March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

Chesapeake Arts Center adds new Board members

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Chesapeake Arts Center logoThe Chesapeake Arts Center, a non-profit art organization located in Northern Anne Arundel County, just inside the Baltimore beltway, just announced one new board member and four new positions to serve the organization’s Board of Directors.  The new board member was installed as of July 1, 2014.

The new board member: Myrna Dembowski. Myrna is a respected community liaison in the Brooklyn Park area.  She has worked for the NSA and the CRW Flag store. She has been involved in various volunteer activities in the Maryland and West Virginia area. Myrna and her husband live in Anne Arundel County, and have two sons.

Board members new positions: Robin Sokoloski , Mary Toth, Karyn Tasker and Michael Braxton.

Robin Sokolski, the new Chesapeake Arts Center active President. Robin Sokoloski is the Interim Director for the Program Management Homeroom, and the Mission Assurance Director for the Advanced Concepts and Technology Development Division for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. In her Mission Assurance role, she is responsible for ensuring contractual and regulatory compliance for all products in AC&TD. In the program management role, she has responsibility for the activities associated with the sector-wide Program Management Homeroom, including maintaining a standard set of guidelines, streamlining the program management processes, and serving as sector representative for program management cross-sector initiatives.

Robin holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from Penn State University, and has over 30 years of experience in process engineering and/or management. Robin is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a certified Results Coach.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman 13 years ago, Robin was Operations Manager, responsible for Manufacturing, Purchasing, Operations Engineering and Production Control, for two different frequency control companies, and achieved significant improvements in throughput and operating margins in those organizations.

Mrs. Sokoloski previously served on the boards for AME MidAtlantic region and for the Maryland World Class Consortia, and currently serves on the board for the Chesapeake Arts Center.  She lives in Ellicott City with her husband, Carl, and has two children who are studying engineering at the University of Maryland.

Mary Toth, active Chesapeake Arts Center’s Vice President. For the past seven years Mary Toth has worked as a consultant helping leaders in the business and the not-for-profit arena reach their goals through communication, strategic action, community collaboration and organizational follow-through. This work grounded in her twenty years in the non-for-profit sector. As president of Maryland’s statewide arts advocacy organization, Ms.Toth led an effort that won two years of historic increase in operating funds for the arts across the state- a nationally recognized achievement. She transformed the Governor’s Art Awards into an event the demonstrated the importance of the arts in Maryland’s future. Ms.Toth also list among her achievements the development of one Maryland’s leading county art councils for its hear organizational birth to position of preeminence in the state. She managed Maryland’s first community-wide assessment process that led to the unique school/community partnership that produced the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, later duplicated at Bowie Center for the Performing Arts and Bowie High School. At the time the Rouse project was hailed as a national model of a shared-use facility. She has been recognized for her achievements by a number of organizations, including NACo, the National Organization for Countries. Ms.Toth has spoken on community assessment to the Council for Educational Facility Planners International (CEPFI) in Annapolis, Maryland, Chicago, IL, Galveston, TX; and Phoenix, AZ. She is the principal at Mary Toth Consulting in Baltimore.

Karyn Tasker, active Chesapeake Art Center’s Treasurer. Karyn is an audit manager in the Baltimore office of CohnReznick LLP bringing 15 years of audit and accounting experience to Chesapeake Arts Center. She plays the clarinet and has performed with a local community band. “One reason I was drawn to Chesapeake Arts Center was because I don’t like hearing that music and arts are disappearing from some schools and I want to make sure there is someplace kids can still have the chance to participate in these activities” says Kayrn.

Micahel Braxton, active Chesapeake Arts Center’s Secretary. Michael was raised in Anne Arundel County with his family the Braxton’s. He believes that Anne Arundel county is the best county in the state of Maryland. Michael is a nurse case manager BSN for John Hopkins Healthcare LLC. He is a patient advocate and enjoys being active in the community.

Chesapeake Arts Center Executive Director Belinda Fraley-Huesman thanked those that have served on the board and welcomed the new members. “Serving on the board of a thriving non-profit like the Chesapeake Arts Center requires dedication, time, the love of art and a commitment to improving our community. I would like to thank our past president, Ned Carey and his family for the years he has dedicated to the Chesapeake Arts Center. I know with the new active board members, the Chesapeake Arts Center will bring new classes, shows, and more community events for all ages.

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