History of the University of Maryland, College Park

USRA Announces Appointment of New Vice President, Human Resources

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 15, 2023

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Universities Space Research Association, a nonprofit organization chartered to advance space science and technology, announced the promotion of Tonya Taylor Stephens to Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Universities Space Research Association, a nonprofit organization chartered to advance space science and technology, announced the promotion of Tonya Taylor Stephens to Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer.
  • In this role, Ms. Stephens will oversee all aspects of the human resources function including talent acquisition, employee development, performance management, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
  • We are confident that, under her leadership, the HR function will continue to thrive at USRA."
  • With over 20 years of experience in the field of Human Resources, Ms. Stephens brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of success to her new position.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Announces New 2023 Grants to Support Student Success in STEM Fields

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

"UC Merced and UMBC are models for our nation. Both schools have resolved to ensure that all students -- especially students from underrepresented backgrounds -- are set up to succeed from day one in rigorous STEM classes," said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Cooke Foundation. "In advancement of our mission to help exceptional students reach their fullest potential, we are honored to support the work of these important institutions."

Key Points: 
  • UC Merced was awarded the 2021 Seal of Excelencia, which recognizes universities that demonstrate a robust enrollment, retention, financial support, and representation of Latinx/Latiné students.
  • These grants are part of a $7 million commitment to supporting underrepresented student success in STEM fields.
  • For more than 20 years, the Cooke Foundation has dedicated its mission to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need.
  • The Foundation has also provided $131 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.

Sage Growth Partners Expands Staff, Announces Promotions

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

BALTIMORE, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sage Growth Partners (SGP), a Baltimore-based healthcare research, strategy, and marketing firm, is pleased to announce recent staff hires and promotions that are designed to provide expanded services and support for continued national growth and client success.

Key Points: 
  • BALTIMORE, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sage Growth Partners (SGP) , a Baltimore-based healthcare research, strategy, and marketing firm, is pleased to announce recent staff hires and promotions that are designed to provide expanded services and support for continued national growth and client success.
  • Ben is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he earned his bachelor's degrees in both psychology and finance.
  • He comes to SGP from Philips where he most recently served as the company's digital marketing integration lead.
  • "An organization's ability to succeed in today's changing landscape depends on how effectively it can engage with potential customers," said Boh Hatter, Sage Growth Partners Chief Marketing Officer and one of the firm's managing partners.

Villa Embrace St. Barths Welcomes Galit Schwarz as Director of Sales

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

RUE AUGUST NYMAN, St. Barths., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Villa Embrace St. Barths, an architectural masterpiece, and one of the largest villas on St. Barths, has appointed Galit Schwarz as Director of Sales. With a proven track record of success and extensive luxury hospitality experience, Schwarz brings valuable leadership expertise to one of the most luxurious villas in the world.

Key Points: 
  • Barths., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Villa Embrace St. Barths , an architectural masterpiece, and one of the largest villas on St. Barths, has appointed Galit Schwarz as Director of Sales.
  • With a proven track record of success and extensive luxury hospitality experience, Schwarz brings valuable leadership expertise to one of the most luxurious villas in the world.
  • As Director of Sales, U.S., Schwarz will play a pivotal role in Embrace's continued global growth, further developing strong relationships with key luxury travel trade professionals.
  • "Embrace not only understands the value but appreciates the partnerships between the villa and luxury travel trade professionals, and I'm excited to expand existing relationships and create new collaborations."

BGL Welcomes William F. Farmer as Managing Director within Industrials

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 12, 2023

CLEVELAND, June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce the addition of William (Bill) F. Farmer as a new Managing Director within its Industrials vertical. With more than 25 years of industry experience in aerospace and defense, intelligence, and engineering, Bill will help to establish and lead BGL's new Aerospace, Defense & Government Services (ADGS) investment banking team. Based in Washington, D.C., he also contributes to BGL's growing presence on the East Coast.

Key Points: 
  • The addition of Farmer expands the firm's Industrials sector coverage into Aerospace, Defense & Government Services
    CLEVELAND, June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce the addition of William (Bill) F. Farmer as a new Managing Director within its Industrials vertical.
  • "Bill has a long and distinguished track record of transactions in the Aerospace & Defense sector," said Andrew K. Petryk , Head of BGL's Industrials vertical.
  • Prior to joining BGL, Bill was a Group Head & Managing Director at Stifel where he led investment banking activities for the firm's Aerospace, Defense & Government Services practice.
  • "BGL is well-known for its sector focus, global execution capabilities, and the overall momentum of its platform in M&A advisory," said Farmer.

The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they've left behind

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, June 10, 2023

Traveling the country with his camera, Hine captured the often oppressive working conditions of thousands of children – some as young as 3 years old.

Key Points: 
  • Traveling the country with his camera, Hine captured the often oppressive working conditions of thousands of children – some as young as 3 years old.
  • The patina of these black-and-white photographs suggests a bygone era – an embarrassing past that many Americans might imagine they’ve left behind.

‘An investigator with a camera’

    • Hine believed that the future of the U.S. rested in its identity as an immigrant nation – a position that contrasted with escalating xenophobic fears.
    • Based on this work, the National Child Labor Committee, which advocated for child labor laws, hired Hine to document the living and working conditions of American children.
    • By the late 19th century, several states had passed laws limiting the age of child laborers and establishing maximum working hours.
    • To gain entry into factories and other facilities, Hine sometimes disguised himself as a Bible, postcard or insurance salesman.

Legislation follows

    • The camera serves as an eyewitness to a societal ill, a problem that needs a solution.
    • Although the Supreme Court later ruled it and a subsequent Child Labor Tax Law of 1919 unconstitutional, momentum for enshrining protections for child workers had been created.
    • In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established restrictions and protections on employing children.

The ethics of picturing child labor

    • A recent surge of unaccompanied minors, primarily from Central America, has brought new attention to America’s old problem of child labor and has threatened the very laws Hine and the National Child Labor Committee worked to enact.
    • While the content of Hine’s photographs remains pertinent to today’s child labor crisis, a key distinction between the subject of Hine’s photographs and working children today is race.
    • Contemporary reports of child labor violations offer few images to accompany their texts, graphs and statistics.
    • Photographs of child labor in foreign countries are far more common than those made in the U.S., which leaves the impression that child labor is someone else’s problem, not ours.

Essential Utilities Appoints Ron King as New Vice President, Gas Operations

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 8, 2023

Essential Utilities today announced Ron King as Vice President of its Peoples gas operations, expanding the company’s commitment to provide clean, safe, reliable natural gas in Southwest Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

Key Points: 
  • Essential Utilities today announced Ron King as Vice President of its Peoples gas operations, expanding the company’s commitment to provide clean, safe, reliable natural gas in Southwest Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
  • He will oversee all operations and maintenance, including gas measurement and regulation, compressor operations, field customer service, and dispatch operations.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230608005310/en/
    Ron King has been appointed to Vice President, Gas Operations for Essential Utilities Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)
    “Ron brings more than two decades of valuable and varied experience to the Peoples team, with a focus on gas field operations and customer service,” said Essential Chairman and CEO Chris Franklin.
  • King also served as senior director of gas operations for AVANGRID in Connecticut.

New Book Reveals How Cards and Other Games Impacted the Presidency – From Washington to Biden

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

A new book, “Poker, Politics & Presidents,” by author Ralph W. Crosby, reveals the significant influence card-playing and other games had on U.S. presidents – from George Washington to Joe Biden – and, therefore, impacted all Americans.

Key Points: 
  • A new book, “Poker, Politics & Presidents,” by author Ralph W. Crosby, reveals the significant influence card-playing and other games had on U.S. presidents – from George Washington to Joe Biden – and, therefore, impacted all Americans.
  • It illustrates how almost all presidents played games and used these and additional pastimes to escape the overbearing stresses of the presidency.
  • The book also shows how cognitive games, such as poker and chess, went far beyond stress relief, creating a link between those games and politics.
  • Little-known personal anecdotes and presidential life experiences enliven the stories, including the following:
    George Washington keeping track of his many gambling wins and losses in his diary.

Brett Gopal Joins SpiTrex Orthopedics as New Senior Vice President of Operations

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 9, 2023

LE LOCLE, Switzerland, June 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SpiTrex Orthopedics, industry leader in medical device contract manufacturing, announced that Brett Gopal has joined the team as Senior Vice President of Operations. Brett brings to SpiTrex improvements in lean manufacturing, automation, and continuous improvement to services.

Key Points: 
  • LE LOCLE, Switzerland, June 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SpiTrex Orthopedics, industry leader in medical device contract manufacturing, announced that Brett Gopal has joined the team as Senior Vice President of Operations.
  • Brett brings to SpiTrex improvements in lean manufacturing, automation, and continuous improvement to services.
  • He has 16 years of expertise in operations, lean manufacturing, and sterile packaging from his work in the medical device industry.
  • Brett has also consulted for various industry bodies and is in demand as a speaker on all manner of medical device subjects.

McDonald Hopkins welcomes Marriam Shah to national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Team

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

CHICAGO, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriam Shah has joined McDonald Hopkins LLC as an Associate in the Litigation Department, adding her expertise to the firm's growing national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team.

Key Points: 
  • CHICAGO, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriam Shah has joined McDonald Hopkins LLC as an Associate in the Litigation Department, adding her expertise to the firm's growing national Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team.
  • Shah's practice focuses on advising clients on proactive data privacy measures and breach prevention strategies, including establishing data privacy compliance programs and training modules and developing internal policies and playbooks.
  • In addition to her data privacy practice, Shah has experience representing clients in state and federal court and regulatory investigations.
  • Prior to joining McDonald Hopkins, Shah served as associate in-house legal counsel to a manufacturing and renewable energy company.