Ashley Waters, Executive Director

Ashley Waters, our Executive Director and alumna of W2WM’s CORE Class 11, has more than ten years of experience in organizational development, program evaluation, and public relations. She previously served as the Director of UMBC’s operations at the Shady Grove campus in Rockville and the Communications Manager for The City of Frederick. Ashley has her doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Towson University.

As a wife and mother, Ashley is drawn to W2WM, Inc.’s mission as it creates a lasting impact on the future leaders and sustainability of the Frederick community.

Amy Savitt, Senior Program Manager

Amy Savitt is the Senior Program Manager for Woman to Woman Mentoring, Inc. Amy has a master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education and has worked in leadership development and with women’s organizations. She has been with W2WM since moving to Frederick County with her husband and two children in 2013.

Kim Johnson, Chairwoman

Kim Johnson is the Director of Development at Mount St. Mary’s University and previously served as the Assistant Director for Institutional Advancement at Frederick Community College.  Kim joined the W2WM board in 2016, but has been involved with the program for many years, most notably on the Clutch the Future Purse Auction Committee. She recently was fortunate to serve as a mentor and has loved watching her mentee succeed at many of her goals.  She also serves as president of her church council.

Melissa Curtis Cherry, Interim Vice Chair

Melissa Curtis Cherry, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked in child welfare since 2002. She currently is the Program Manager of In-Home Family Services at the Frederick County Department of Social Services . Melissa has been involved with W2WM since its inception in 2006. She has served as board Chair, secretary, and chair of the Program Committee as well as a mentor for the CORE Program. She lives in Mount Airy with her husband and two children.

Michele Mills, Treasurer

Michele Mills, CPA, is a Principal at Deleon and Stang CPAs and Advisors. She has over 30 years of public accounting experience and specializes in governmental and non-profit audits. Michele has been on the W2WM board since 2007 and serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. She has served as the Co-Chair for the annual Clutch the Future purse auction for the past four years. Outside of W2WM, Michele also serves on the Board of the Frederick Community College Foundation, Inc. as Vice Chair. Michele was born and raised in Frederick and has two adult children—Emily and Nick.

Jill Browning, Secretary

Born and raised in Frederick City, Jill Browning recently completed a 26-year career as a VP with Wells Fargo Bank where she worked as a business systems consultant manager, technical project manager, technology manager, program manager, process engineer, and e-business systems consultant. Jill’s passion has always been to help individuals grow into the people they wish to become through encouragement, relationships, and connections, making W2WM a perfect fit for her. Jill has served the community through other non-profit boards and outreach at her church. She enjoys visiting her grown children living in NY and VT, singing, reading, hiking with her dog, and being part of the vibrant Frederick community.

Veronica Lowe

Veronica Lowe is the Deputy Director of Labor and Employee Relations for MDOT Maryland Transit Administration. She has over 28 yrs in both public and pupil transportation. She holds a BA in Human Resources Management and a MBA in Leadership Studies. Veronica is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Chi Theta Omega Chapter and a W2WM, Inc. mentor. She has one daughter and one grandson.

Marjorie Smithhisler

Marjorie Smithhisler is the Global Sales Director for HemaCare, a Charles River Company. She has worked in the biotech/research industry for 20 years as a research scientist, marketing product manager, sales associate, and business development manager. Marjorie joined the W2WM, Inc. board in 2019 but began mentoring within the STEM program in 2017. Marjorie enjoys horseback riding, crafting, and reading. She and her partner Jeff live in Gaithersburg, Maryland with their two dogs.

Andi Overton

Andi Overton is the Director of Business Development at Mount St. Mary’s University’s Frederick Campus. She works to bring industry and academia together, helping folx reach their professional goals through academia, workforce development and mentorship. A dedicated public speaker, Andi has dedicated her professional career to serving the underserved while fighting for equality and equity. Andi is a mentor, community volunteer and local activist. A 2019 Emerge Maryland graduate, Andi has two graduate degrees and is working toward her doctorate with Frostburg State University’s Ed.D program at USMH. She lives with her girlfriend and several rescue animals on the North End of Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland.

Theresa Williams-Harris

Theresa is an entrepreneur, speaker, mentor, author, and committed community servant. She is engaged with many community outreach initiatives. She is the founder of Just A Kind Note and is engaged through the Truist Advisory Board, Tough Waters, LLC Board, Hood College Board of Trustees and Frederick County Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.Theresa is founder, President of GEORGE STREET Services, Inc. providing cyber security, IT and Managed Services, Software Engineering, and Program Management. From 1996 to 2008, she was co-founder, President of Athenyx, LLC, which was acquired in 2008. Prior to Athenyx, Theresa was co-founder, SVP of Patuxent Technology Partners, LLC. She’s held numerous executive and leadership positions of increasing responsibility with numerous technology companies.

Rachael Pashkevich Koontz

Rachael Pashkevich Koontz, Esq. leads the Cybersecurity Compliance Program for Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global biotechnology company, ensuring compliance with external laws and regulations and internal policies. She is a Board Member and Co-Chair for the Women in Business Committee at the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, and was a founding partner of S.H.E. Week. She is also a regular volunteer with Girls on the Run of Mid & Western Maryland and the Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Scholarship Committee. Rachael earned her Bachelor’s degree from Towson University and her Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. She is a Virginia-licensed attorney, and previously worked at a law firm before moving into compliance. She resides in Frederick with her husband and their corgi.

Gloria Waller Coleman

Gloria is a Retired School Psychologist who holds certifications in Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. She began her career as a Residential Counselor in a home for formerly hospitalized psychiatric patients transitioning to community living. Over the course of 40 years, she was a practicing School Psychologist, College Adjunct Professor and Diagnostician for the Virginia Department of Corrections, Youth Services Division.

Gloria is a wife, mother and former Reservist in the United States Marine Corps. Gloria’s prior Board work was with the Hulon Willis Association, an Affiliate of the William and Mary Alumni Association, and the American Association of University Women. She is currently a member of the Diaconate and Connections Ministries at her Church.

Laura Clarke

Laura Clarke found the love of life-long learning, teaching and mentoring from her parents, and it is no wonder she finds joy in supporting the W2WM mission since 2015 by serving as a mentor with the organization. In her career, Laura has over 20 years of management experience, and she supports the learning & development arm of corporate human resources, leading a technical learning and certification support team for a large government contractor. Utilizing her background in project and people management, Laura loves to inspire creativity and diversity of thought in her teams.

After graduating from college in 1996, Laura met her husband at her first “real” job in Frederick, and she has lived in almost every Frederick zip code, including downtown, her very favorite! She has two teenagers that she adores, one entering high school and one in college. She loves visiting museums, exercising, listening to good rock music, and playing her cello.

Stacey Collins

Stacey Collins is Vice President and Assistant Director of Client and Community Relations for PNC Bank in the Greater Washington Area. In this role at PNC, Stacey is responsible for client, community and employee engagement strategies. Stacey also leads the regional implementation of PNC’s signature philanthropic program, Grow Up Great, a multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life, and champions the importance of investing in early childhood education. Her 30-year career in banking spans marketing, advertising, public relations, channel management, and community engagement.

A resident of Frederick, Stacey loves the beach, reading, travelling, spending time with friends and family, exploring historic sites, and zipping around town in her convertible on a sunny day. In the community, she is a member of the grants committee for the Community Foundation of Frederick County, Inc., Hood College’s Board of Associates, and serves on the Frederick Speaker Series Advisory Committee. Stacey earned her Master of Business Administration from Mount Saint Mary’s University and received a Bachelor of Arts from Hood College.