Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District Board & Staff
Terri Baker, Chairperson
bakerlehan@yahoo.com
Before moving to Smith Island in 2004, Terri served 25 years with the Department of State Foreign Service, both in Washington DC and in U.S. embassies abroad. Upon retirement, she moved with her family to Smith Island, Maryland.
On Smith Island, while serving as president for Ewell School PTA, Terri led the effort to fund raise and sought grants which more than doubled the funds provided by Somerset County Schools for playground replacement. She also obtained a state grant to fund an engineering study of the six water wells in Rhodes Point and Ewell, subsequently utilized in a new water system in Rhodes Point.
For eight years, Terri was a sales agent with Wilson Realty in Crisfield, serving Smith Island and the Crisfield area. She retired as an agent during the pandemic, but remains actively engaged in understanding the real estate market in the area. Her current project is the restoration/rehabilitation of a High Victorian Gothic architectural-style church built in 1892 on Main Street in Crisfield with the hope to bring new economic activity to the area.
Carol Heck, Vice Chair
carolh@shoreanswer.com
Carol served four years as Chairperson of the Crisfield A&E District Project Board and served as the Chair of 4th Saturday Bay Stroll 2016-2020. She is the Co-Founder of WBYC 107.3 Community Radio in Crisfield and the past Chair for the Phill Rayfield Memorial Run/Walk. She has been a previous board member for Crisfield Heritage Foundation and the Crisfield Library Foundation. Carol is the Owner of Shore Answer, LLC and Manager of Redi-Call Communications.
Carolyn Neal, Treasurer
Carolyn@jdneal.com
Carolyn had a 30-year career in the banking industry beginning in the 1980’s with roles as a teller, teller supervisor and later, an Executive Administrative Assistant in credit card operations. She served on a committee for process improvements that won team awards. She also designed and implemented a newsletter for the Operations department that became the benchmark for a business-wide newsletter a few months later. After moving to Maryland, she took an administrative assistant position at Perdue, retiring after 5 years.
Carolyn has been involved with WBYC Community Radio, announcing events on the community calendar and volunteering at various fundraisers like the 4th Saturday events. She served on the Crisfield Library Foundation Board for the 1st year the library was open, and she has been not only a volunteer with CAED, helping to clean up and renovate the old Corbin Library but she also created the 1st event hosted there, the Hangin’ Out Art Show which she co-chairs with her husband, Jim.
Carolyn loves nature photography and enjoys days out with Jim, taking photos that they display in the CAED Co-Op. She loves spending time on ancestry research, traveling and seeing new places, loves being at the beach listening to the sounds of the waves and the birds, and she enjoys writing. She has called Crisfield her home since December 2015. She has 2 wonderful children and an equally wonderful son-in-law.
Jim Neal, Board Member
jim@jdneal.com
Jim is a ten-year veteran of the U.S Naval Submarine Service and has a bachelor’s degree in Education, Training and Development. He has been an instructor of many specialties for over 30 years. He has worked for technology companies in the Communications, Data, and Medical Imaging fields. Jim currently works for FUJIFILM in the non-destructive testing industry providing digital radiography solutions for companies specializing in electronics, oil and gas, aerospace and the military.
Jim and his wife Carolyn are residents of Crisfield, are avid photographers and have been involved with the CAED District since it's inception. They have volunteered many hours to renovating the Corbin Studio and to CAED Events over the years.
Nicole Barkley, Board Member
nicibl67@gmail.com
Nicole lives in Severn, Maryland and grew up mostly in Germany while her father was stationed there. She later joined the Air Force as an Arabic translator/language instructor. She retired in 2014 and since then has held different jobs, including as an election judge trainer. She graduated early 2020 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with a Bachelor's in Language, Communication and Culture with the emphasis on Arabic and a minor in German. Currently Nicole is enrolled in graduate school at UMBC for a Master's in Learning and Performance Technology. This degree encompasses both the curriculum development as well as the technology and mechanisms to deliver learning. Nicole is married to Michael Mysik, who is a typesetter and graphic illustrator. They have four children combined, two in Germany, one in Ohio and one just starting to spread his wings to move to Baltimore.
Jackie Miller, Board Member
jackiemiller5463@comcast.net
Jackie lives with her husband in Marion Station, just a few minutes’ drive from Crisfield. She graduated from Spring Woods High School-Houston, Texas, with an Art Major. She has worked with Chesapeake Publishing, The Avenue Newspaper, and The Baltimore Guide Newspaper. Currently, she is a freelance commercial artist for commissioned works. She works well in all mediums and specializes in watercolors. Her subject matter ranges from house portraits to still life to landscapes and wildlife. She has won
awards in many juried shows in Maryland as well as hosting several solo shows. Jackie also serves as a board member of the Somerset County Arts Council and Gallery and is published in Artist of the Mid-Atlantic.
Hitesh Patel, Board Member
somerscovemotel@aol.com
Hitesh is an active community member, serving on the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce as second Vice President. He is the owner of two businesses in Crisfield: Somers Cove Motel, and Big Willeys. Hitesh also serves as Treasurer for the Board of the non-profit organization Friends of Crisfield.
Linda Singh, Board Member
linda@sitaracollections.com
Linda brings more than twenty years marketing experience and deep knowledge of the consumer packaged goods beauty space. She has worked with multi-nationals as well as with start up organizations and espouses an entrepreneurial but easygoing working style. She is the founder, Marketing Launch Partners, a consulting firm specializing in helping innovative startups scale their business to take advantage of tech accelerators and investment opportunities and the owner of The Bay Gift Vault, a specialty boutique serving local residents and tourists located in Crisfield, MD. Linda is also the Founder of Sitara Collections, an online jewelry store launched in 2007 and based in Crisfield, MD. Sitara Collections is dedicated to creating handmade gemstone jewelry for women while keeping traditional craftsmanship alive. Linda is a partner at Ascent Beauty Brands, a Marketing Consultancy specializing in marketing strategy, business development and global product development. She served as a Senior Marketing Director at Coty, Inc., overseeing all marketing activities of a $250 million portfolio across fragrances and personal care brands. Linda has an MBA, Eastern University, Delta Mu Delta.
Bruce Stasi, Board Member
bruces@redicall.com
Bruce has diverse experience with teaching, education, and the arts. He holds a degree specializing in early Childhood Education. He has been a school teacher and has volunteered in the teaching field as well. He has also served on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona working for Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bruce has worked in London, England, for CineBuild Pty Ltd. a special effects company for film and television. In 2003 Bruce partnered with Carol Heck to start Shore Answer LLC, an answering service company, in Georgetown, DE. He has lived in Crisfield since 2003 and in 2013, with Carol, he started WBYC 107.3 Crisfield Community Radio.
Christina Holden, Board Member
christina19709@aol.com
Christina has recently joined the board and her bio will be added soon.
Jesse Halpern, Board Member
Jesse has recently joined the board and her bio will be added soon.