Rank Builder | On The Move " 12/9/11: Slager Recognized For Veterans Work

Posted: 5:19 pm Thu, December 8, 2011
By Daily Record Staff

Slager recognizedfor veterans work

Randy J. Slager, CEO, chairman and founder of Catapult Technology Ltd., a Bethesda service-disabled veteran-owned information technology contractor to the federal government, recently won the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce's Corporate Leader of the Year Award. Slager has been pivotal in the development of the Veteran Institute for Procurement Program with the chamber's Community Foundation. The program provides training to veteran-owned businesses. Slager served in the U.S. Army after college, reaching the rank of major. A training accident injured his spine, essentially ending his Army career. Slager then worked with Sperry-Univac, the FBI, technology firms focused on systems engineering and management consulting support, and as a computer scientist/consultant for the Federal Aviation Administration. He then co-founded EA, a management consulting and systems engineering firm, and later Catapult Technology.

Randy J. Slager

Education: Bachelor degrees in computer science and psychology from the University of Utah; master's degree in computer information systems from Boston University.

Resides in: Bethesda and Miami Beach

Daily commute: 10-15 minutes

Recent vacation: BB in Kennebunkport, Maine

Hobbies: Historical collectibles (Victrola record players and other vintage mechanical gadgets), Corvettes, and classic cars.

Favorite books: George R.R. Martin fantasy fiction, Steve Barry suspense novels, other suspense fiction.

Most recently read: A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin.

Favorite food: King crab legs

Favorite quotation: All my life, I have been telling my family, "Chase your dreams, only you can make them real."

Accounting

Michael Ziemba has joined the Hunt Valley office of McLean, Koehler, Sparks Hammond as a senior manager of accounting and auditing services. Ziemba has 30 years of experience in public accounting with a heavy concentration in the construction, manufacturing and the wholesale industries. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration-accounting from University of Baltimore and is a CPA.

Richard M. Shank, a CPA with Gross, Mendelsohn Associates, of Baltimore, has earned the Certified Management Accountant designation from the Institute of Certified Management Accountants. Shank is a member of Gross Mendelsohn's Manufacturing Distribution Group and a supervisor in the firm's audit and accounting department; he specializes in working with manufacturers.

The Maryland Society of Accountants and one of its executive directors emeritus recently were honored by the National Society of Accountants. Donald R. Hull, owner of Hull Company Accountants, received the Master Builder of Affiliated State Organizations Award in recognition of his more than 30 years of work for the organization, which received the Keith Billings Award for the quality of its publication.

Awards

Better Business Bureau Greater Maryland recently presented five businesses with its Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence. The award pays tribute to businesses that demonstrate high standards of honesty and integrity toward customers, employees, shareholders and their community. The companies are: Main Street Oriental Rugs, of Ellicott City; Prometric Inc. testing services, of Baltimore; River Crest Design Build, of Annapolis; Merritt Properties, of Baltimore; and Chesapeake Telephone Systems.

Maryland Labor Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez recently received the Ana G. Mendez University System's Excellence in Education Award. Sanchez was honored for his work to improve educational bilingual opportunities and skills of the local workforce. During the ceremony, AGMUS President Jose F. Mendez, Universidad Metropolitana Chancellor Federico M. Matheu and Morgan State University Provost and Vice President Joseph A. Whittaker, representing Morgan State University and the University System of Maryland, signed an agreement to bring an Ana G. Mendez University center to Wheaton. Classes will begin at a new, dual-language higher education center on Jan. 12. The Puerto Rico-based university system also has campuses in the South Florida, Orlando and Tampa areas.

Giant Food, of Landover, recently was honored as Retailer of the Year by the Maryland Food Bank. Giant donated more than 1.4 million pounds of food to the hunger relief organization during 2010 " the most of any in-kind supporter.

