Equality Maryland:
Staff and Board Biographies
Equality Maryland Staff
Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director
Prior to joining Equality Maryland's staff, Morgan was the Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for the Amputee Coalition of America where she built a nation-wide advocacy program from the ground up, successfully shepherding bills focused on healthcare access in Maryland and in thirteen other state legislatures. She served as the Executive Director for the Montana Affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. She also managed field and training programs for NARAL Pro-Choice America's national field department. Morgan has a diverse background working with organizing and advocacy programs. She also serves on the board of directors for the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), an organization aimed at training and mentoring young women in the public policy arena.
Kevin Walling, Director of Development
As Development Director, Kevin directs all fundraising efforts, working with individual donors and grant makers, along with crafting the organization's communications efforts. Before joining Equality Maryland, Kevin worked in development and finance for the New Organizing Institute, a progressive non-profit dedicated to expanding the base of trained staff focused on online organizing, new media and voter technology for the greater progressive community. Before NOI, Kevin assisted in fundraising efforts at both the Archdiocese of Washington and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. Kevin also worked in the office of U.S. Senator Tom Carper of Delaware and currently assists in the re-election efforts of various public officials in Maryland, including Attorney General Doug Gansler.
Kim Miller, Office Manager
Kim brings over 20 years experience, ranging from human resources to finance, in both large and small organizations throughout the country. Her extensive experience includes administrative positions at a medical research laboratory and a business specializing in Native American art. Kim is thrilled to be a part of Equality Maryland and look forward to helping advance its mission of achieving equal rights for all LGBT Marylanders.
Owen Smith, Field Organizer
Owen Smith comes to Equality Maryland after several years of experience organizing on issues of gender identity and expression. He has taught workshops on various sex and gender issues for the last five years at gatherings on the East Coast. Owen has been producing and performing in a gender performance troupe called the Charm City Boys for eight years. He is also one of the founding members of Baltimore's Team Trans, a grassroots group aimed at raising awareness and conducting trans-positive trainings. Owen is excited to bring a creative and innovative perspective to Equality Maryland. Owen is motivated to do social justice work because of the many ways in which oppression impacts various populations. His goal is to build strong programs and active, working coalitions in order to create real change and reach the goal of gender equality.
Aimee Martin, Field Organizer
As Field Organizer, Aimee is excited to work with local Equality groups across the state to build Maryland’s political power to pass marriage equality and anti-discrimination legislation. Having grown up in Maryland, Aimee is thrilled to be coming back to her own state with skills she gained working on marriage equality campaigns in California, Maine and New Jersey. In Maine, her team organized 400 calls and emails into a Republican State Senator’s office on the day before the marriage vote, which persuaded him to vote for marriage equality. She is committed to creating a Maryland that has full legislative equality for LGBT families and individuals.
Equality Maryland, Inc. Board of Directors
Scott Davenport, President
Scott recently retired from his position as Managing Vice President for Enterprise Risk Management at Capital One Financial Corporation to become Managing Director at Freedom to Marry. Scott joined the board in 2005, and previously served on the board of the Family Pride Coalition for 6 years, the last two of those as Co-chair of the Board. Scott is also a co-founder and organizing member of Equality Montgomery County. A resident of Bethesda, Scott has been active in GLBT parenting since the birth of his two children in the early 90s – the eldest of whom recently graduated from Walt Whitman High School.
Laura Hart, At Large
A resident of St. Mary's County, Laura retired after 34 years as civilian computer engineer and engineering manager for the Navy. Laura served as EQMD's District 29 Lobby Day Coordinator, was one of the most active volunteers during the Montgomery County anti-discrimination petition challenge, and has been active in assisting Basic Rights Montgomery. As a board member, she plans on working with Equality Maryland staff to raise transgender visibility issues with our state legislature in Annapolis.
