The College of Southern Maryland’s Corporate Center is searching for the 2007 Chief Executive Officer of the Year. In its seventh year of recognizing outstanding leadership within Southern Maryland, the Corporate Center awards this top honor at the annual Leading Edge Awards in June.

“Every CEO of the Year award has gone to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to our community. Not only are these individuals excellent business people but their philanthropic contributions are also admirable. The Leading Edge Awards is an opportunity for our community to thank them again for their success and generosity,” said Alan Kutz, vice president of the Corporate and Community Training Institute.

Previous recipients include Wayne Swann, SMECO; Luther Grainger, Applied Ordnance Technology, Inc.; Christine Stefanides, Civista Health, Inc.; Greg Billups, Systems, Maintenance & Technology; Joe Yearta, Intergraph Corporation; and Lloyd Harrison III, Mercantile Bank of Southern Maryland.

Grainger said that winning the award was “a tremendous compliment and a rare positive stroke for any business executive. I viewed the award as recognition of the efforts of the employees of AOT, both on the job and in the community. We have valued the award as a once-in-a-lifetime honor and will try to earn it through our future efforts.”

 

  Lloyd Harrison, president and CEO of Mercantile Bank of Southern Maryland, was honored with the 2006 Chief Executive Officer of the Year. Presented annually by the College of Southern Maryland’s Corporate Center, the CEO of the Year distinction is among several awards presented during the Leading Edge Awards now in the seventh year of recognizing outstanding leadership within Southern Maryland. CEO nominations are due Feb. 15.

Visit http://www.corporatecenter.csmd.edu/ for criteria and online nomination form.

 

 

Swann, the inaugural CEO of the Year, has since retired from more than three decades with SMECO. While there, Swann was a firm believer in community outreach and economic development, serving the Charles County United Way, the Charles County Economic Development Leadership Executive Council, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Ribbon Committee for Charles County Waterfront Development.

Stefanides also demonstrated commitment to the community, serving on numerous community boards and committees, including Charles County United Way, Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board, Hospice of Charles County and the Charles County Healthcare Roundtable. Recognized for an uncompromising dedication to patients, staff and the community, coupled with a commitment to careful planning and fiscal responsibility, Stefanides was honored for demonstrating that good leadership requires a balanced mixture of strength and kindness.

Billups, who started his company about a deca