Williams Asset Management, of Columbia, has been named a "Top Wealth Manager" by AdvisorOne, publisher of Investment Advisor and Research magazines. The privately-owned investment advisory and wealth management firm caters to affluent individuals and families throughout the U.S. and around the world.

David Atlas, of Riderwood in Silver Spring, last month received the National Academy of Engineering's 2011 Founders Award, which is presented for extraordinary impact through work in the engineering profession. Atlas helped develop radar technology for storm detection and warning. His research and that of collaborators played a major role in the adoption of the national network of NEXRAD Doppler radars used by the National Weather Service. These provided insights into the nature of storm systems that led to advanced methodologies for prediction and warning. In 1977 Atlas became the founding director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Ronda Ford of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Beltsville, was among the winners of a 30th annual Federal Energy and Water Management Award. Ford introduced new and innovative contracting methods to the Agricultural Research Service that saved millions of dollars. She led the agency's first multisite energy savings performance contract award, which will save $480,000 annually

Banks

Michael T. Smith has been promoted to business banking market manager for Greater Maryland by PNC Financial Services Group, of Baltimore. Smith joined the company in 2009 as business banking sales manager. He has held several leadership positions in his 30 years of financial services experience in the Baltimore area. Smith has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola University Maryland. He is a board member for the United Way of Central Maryland, the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland and the Institute of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Boards

Walt Clocker, president of Angels Food Market, in Pasadena, has been elected chairman of the Maryland Retailers Association. Clocker has planned and supervised two expansions and remodeling of the independent supermarket and catering business. He was elected to his current term on the MRA's board of directors in 2006 and serves on its legislative committee.

New officers for the Carroll Lutheran Village board of trustees are Louna Primm, chair; Paula Langmead, vice chair; Joe Hikel, secretary; and Arthur Wisner, treasurer. Primm is senior vice president and chief lending officer of New Windsor State Bank; Langmead is CEO of Springfield Hospital Center; Hikel is chief operating office of Shelter Systems; Wisner is treasurer director of financial services at McDaniel College. Also on the board are Kay Betz, David Bollinger, David Bond, B.J. Chase, Ronald Fairchild, Sandra Ferguson, John Hattery, R. Neal Hoffman, Frances Kane, Edward Leister, the Rev. David Schafer, Richard Simmons, and the Rev. Robin Simpson-Litton. Carroll Lutheran Village is an accredited continuing-care retirement community in Westminster.

Carter Heim and Adam Ortiz recently were appointed to the board of trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a state-chartered, nonprofit grant-making organization. Heim is president of HeimLantz, a business accounting and consulting firm. He has served as chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs, the Anne Arundel Community College board of directors, and the St. Mary's School Board of Trustees. He is treasurer of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. Heim has a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master's degree from the University of Baltimore. Ortiz works in the Office of the Prince George's County Executive and is a past mayor of Edmonston. Until recently, he was deputy chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. Ortiz has been special assistant to the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, and deputy director at the Rawlings Center for Public Leadership, University of Maryland. He is the past president of the Maryland Mayor's Association and president of the Port Towns Community Development Corp.

Colleen LoPresto, executive director of Oak Crest retirement community, in Parkville, has been appointed to the board of directors of Franklin Square Hospital Center. Before joining Erickson Living, which owns Oak Crest, LoPresto advanced from staff nurse at Mercy Medical Center to vice president for patient care. Later, at MEDEX Assistance Corp., she led a 24-hour call center with operations in the U.S., England and China that provided emergency medical support to international travelers; she advanced to chief operating officer of MEDEX. LoPresto studied nursing at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, and received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Baltimore and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland. She is also on the board of directors at the Institute of Notre Dame.

