WGC Announces New Advisory Board Members, 2024 Leadership

Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County Announces New Leadership

The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is very pleased to announce the addition of four new members to its Advisory Board, as well as the full slate of Executive Committee and Advisory Board members for 2024. 

The newly elected Advisory Board members are Mary Jordan, Kim Lightfoot, Jessica Moreno, and Paula Seabright. 

“We are thrilled to welcome these talented women, each of whom bring diverse experience and unique backgrounds to the Women’s Giving Circle” said WGC Advisory Board Chair Jennifer Bodensiek. 

• Mary Jordan: Mary has been in business for 16.5 years and own’s Bra-a-la, a full service bra fitting boutique in Maple Lawn. Before being a small business owner, Mary worked in biotechnology for 15 years as a contractor selling antibodies, enzymes, cytokines and growth factors to the science community. She worked at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University for 6 years after graduating from Virginia Tech University with a degree in Biology and Community Health. She has also worked in pharmacology and radiation medicine as a laboratory technician and lab manager. Mary is a long-time donor to the WGC and has held several fundraisers at Bra-la-la to support the WGC. Mary has resided in Howard County for 30 years. She has two daughters, ages 27 and 24 and is happily married to her husband of 33 years. 

• Kim Lightfoot: Kim is a dedicated servant leader with over twenty-five years in human services who wants to encourage and grow others. As the Chief Executive Officer of First Balcony Consulting LLC, she has coordinated with organizations to develop critical human resource strategies that align with their professional human capital vision.  She also works with the Montgomery County Police Department Special Victims Investigations Division. Kim has served in an appointed capacity with the Maryland Department of Human Services for over ten years as the Deputy Chief Learning Officer and Deputy Executive Director. She is originally from New Jersey and earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Montclair State University, and a Master’s in Human Resource Management Science from the University of Maryland University College. Kim has resided in Howard County since 2007 with her husband, James and son, J.W.  Kim enjoys reading, cooking, walking trails, and golfing in her free time. 

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• Jessica Moreno: Jessica Moreno is an HR professional currently serving at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Jessica has embraced Maryland as her home for more than a decade. Her journey brought her to Howard County in 2014, where she promptly engaged herself in diverse volunteer opportunities. Notably, she took part in the inaugural Women’s Giving Circle’s Big Give in 2022, and participated in the Big Give 2023, contributing to the betterment of her community. Beyond her professional and volunteer commitments, Jessica finds immense joy in nurturing her passion for coaching. As a dedicated mother of two, she invests her time and energy in coaching her son and daughter’s baseball teams. This endeavor seamlessly combines her love for sports, leadership, and fostering growth in young minds.

• Paula Seabright: Paula has been involved with the Women’s Giving Circle for many years, was an inaugural member of the WGC’s Big Give and participated in the WGC’s Big Give 2023, served on the WGC’s Big Give Committee, and is active in the WGC’s Emergency Response Network. She and her family have lived in Howard County for almost 25 years where she has been an engaged member of the community, volunteering in schools and for numerous nonprofits. Paula recently retired from almost 30 years of work in different aspects of security and is enjoying reading, baking, and gardening and looks forward to giving even more time to the WGC.

​"We look forward to utilizing Mary, Kim, Jessica, and Paula's immense talents to support our efforts in 2024" said April Force Pardoe, WGC Governance Committee Chair. "We have a wonderful group of leaders joining our talented Advisory Board who will continue to guide our efforts to support women and girls in Howard County now and in the future."

We are very grateful to Melissa Curtin, Judy Smith, and Mary Thompson, whose terms are ending on the WGC Advisory Board after four years of dedicated leadership and service.

“Melissa, Judy, and Mary have deep community knowledge and a true passion for philanthropy” said Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, WGC Executive Director. “We have been fortunate to have them by our side as we work to shape the future for women and girls in Howard County through the power of collective giving”.

The WGC is honoring Melissa, Judy, and Mary for all that they have done and will continue to do for the WGC through the WGC’s Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund. This is a fund honoring former WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle and all WGC leaders, and we invite gifts in honor of WGC women's philanthropic leadership the last 22 years with a gift in her/their honor.

The WGC 2024 Advisory Board:

Executive Committee

• Jennifer Bodensiek, Chair
• Candace Dodson-Reed, Vice Chair and Grants Committee Chair 
• Barb Van Winkle, Immediate Past Chair
• Lynne Schaefer, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair
• Lee Draminski, Secretary
• April Force Pardoe, Governance Committee Chair
• Kashonna Marrow, Membership & Development Committee Chair
• Jade McDuffie McClary, Events Committee Chair
• Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Executive Director *Ex Officio

Advisory Board Members

• Adora Brown
• Laura Bacon
• ​Alison Canning
  
• Maxine Clark 
• Cheryl Gray 
• Mary Jordan
• Kim Lightfoot
• Jessica Moreno
• Barbara Peart 
• Paula Seabright
• Nette’ Stokes 
• Beverly White-Seals, President & CEO, Community Foundation of Howard County Liaison ​

The Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. We bring women together to learn about issues impacting women and girls in our community, and pool our dollars to fund programs that address those issues so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone. 

WGC's leadership looks forward to partnering in the community with donors, nonprofits, businesses, government, and the broader community to support women and girls in Howard County. www.womensgivingcircle.org.

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