LEONARDTOWN, Md. – In its June meeting, the Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) Board of Directors welcomed new board members Curtis Brown, LSM ’23; Andrew Fitzgerald, LSM ’22; Jason Gray, LSM ’25; Denise Kopel, LSM ’23; and Perliter Walters-Gilliam, LSM ’24.
Curtis Brown is senior project manager at the MIL Corporation, a defense contractor that provides innovative cyber, engineering, financial, and information technology services to the federal government. Brown served in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2012. In his civilian career he has specialized in business development and program management. Brown has served the Rotary Club of Lexington Park as Director of Charity. In 2021 he joined the St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission and currently serves as president. Brown resides in St. Mary’s County.
Andrew Fitzgerald, a Charles County native, is the founder and president of Nine 30 Consulting, a small business in Lexington Park that provides financial management, project management, data analytics, and acquisition support to the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Fitzgerald broadened his horizons from Charles County to Saint Mary’s County, attending high school at Saint Mary’s Ryken. Fitzgerald entered college as an engineering major but later switched to business because he couldn’t see himself being happy surrounded by engineers all day. Today, more than twenty years later, he is surrounded by engineers every day and loves what he does. Fitzgerald holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. He resides in St. Mary’s County.
Jason Gray, a St. Mary’s County native, is a senior program manager at KBR, a defense contracting company that supports the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies. Gray’s journey began with a solid engineering foundation nurtured at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center. While he started in technical engineering supporting defense contractors, Gray’s career shifted when he discovered a passion for software engineering. He recognized technology’s role in innovation and dove into software development, driven by a desire to create impactful solutions. This journey led Gray to support defense initiatives, where he contributed to critical projects ranging from the DoD to NASA. Grateful for the opportunities the Forrest Tech Center provided, Gray gives back by volunteering there, conducting mock interviews to prepare students for their futures. Gray resides in St. Mary’s County.
Denise Kopel is senior business office and facilities manager for MAG Aerospace, a defense contractor that delivers full-spectrum command, control, communication, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) services globally. Kopel was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. She and her husband, Mike, moved to Maryland in 2017. Kopel’s professional career has been diverse. She was business manager for Richard and Martin Jacobson at Nutmeg Mills, assisting the president and the board of directors in taking the company public. In 2015, she became business manager for country music star Nathan Osmond. Kopel devotes much of her time serving her local community, working with children, and spending time with her husband. She joined the St. Clement’s Hundred Board and became the Osprey Gala’s Chairperson that benefits the Blackistone Lighthouse. Kopel also serves as legislative aid to Jack Bailey, State Senator for District 29. Kopel resides in St. Mary’s County.
Perliter Walters-Gilliam, president and principal consultant of NBBE Consulting, is an international higher education accreditation professional with more than 15 years of experience developing accreditation standards, evaluating institutional compliance, assuring quality measurements, and monitoring accreditation regulation. Gilliam recently served as the Quality Assurance Expert representing the Commonwealth of Dominica at UNESCO’s 3rd World Higher Education Conference in Barcelona, Spain, and is an international facilitator at the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education. She is the founding Board Secretary of Poiema Movement, a faith-based non-profit organization that moves women from forms of brokenness to independence, and has served as a board member and chair of strategic planning for Young Mothers, Inc., a non-profit based in Washington, DC. Gilliam is active with the University of Maryland, her MBA alma mater, serving as a 2021 Terp Mentor and 2023 Flex MBA panelist. She resides in Charles County.
Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) is a nonprofit community leadership development organization that connects, educates, and inspires a diverse group of Southern Maryland executives and emerging leaders to forge collaborations that address community needs in Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties. We support Southern Maryland individuals and organizations in achieving their full potential through continuous development of leadership competencies, reduction of degrees of separation, and capacity to generate solutions to regional challenges. LSM’s flagship Executive Program is an interactive and life-enriching nine- month, “behind-the-scenes” experience designed to enhance the collaborative abilities of our region’s top senior professionals. For the best and brightest new talent, the LSM Emerging Leaders Program (LEAP), is a six-month immersive experience that helps early- to mid-career professionals expand their teamwork skills while creating meaningful connections with a powerful network of distinguished trailblazers. For more information, visit www.leadershipsomd.org.