Maryland Nonprofits Elects New Board Members for 2022

Chloe Bernardi, LICSW, LCSW-C	Dirk A. Butler	David Harrington
Will Pass	Dana Vickers Shelley	Duane Yoder

By Heather Iliff, President & CEO, Maryland Nonprofits

The Maryland Nonprofits Board of Directors elected six new members at its October 29, 2021 meeting. Joining the board for three year terms beginning January 1, 2022 are Chloe Bernardi, LCSW, LCSW-C, President & CEO of Hearts & Homes for Youth, Dirk A. Butler, President and COO of the Center for Policing Equity, The Honorable David Harrington, President of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, Will Pass, Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc., Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of ACLU Maryland and Duane Yoder, President of Garrett County Community Action.

“Our Governance Committee undertook an exhaustive search for new and diverse board members.” Said Maryland Nonprofits President & CEO Heather Iliff. “We strive for a board that represents Maryland’s nonprofit sector and the communities we serve.”

Chloe Bernardi, LCSW, LCSW-C is the Chair of the Maryland Association of Resources for Families Executive Council. For the past eight years, she has been working with children, adolescents, and families in the state of Maryland and has over 20 years of experience in social work and child welfare.

Dirk A. Butler has more than 20 years of strategic management and leadership experience within the public and private sectors, building successful and sustainable programs and policies for children, families and communities throughout his career. He has held senior positions with the United Way, National Capital Area, Annie E. Casey Foundation and US Department of Health and Human Services.

Former Maryland State Senator David Harrington has been an active participant in the Prince George’s Advocacy Steering Committee convened by Maryland Nonprofits and Nonprofit Prince George’s in early 2021. He is the former Mayor of Bladensburg and a former Prince George’s County Council Member. During his tenure at the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, the organization has seen a 50% increase in revenue and membership.

Will Pass leads the day-to-day operations and finances of Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. (CHAI). He is Co-Chair of Housing Council for the ULI (Urban Land Institute-Philadelphia Chapter) and a member of the Wilmington Alliance Board of Directors.

In her first three years at ACLU Maryland, Dana Vickers Shelly led the organization in development of its first strategic plan, prioritizing education equity, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, government and police accountability, and making the state’s legal justice system more equitable. She currently leads a team of 28 staff and has developed national partnerships with Black, Indigenous, and Latinx journalist organizations to raise awareness of structural racism and disparities in child welfare systems.

Duane Yoder has been a leader of anti-racism work in Garrett County with Maryland Nonprofits. With Duane as president, Garrett County Community Action Committee (GCCAC) has emerged as merged as one of the most successful rural community development corporations in Maryland.

“I am ecstatic to welcome the Maryland Nonprofits 2022 Board of Directors Cohort” said Maryland Nonprofits Board Chair Kimberly Corbin. “We are honored that each of these talented and experienced servant leaders accepted our invitation to lend us their expertise in driving life transformation for those we serve. With these outstanding nonprofit professionals in our leadership, Maryland Nonprofits will continue to empower organizations and networks to drive a greater quality of life and equity for all in 2022.”

Heather Iliff is President & CEO of Maryland Nonprofits, responsible for advancing the organization’s vision to create a highly effective, ethical and accountable nonprofit sector that drives change through collective action and advocacy. Ms. Iliff previously served as Vice President of Maryland Nonprofits and Director of the Maryland Nonprofits Consulting Group. She is an experienced facilitator, trainer and manager with international, national and local nonprofit organizations. Ms. Iliff served a 4-year term as an elected member of the Prince George’s County, Maryland Board of Education, and was appointed to County Executive Rushern Baker’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Prince George’s County. Previously, Ms. Iliff was Deputy Director of Alliance for Nonprofit Management and Assistant Director of the Institute for Educational Policy at Open Society Institute – Budapest. Ms. Iliff has been featured as a speaker at national conferences including Organizational Development Network Annual Conference, The Philanthropy and Non-Profit Performance Conference, Alliance for Nonprofit Management Annual Conference, and the Association of Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. Ms. Iliff holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from The American University and a Masters in Political Science from the Central European University (University of the State of New York). She is a licensed consultant with the Standards for Excellence Institute.