Mark McLaurin, At Large
Mark is the Director of Public Policy for the Public Justice Center. Mark has been working in the field of public policy and legislative advocacy for nearly ten years and serves on the Board of Directors of CHAMP (Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project), is a board officer of the National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition and serves as Chairman of the Board of the House of Manolo Blahnik (an entity which seeks to target the ballroom community with effective HIV prevention messaging). Mark is a graduate of the Catholic University of America, Human Rights Campaign's Youth College for Campaign Training and the Black AIDS Institute's African American HIV University. Previous stints include service as Senior Policy Advisor to United States Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Midwest Regional Director for National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities and Director of HIV Prevention Policy for Gay Men's Health Crisis.
Deborah Mizeur, At Large
Deborah Mizeur has dedicated her professional career to public service. For the past ten years she has served as professional staff to the Committee on Ways and Means, senior health policy advisor to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and as policy director for Ascension Health, the nation's largest not-for-profit health system. In 2008, Deborah formed The Mizeur Group, a federal government affairs firm, with her partner, State Delegate Heather Mizeur. Deborah teaches health politics and health financing at Georgetown University. She received her undergraduate degree in Government from the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. While completing her degree Deborah worked with the Alaska State Legislature. She moved to Seattle in 1995 and completed a Master of Health Administration degree at the University of Washington. In 1998 Deborah was selected the David A. Winston national health policy fellow which brought her to Washington, DC. Deborah was selected as a Modern Healthcare "Up and Comer" in 2002. She is currently President of the Board of World Arts Focus/Joe's Movement Emporium, in Mt. Rainier, Md., and a member of the board for the David A. Winston Fellowship.
Rosemary Nicolosi, At Large
Rosemary earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from New York University. In 2002, Rosemary retired from her first career after spending over 20 years working in the credit card industry. A significant portion of her time was spent working as the Executive Vice President of Partnership Marketing for the Bank One Corporation in Wilmington, DE. In 2006, Rosemary earned an M.S. in Psychology from Loyola College, Baltimore, MD. She worked serving an underserved population as a therapist counseling foster children. Currently, Rosemary is back in school pursuing her doctorate at The American School of Professional Psychology in Arlington, VA. Her dissertation topic is Would the Right of Marriage in the United States Contribute Positively to the Psychological Health of Lesbians and Gay Men? Rosemary has worked with Equality MD for the last few years and has served as a member of the Jazz Brunch Committee. Rosemary was previously a Board member of Advocacy for Children and Youth. She lives in Baltimore with her partner, Ronda, and their son, Gabriel.
Lisa M. Polyak, Secretary
David Toth, Treasurer
Dave is employed as the Payroll Administrator for the American National Red Cross in Washington DC. Dave has been working with state and local political leaders for 6 years on wide range of issues from LGBT rights to community improvement concerns. Dave joined the Equality Maryland Board in 2005. Dave is attending the University of Maryland pursuing a major in Human Resource Management and a minor in Political Science. He lives in Columbia, MD with his partner, Ken Bohon, his daughter Amber and son Brandon.
Equality Maryland Foundation Board of Directors
Charles Butler, Esq., Secretary
Sandra J. Schmidt, Vice President
Sandra lives in Silver Spring with her partner, Rita, and their daughter.
David Toth, President
Dave is employed as the Payroll Administrator for the American National Red Cross in Washington DC. Dave has been working with state and local political leaders for 6 years on wide range of issues from LGBT rights to community improvement concerns. Dave joined the Equality Maryland Board in 2005. Dave is attending the University of Maryland pursuing a major in Human Resource Management and a minor in Political Science. He lives in Columbia, MD with his partner, Ken Bohon, his daughter Amber and son Brandon.
Patrick L. Wojahn, Esq., At Large
Patrick lives in College Park and is a staff attorney with the University Legal Services in Washington, DC, advocating for individuals with mental illness with cases of abuse and neglect in the mental health system in Washington, DC. He has a long history of LGBT civil rights activism, previously serving on the Board of Directors for Action Wisconsin, a state-wide LGBT civil rights group, and as co-chair for the National Queer Student Coalition. He and his partner, Dave Kolesar, are plaintiffs in the Maryland lawsuit for marriage equality.