Baltimore Reads recently elected three new members to its board of directors: Tia S. Gasque, human capital specialist with Baltimore City Public Schools, previously was human resources administrator at Stanley Black and Decker. While working at the Center for Urban Families, she managed recruitment for the DOL Youthful Ex-Offenders Initiative and a Welfare to Work initiative with the Mayor's Office of Employment Development. She has a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University. Charles R. Geiger is senior vice president and district manager at Wells Fargo. He began his career as an assistant branch manager at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh. Geiger has been involved with the Johns Hopkins Children's Center Corporate Advisory Board, Free State Justice Campaign, Power Excel and the Student Sharing Coalition. Amy Przywara is senior marketing director, brand customer acquisition for the Sylvan Learning Center, where she has worked since 2002. She worked at Doner, an advertising agency, in several roles, including associate media director.

Mike Croxson, president of CareOne Services and chief operating officer of Ascend One Corp., of Columbia, has joined the board of directors of Better Business Bureau Greater Maryland. Croxson is treasurer of the board of directors of The Columbia Foundation, and past president of the board of directors of Maryland Works. CareOne Services is a subsidiary of the Ascend One Corp. family of businesses, which help consumers get out of debt, strengthen their finances and better manage their money.

Consulting

Howard S. Freedlander, former deputy state treasurer for external affairs from 2003 to 2011, has joined The Artemis Group as a senior consultant focusing on procurement and state policy issues. Freedlander, who retired in 2003 with the rank of colonel from the Maryland National Guard, served as executive officer/director of public affairs and legislative liaison for the Military Department. He serves on the boards of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Leadership Maryland.

Education

Makeba L. Clay has been appointed executive director of diversity and equal opportunity by the College of Southern Maryland. Most recently, as director of the Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding at Princeton University, Clay focused on creating greater levels of access, equity and inclusion for students, faculty and staff. Before that, she was director of the Leadership Institute for International Public Policy and associate director of student affairs at the University of Maryland. Clay's career in higher education began at McDaniel College, where she served as assistant director of the Department of Residence Life, and at Johns Hopkins University, where she held the same title. She has served on the boards of the American Council on Education Women's Network, Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore, and Princeton in Africa. Clay is the immediate past president of the National Association of Black Women in Higher Education.

Finance

Mark Buren has been hired as a director of AloStar Business Credit, in Baltimore, where he will focus on the lending needs of small- and medium-sized businesses in the Mid-Atlantic. Buren was most recently a vice president for Wells Fargo Capital Finance in Baltimore. He has more than 20 years of business development experience in asset-based lending. Buren has a bachelor's degree from Towson University and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. He previously served on the board of trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center. AloStar Business Credit is the asset-based lending arm of AloStar Bank of Commerce.

Government

Kenneth S. Apfel, professor of the practice and director of the Management, Finance and Leadership Program at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, has been appointed to the board of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. Prior to his academic career, Apfel served in senior federal policymaking positions, including, during the Clinton administration, as commissioner of the Social Security Administration, associate director for human resources at the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, and as assistant secretary for management and budget at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Apfel also served as legislative director to then-Sen. Bill Bradley, and on the staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee.

Health Care

Vipul N. Nanavanti has joined the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy Medical Center. He is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in upper extremities, shoulder and elbow surgery, and wrist and hand surgery. Dr. Nanavanti previously worked at Eastern Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in South Windsor, Conn. After receiving his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, N.J., he completed his general surgery internship, and orthopedic surgery residency, and fellowships in hand, shoulder and elbow surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Nanavanti was assistant professor of shoulder, elbow upper extremity surgery at State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. He will see patients at Mercy's downtown Baltimore location and at Overlea Personal Physicians and Lutherville Personal Physicians.

Marketing

The Baltimore chapter of the American Marketing Association has received a 2010-2011 Excellence Award from the organization's international headquarters. The Baltimore chapter was recognized for Leadership Overall Excellence for its best-in-class performance and for Membership Special Merit for outstanding performance.

Nonprofits

Karla Raettig has been hired as executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. She previously was director of the National Wildlife Federation's Louisiana Coastal Restoration Program. Raettig, who has over a decade of experience in environmental advocacy and litigation, replaces Cindy Schwartz, who had been executive director since 2006.