Brett Jett now a Certified Flood Plain Manager

We are proud to announce that George Miles & Buhr employee Brent R. Jett has successfully completed the process and examination administered by the Association of State Floodplain Managers to become a Certified Floodplain Manager.

The ASFPM grants this certification only to those professionals who meet the requirements and complete a comprehensive examination on the programs and standards to reduce flood losses in the nation. This is especially important in the Chesapeake Bay region as sea levels rise and coastal communities must adapt to the increased risk of flooding.

Jett joined GMB in 2019, bringing more than 20 years of professional engineering experience, including extensive project design, planning, and management in both the private and public sectors. He is skilled in local, state, and federal land-use approvals and required processes for environmental approval.

Prior to joining GMB, Jett served seven years as Assistant City Engineer for Cambridge. His work history also includes Project Manager/Engineer for various Eastern Shore private consulting firms.

Jett recently served on several environmental committees with local and state stakeholders for sustainability concerns throughout the mid-Shore region of Maryland.

Erik Larsen to lead SU Professional Development office

Erik Larsen has been named Salisbury University’s Director of the new Office of Professional Development and career coach in SU’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business.

Larsen most recently served as Director of Professional Development at the University of Redlands in California and Director of Student Professional Development at Rice University in Texas.

The new office will play a key role in making graduates more attractive employees to organizations. It will work in coordination with SU’s successful Career Services Office, while Larsen will provide additional guidance to Perdue School students based on his expertise in the field.

His career coaching includes business related self-assessment and planning, employment research, personal brand and self-marketing, interviewing, alumni referrals, and support for continuing professional education.

Dr. Rebecca Anthony named Social Work Educator of the Year

Dr. Rebecca Anthony, SU Assistant Professor of Social Work, has been named the National Association of Social Workers — Maryland Chapter Social Work Educator of the Year.

Anthony was recognized for her innovation and creativity in merging social work education with digital media and social justice. This included using Twitter and other social media in the classroom, and providing students with collaborative research and presentation opportunities. She also developed an online advising hub for SU’s online MSW program and a Certificate of Online Teaching and Learning program that has been adopted by others across the University.

In addition, Anthony has co-facilitated instructor training focused on privilege and oppression, and contributed to SU’s Diversity and Inclusion Resources for Curricula guide.

She also has published articles and book chapters on ethics and social media. She is scheduled to receive the Educator of the Year Award during the NASW-MD’s September conference.

Arthur Lembo named ESRI GIS Hero

Dr. Arthur Lembo, Professor of Geography and Geosciences, has been named a GIS Hero by geographic information systems industry leader Esri.

The honor was announced in the quarterly publication ArcNews, which profiled Lembo from his days in the private sector — including work for AT&T, Priceline.com and New York’s Long Island Rail Road — to his career in higher education.

“Lembo’s wide-reaching and varied career mirrors, in many ways, how GIS has developed as a field,” the feature said, adding that his “career has taken him from implementing large-scale, back end GIS projects to getting the technology to answer simple, public-facing questions to, now, preparing future generations to use the technology in innovative ways.”

Sheri Ewing earns Credit Counselor certification

Sheri Ewing, Family Services Manager for Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County, recently earned her National Association of Certified Credit Counselors financial health counselor certification.

A financial health counselor helps clients suffering from financial distress by combining counseling techniques with financial empowerment skills to improve their current and future economic health.

“I embarked on this certification because a majority of homeowner and roof and repair applicants come to our office already in financial distress,” said Ewing. “I believe if we can help our applicants with their long-term financial health, the homeowners, as well as our Habitat affiliate, will benefit.”

Ewing joined Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County in July. She is the mortgage loan originator and is responsible for interviewing and qualifying applicants for both the Homeowner program, and the Neighborhood Revitalization initiative -- which encompasses the Roof and Repair; Aging in Place; and Brush with Kindness programs. Ewing manages one part-time Habitat employee and the affiliate’s social work interns.

Lauren Bourdon now a Certified Fraud Examiner

Wicomico Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Bourdon has attained a designation as a Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes said the CFE designation is a credential that denotes a proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection and deterrence. In addition, CFEs must meet high professional, educational and ethical standards, as well as obtain continuing professional education requirements.

“With her CFE designation, ASA Bourdon will reduce the financial impact to the victims of major theft and embezzlement crime, and will minimize the additional cost to the victims and Wicomico County in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes,” Dykes said.

Susan Evans Tyler joins Landmark Insurance

Susan Evans Tyler of Smith Island has joined Landmark Insurance & Financial Group in Princess Anne.

Tyler has 20 years of customer service experience and 18 years of human resources experience from McCready Health.

Landmark Insurance & Financial Group has been serving customers in the Mid-Atlantic area for more than 30 years.

Catherine Raley named SBDC Training Coordinator

The Maryland Small Business Development Center Eastern Region at Salisbury University has announced the appointment of Catherine Raley as Training Coordinator in the Salisbury office.

Raley is a recent graduate from SU’s Applied Health Physiology Program. She has professional experience in higher education, fundraising, clinical exercise physiology, recreation and event planning.

She previously worked as the graduate assistant for the Salisbury University Foundation and Sea Gull Century bicycle tour.

Working for SGC, she spent nine months of the year organizing event operation logistics, fielding daily communication with cyclists, and maintaining social media for the annual ride in addition to assisting with other fundraising and donor events on and off campus. She recently served as president of SU’s Graduate Student Council.

An outreach of SU’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, the SBDC serves the citizens of Maryland in improving the success of their small businesses through low cost training, no-fee consulting and research. The Eastern Region serves the Eastern Shore of Maryland through its offices at SU, Chesapeake College and the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce.

Jennifer Owens joins Community Foundation

Jennifer Owens has joined the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore as Office Coordinator. Jennifer will lead the Foundation’s front-facing operations, customer service, meeting and conference coordination, and will offer executive office support.

Her hiring comes after the retirement of Patt Strausburg in early April, who spent 17 years at CFES.

Owens’ professional experience includes five years spent with the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake where she quickly advanced  in a variety of roles, as well as time spent as an administrative assistant, bookkeeper, sourcing analyst and office manager.

Joan Williams is SU’s VP for Diversity and Inclusion

Salisbury University has announced that Joan Williams will serve as its new Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, following a national search.

Williams has served as the director of diversity and institutional equity at the University of North Alabama since 2013. She has held multiple titles there, including coordinator of at-risk student advising, counselor, Title IX coordinator, and First-Year Experience and study skills instructor. She begins her new position at SU this month.

At UNA, Williams was responsible for all diversity efforts, including the institution’s strategic diversity plan. She collaborated with campus stakeholders to expand cultural competence to increase equity and inclusion, and led efforts to establish effective practices for recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff and students. She also chaired the President’s Diversity Advisory Committee.

At SU, she will lead the newly re-formed Office of Diversity and Inclusion, reporting directly to President Dr. Charles Wight.

Williams earned her master’s in Community Counseling from UNA. She also holds a bachelor’s in Business Administration, Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi.