Board Members 

Mr. Greg Shockley
Chair
Owner, Shenanigan’s Irish Pub
Ocean City
Worcester County

A past president of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, Mr. Shockley opened his restaurant 20 years ago. He is a founding member of Ocean City’s Boardwalk Development Association, which implemented $5 million in improvements to the boardwalk. He is also president of Ocean City Development Corporation – a local nonprofit – and a former member of the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s board of directors. He and his wife Susie have twin boys. 

 
Ms. Kathleen Cloyd Sher
Vice Chair - Attractions 
Deputy Director of External Affairs
National Aquarium in Baltimore, Baltimore

Ms. Sher has more than 25 years experience in executive management, strategic planning, external relations, fund raising, marketing, visitor services and retail. She has consulted for numerous aquariums and cultural organizations in the United States and Europe and is active with organizations that promote ecological sustainability and tourism.  

 
Mr. Christopher S. Schardt
Vice Chair - Retail
Senior General Manager
Harborplace & The Gallery, Baltimore
Owings Mills Mall, Baltimore County

Mr. Schardt has more than 30 years of experience in property management and retail operations. Prior to his present position, he was senior general manager at White Marsh Mall and general manager at Towson Town Center, both in Baltimore County. He is on the board of directors for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Baltimore Waterfront Partnership. A California native, he moved to Maryland 21 years ago.

Raymond L. Nelson
Vice Chair, Transportation
Vice President, Customer Service & Quality Assurance
Veolia Transportation, Baltimore 

With 25 years of experience in transportation management, Mr. Nelson has worked in customer relations, sales and marketing, driver training and call-center management. He previously was general manager for Checker Airport Taxi at Dulles International Airport (Veolia Transportation on Demand), and director of operations and sales manager for Yellow Transportation in Baltimore. Veolia is the largest private provider of multiple modes of transportation in North America. 

Mr. David Meloy
Secretary/Treasurer
President
Merit Hotel Group, Rockville

Mr. Meloy has been involved in the lodging industry for three decades. During that time, he has served in many aspects of the hotel industry from director of sales to vice president of operations. Mr. Meloy currently owns and operates his own company that owns four properties and has others in development. He also has a passion for ensuring that the hospitality industry’s workforce of tomorrow is trained today. 

Members at Large

 

Anthony M. Cohen
Founder & Executive Director
Menare Foundation
Brookeville, Montgomery County 

Affiliated since 2000 with the Menare Foundation – a Montgomery County-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of the Underground Railroad – Mr. Cohen is a public historian with expertise in research regarding the African-American experience. He lectures extensively on the subject at universities and conferences across the nation. The foundation runs a farm in Germantown (Montgomery County) as a living-history center that reveals 19th-century plantation life in Maryland.

Heather Renz
Director of Marketing
Big Steaks Management
Ruth’s Chris Steak House franchisee (MD, NJ, NC)
Pikesville, Baltimore County 

Ms. Renz has nearly 20 years of experience in management, public relations and marketing in the hospitality and retail industries. She is the Director of Marketing for Big Steaks Management, a restaurant management group with over 500 employees,  which operates nine Ruth’s Chris Steak House locations (in Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina) and the Havana Club, a Baltimore nightclub.  Her past affiliations include positions at Palm Management Corporation and Joseph A. Bank Clothiers.

   
Mr. Adolph W. Ebersberger
Insurance and Financial Specialist, Retired
Millersville, Anne Arundel County

Mr. Ebersberger has more than 40 years of experience in the insurance industry.  His agency was among the largest and most successful in the state prior to his temporary retirement in the early 1990s.  He currently provides financial planning services for his clients on a part-time basis.  Mr. Ebersberger served in the Navy as a legal officer. 

 
Winifred J. Roche
Tourism Manager
Harford County 

Ms. Roche has more than 18 years of experience in destination marketing. She has led Harford County’s tourism program since 2006. Previously, she was tourism and marketing manager for the city of Havre de Grace. She also was director of tourism for Dorchester County.  The Maryland Tourism Council honored Ms. Roche with the “Tourism Advocate of the Year” award in 2010 and again in 2012.  She is currently the legislative chairperson for the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations.

    
Mr. Khaled Said
Marketing Research Analyst & Vice President, Operations
Northstar Hotel Management, LLC

Mr. Said is a committed hotel professional with extensive hospitality management in all facets of the industry. He has held various operational and senior management positions with well-renowned international hotel chains. He is headquartered at the Best Western Hotel in Baltimore and directed the opening of Toby’s Dinner Theater in Baltimore.

