Renee M. Winsky, a Maryland business executive with broad experience leading organizations, was named Leadership Maryland’s President and CEO.
She will replace Nancy Minieri, who founded the organization in 1992 and announced in March that she will retire at the end of this year.
Winsky, of Davidsonville, was previously the executive director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center, a technology business incubator in Annapolis. She brings to Leadership Maryland nearly 30 years of public and private sector experience, including serving as CEO of the Tech Council of Maryland and as executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation.
“It is truly an honor to be selected as Leadership Maryland’s new president and chief executive officer,” Winsky said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with the board of directors, alumni, the current class and our future members to continue our great legacy in leadership and to take the organization to new levels.”
Winsky, a 2005 graduate of Leadership Maryland, was chosen by a 10-member search committee, comprised of the present and some past chairs of the Leadership Maryland Board of Directors. Past Chair Henry Posko, a member of the inaugural Class of 1993, chaired the Search Committee.
“By choosing Renee, we have achieved our committee’s goal to find a leader who was known statewide for facilitating collaboration with strategic partners and who would continue the successful evolution of the program,” Posko said.
Leadership Maryland has become the state’s premier leadership development program, with more than 900 people having graduated from its year-long course. Dozens of prominent Marylanders are alums, including elected officials, cabinet members, business executives, educators and non-profit directors.
“Renee brings to the organization the unique qualities we were searching for,” said Ralph W. Emerson Jr., Leadership Maryland’s Chairman of the Board, and a 2003 graduate of the program. “Her commitment to the organization has already been demonstrated through her tireless work as a board member and program committee chair. She has the vision and skill sets required to continue our strategic growth and build on our reputation of excellence. “
Winsky and outgoing CEO Minieri will work together from September through the end of 2013, ensuring a smooth transition of leadership.
