following year.
It is the responsibility of the MMC to:
a. Distribute the call for Mentee nominations and applications;
b. Review and select Mentees for that year’s program, in consultation with the Regional Steering Committee (the number of Mentees will be selected based on that year’s financial considerations as reviewed and approved by Regional Chair and Treasurer);
c. Create and coordinate yearly activities for the Mentor Me program, and coordinate the MMC annual retreat; d. Prepare and submit an annual budget to the Regional Steering Committee;
e. Advise and support the Chair, and Regional Steering Committee, as requested.