Speakers

Susan Albertine is an independent higher education consultant. She is a retired Vice President, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, at the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Her work internationally and in the US centers on liberal education, general education, and public health. She is a co-author of Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (Jossey-Bass, 2016; 2d ed., 2022).

An American literary historian, Albertine is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work in the humanities embraces equity and public health. She was dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of English at the College of New Jersey, 2002-2008. She served as vice provost, undergraduate studies, Temple University, and assistant to the provost, University of Pennsylvania. She has taught English at University of North Florida, St. Olaf College, Susquehanna University, and Chicago State University.

A former public school teacher, Albertine has been nationally active in P-20 alignment, including the American Diploma Project. She served on the board of directors, Camden Academy Charter High School, Camden, New Jersey; the Advisory Board for the Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity; and the board of Art Sanctuary, an African-American arts organization in Philadelphia. Albertine was elected to the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) board in 2004 and became President-Elect in 2007. She served on the advisory board National Resource Center on the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (2011-2017). She was a member of the National Academies Committee on the Integration of Arts, Humanities, Science, and Medicine (2016-2018).

Specialties: Areas of Expertise: Liberal Education and General Education, Student Success, Curriculum and Faculty Development, P-16 Access and Equity, Institutional Change; Public Health Education. Professor of English, specializing in United States Studies.

Eric Bernard is the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association serving as the chief advocate on policy, directives, governmental relations, negotiations and public safety for Montgomery County's 19 local volunteer fire and rescue departments with over 1600 active professional volunteer members.  Eric is an Adjunct Professor of Forensic Science at The George Washington University teaching graduate courses in forensic pathology/death investigations, forensic investigations, the biological aspects of forensic science, field medicine, weapons of mass destruction and emergency response.  He is also on the faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association is a 501(c)(4) tax exempt, volunteer membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services in Montgomery County, MD.  Organized in 1922, the MCVFRA serves as the voice for all Montgomery County volunteer fire, rescue and emergency service professionals as well as the local volunteer fire and rescue departments in the County. Each of the departments maintains its own charter with the State of Maryland and is incorporated as a non-profit volunteer corporation with the state.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association (MCVFRA) consists of the 19 separate, independent, fire and rescue corporations in Montgomery County, Maryland.  The MCVFRA has numerous committees that address issues associated with the betterment of the fire and rescue service in Montgomery County.  The MCVFRA also will comment and recommend to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission any changes which will better the delivery of fire and rescue service to the citizens of Montgomery County. Each member department has their President and Chief and (1) alternate elected or appointed to serve the MCVFRA.  

History of Volunteer Firefighters in Montgomery County:  https://joinfirerescue.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/mcs_v046_n3_2003_fleischer.pdf

 

David J. Smith is an educator, consultant, and career coach focusing on the fields of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and humanitarian action.  He is also the president of the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education, Inc., a 501c3 not-for-profit that offers experiential learning opportunities for students and professionals. Smith was a senior manager and program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and has been on the faculties of Georgetown University, Towson University, Goucher College, and Drexel University. He currently teaches at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Smith was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar teaching at the University of Tartu in Tartu, Estonia. Smith has written widely about graduate and undergraduate education and humanitarian issues in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, The Baltimore Sun, The New York Times, International Journal on World Peace, and ACResolution Magazine. He is a recipient of the William Kreidler Award for Distinguished Service to the field of Conflict Resolution, awarded by the Association for Conflict Resolution. He has been interviewed on the TODAY show and featured in The Washington Post Magazine. Besides his work with the Forage Center, he is a career coach for professionals seeking careers in international fields. Smith holds degrees from American University (B.A.), George Mason University (M.S.), and the University of Baltimore (J.D.). He is pursuing a graduate certificate in positive psychology.

[From the April Rotary Magazine, Page 15]

Six years ago, when she was in seventh grade, Advika Agarwal was looking for a topic for a science competition. She and her friend Angelina Xu were aware of the cafeteria food waste at Xu's old elementary school and devised a plan to have it composted, diverting it from landfills where food adds to greenhouse gases. From there, despite the pandemic shutdown, the modest plan took off. 

With help from a $48,000 grant from the World Wildlife Fund, the Coalition to Re-Imagine School Waste today coordinates the redistribution of food waste in 78 schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. The program is expanding to other states, and after a successful lobbying effort led in part by Agarwal, the Maryland Legislature enacted a bill to provide $1.25 million over five years to support similar programs. 

Those accomplishments did not go unnoticed: Last summer, Agarwal, Xu, and their classmate and collabo­rator Shrusti Amula were among 34 students who received the Presi­dent's Environmental Youth Award from the U.S. Environmental Protec­tion Agency. 

After serving as president of the Interact club at her high school, the 18-year-old senior joined the Rotaract Club of MoCo in September. Two months later she was in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as one of 12 Rotaract representatives at the COP28 climate summit. She made connections with other environ­mental activists and presented on combating food waste and hunger.

"Seeing the ripple effect of smaller actions that can be replicated around the country and around the world is what gives me hope," Agarwal says. "It motivates me to not fall prey to climate pessimism. We can't just sit back. We have to do something about it."

- GEOFFREY JOHNSON 

 

In 2022 the General Assembly passed the Climate Solutions Now Act, which calls for Maryland to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 60% (compared to a 2006 baseline) by 2031 and for the Maryland economy to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.  In December 2023, the Department of the Environment released Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, with comprehensive policies to achieve Maryland’s climate goals.  The task now falls upon the General Assembly to implement these policies.  At our meeting on March 14, our guest speaker, Bruce Davis will talk about some of the main climate bills that the General Assembly is considering this year.

Bruce Davis is a graduate of William & Mary college with a degree in physics, Bruce Davis taught high school science early in his career.  Later, he earned a JD degree from the University of Virginia and practiced law in the DC area.  In retirement, he trained as volunteer leader for the Climate Reality Project, founded by former Vice President Al Gore.  Bruce gives presentations about climate change to civic, educational, and faith-based organizations and serves as a mentor for Climate Reality leaders in training.  He seeks to inspire others to join and support worldwide efforts to stop global warming and climate change.