Carl M. Gallegos, Ph.D., Chairperson
The Board of Directors of University of Maryland Chester River Health Foundation announces its officers and Board members for 2017. Carl M. Gallegos, Ph.D., has assumed the role of Board chairperson.
Dr. Gallegos, a resident of Worton, retired in 2003 after 21 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he served in various positions including Chief Forester, Africa Bureau Environmental Officer, and Acting Director of the Africa Bureau Office of Sustainable Development. Prior to that, he worked with International Paper Co. for eight years, serving as Senior Research Forester and Manager, Forest Information Systems. He has worked as a consultant for the Washington College Center for Environment and Society, as well as the Chester River Association, where he prepared “Urban and Community Forest Master Plans” for four communities in Kent County, as well as the “Upper Chester River Watershed Management Plan.” Gallegos is an International Environment and Natural Resource Management Consultant with expertise in Latin America and Africa.
“It is both a privilege and an honor to have been elected Chairperson of the Chester River Health Foundation, whose mission is to raise funds to support the local hospital and the nursing and rehabilitation center,” comments Gallegos.
“My wife, Brenda, and I have been residents of Kent County for nearly 20 years,” he continued. “We were drawn to Kent County by its many wonderful attractions and amenities – not the least of which is the presence of UM Medical Center at Chestertown. These benefits, combined with the strong sense of community, are what make Kent County our home.”
Other officers elected for 2017 include Richard L. Barker, vice chairperson; Kenneth D. Kozel, president and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health, Board president; Mary L. Burton, secretary; Sandra H. Bjork, assistant secretary; JoAnne R. Hahey, chief financial officer,UM Shore Regional Health, treasurer; and William B. Noll, assistant treasurer.
Photos: Earl R. Runde (left) and Jack A. Edson (right), New to the UM Chester River Health Foundation Board
Newly elected to the Board for 2017 are Earl R. Runde of Chestertown and John (Jack) Edson of Kennedyville.
Runde is a retired corrections facility administrator and special education teacher. He says, “It will be an honor to serve on this Board as I wish to be an ambassador in the community, supporting the missions of our hospital and our stellar nursing and rehabilitation center, at which my 95-year old mother is a resident.”
Edson, a retired Merck & Company information systems’ executive, has served as a member and officer of a multitude of non-profit organizations during his lifetime, including President of the Kentmore Park Improvement Association and the Chester River Hospital Center Auxiliary.He said, “The hospital is vital to the town and the county and the Foundation is an important conduit for funds to support the hospital’s facilities. I feel it is an honor to serve on the Board.”
The 2017 Board members also include:James Barton; Myra Butler; Douglas Camp; John Carroll, Jr.; Margie Elsberg; Jason Fellows; Elizabeth Frazier-Meima; Charles Lerner; O. Raymond Long; John P. Murray, Ph.D.; and Sigrid R. Whaley. Serving as an ex-officio Board member is Susan Edson, president of the hospital’s Auxiliary.
Gallegos adds, “The community is quite fortunate to have excellent facilities at the Chestertown medical center, including the state-of-the-art emergency services and a women’s center, which provides both residents and visitors with exceptional health care. These facilities have the whole hearted support of the communities they serve as evidenced by the renewed, charitable support provided through the Chester River Health Foundation this past year.”
University of Maryland Chester River Health Foundation is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization serving the fundraising needs of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown and UM Shore Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Chestertown. For further information about the ways you can support medical care in the community, please contact Maryann Ruehrmund, CFRE, executive director, at 410-810-5660.
About UM Shore Regional Health: As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
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