James A. Grube
Owner
Woodlawn Estate and Slack Winery
Ridge, St. Mary’s County 

Mr. Grube and his family own and operate this Southern Maryland historic bed & breakfast inn and winery. After purchasing Woodlawn Farm in 2005, he converted the property into a B&B. Slack Winery, on the Patuxent Wine Trail, began making wine in 2009. A tasting room for the winery opened in 2010. Mr. Grube is a former men’s lacrosse coach at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Ms. Gail E. Smith-Howard
General Manager
Hyatt Regency Baltimore

Ms. Smith-Howard is general manager of Hyatt Regency Baltimore. A native of New Jersey, she began her career in the hotel industry at the Grand Hyatt of New York, and then moved to Hyatt Regency Kansas City. She continued her career at Hyatt Regency Chicago, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Grand Hyatt Washington, Hyatt Regency Fair Lakes, and finally landed her current role of general manager at Hyatt Regency Baltimore.  Ms. Smith-Howard works closely with the local business community as a member of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Advisory Board as well as numerous other professional and business groups. She is particularly proud of her efforts to develop the region’s hospitality workforce of tomorrow by serving on the Hospitality Boards of Morgan State University and University of Delaware as well as on the Restaurant and Institutional Management’s Hospitality Board. 

Patricia C. Heffelfinger

Executive Director
Maryland Soccer Foundation
Boyds, Montgomery County 

Mr. Victor A. Sulin
Attorney at Law - Retired 

Mr. Sulin is an attorney, former Delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, and has managed a small family business.  He is currently retired and now serves on numerous Boards of Directors including: Tipton Airport Authority, Citizens for Law Related Education for Maryland, and the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics.  He participates widely in civic and political organizations. 

Mr. John Jenkins
Managing Partner
SYDJUL, LLC; SYDJUL Hospitality,LLC  & SYDJUL Management, LLC

Mr. Jenkins is the owner of “Potomac Gourmet Market” (featuring beer and wine from around the globe) and also owns his own consulting and hotel management company.  His previous positions include:  Vice President and Hotel Manager of Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor; and Resident Manager of the 2000 room Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City’s Times Square, as part of his 24-year association with Marriott International.  In 2006, Mr. Jenkins was named “Executive of the Year” by the Marriott Marquis. He also received Marriott’s “President Award” during his tenure with the Marriott Corporation. His hospitality career spans more than 32 years. 

 
Ms. Linda M. Westgate
General Manager
Hilton, Baltimore Convention Center

Ms. Westgate is general manager of the new 757-room Hilton Baltimore Convention Center hotel.  Prior to coming to Baltimore, she was general manager at the Hilton Glendale (Calif.). During her 20-year career with Hilton, she has also been general manager at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Tampa (Fla.) and she was assistant general manager at the Doubletree Guest Suites in New York City’s Time Square.  She is a member of the Baltimore Convention and Tourism Board, the advisory board for Morgan State University’s Hospitality Management program, and the Greater Baltimore Committee Presidents’ Advisory Council.  Ms. Westgate is originally from Connecticut.

 
James Matthew Neitzey
Executive Director
Prince George’s County CVB 

Executive Director of the Prince George's County CVB since 1979, Mr. Neitzey is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME), Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and holds a master's degree in tourism administration from George Washington University.  He is a past president of the Maryland Tourism Council; former Chairman of both the Maryland Governor's Tourism Industry Conference and the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations.  Mr. Neitzey was born, raised, and resides in Prince Georges County.

Legislative Appointees

The Honorable John Astle
Senator, District 30, Anne Arundel County

Senator Astle has served on the Maryland Tourism Development Board since 2004. He has served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. 

The Honorable Nancy Jacobs
Senator, District 34, Cecil and Harford Counties

Senator Jacobs has served on the Maryland Tourism Development Board since 1999. She has been a small business owner, realtor, teacher, political columnist and radio talk show host.

The Honorable Wendell R. Beitzel
Maryland House of Delegates
Delegate, District 1A, Garrett & Allegany Counties

Delegate Beitzel is a recent appointment to the Maryland Tourism Development Board. He is owner of the Accident Bakery and President of Beitzel Enterprises, Inc. 

The Honorable Pamela G. Beidle
Maryland House of Delegates, District 32, Anne Arundel County 

Delegate Beidle has been a member of the House of Delegates since 2007, serving on the House Environmental Matters Committee and several sub-committees. She is a member of the Joint Committee on Base Realignment and Closure.  Delegate Beidle is the President of the Beidle Insurance Agency and Managing Partner of the Glen Oak Professional Center. A resident of Anne Arundel County, Delegate Beidle is married with three children. She served eight years on the Anne Arundel County Council and four years on the A A County Economic Development Corporation. She has been honored with several professional awards and is a board and/or general member (past and/or present) serving organizations/businesses such as: Leadership Anne Arundel; Hospice of the Chesapeake; Arundel Federal Savings Bank; The Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, West County Chamber and the BWI Business Partnership. 

The Honorable Jennie M. Forehand
Senator, District 17, Montgomery County

Senator Forehand is a recent appointment to the Maryland Tourism Development Board. She is the president of Forehand Antiques and Interiors.

The Honorable David D. Rudolph
Maryland House of Delegates, District 34 B, Cecil County

Delegate Rudolph has been a member of the House of Delegates since 1995.  He is vice-chair of the Economic Matters Committee and House Chair of the Joint Committee on Base Realignment and Closure.  He is also a member of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.  As an educator, he was the principal at three Cecil County schools.   He and his wife Diana live in Cecil County’s Rising Sun area.