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The Leadership Reconnect Annual Celebration
October 24 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Join us on October 24th at Baltimore Center Stage for The Leadership Reconnect, The Leadership’s new annual celebration!
Leading through the Key Bridge crisis
Join us for a conversation with leaders from the Unified Command
Moderated by Executive Director, David Sachs
Come for the Inspiration
…Stay for the Party
DJ Chris Brooks
Specialty Cocktails by the Coral Wig
Delicious Bites by Classic Catering
Date: Thursday, October 24th, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Baltimore Center Stage, 700 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD 21202
Tickets: $150 per ticket
**As with our program tuition, we do not want the ticket price to create a barrier for attending the event. Please reach out to Charisse Nichols (cnichols@theleadership.org / 410.530.7502) to request a reduced price ticket.
We can’t wait to see you there!
For sponsorship opportunities or questions, please contact Charisse Nichols, Director of Engagement, at cnichols@theleadership.org.
Shaina Hernandez
Shaina A. Hernandez was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff for Maryland Governor Wes Moore in January of 2023. In this capacity, she leads the administration’s work across several policy and operational areas including transportation, emergency management, housing, the environment, and energy. Most recently, Shaina acted as the governor’s lead for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and recovery operation, coordinating among state agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and partners across all levels of government to fully re-open the Port of Baltimore.
Prior to her role with Governor Moore, Shaina served as the Senior Advisor for Policy to Howard County Executive Calvin Ball where she led the development and implementation of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan, the county executive’s $200 million capital program designed to reduce flooding in Ellicott City following two deadly floods. She also spent five years leading policy and lobbying efforts for the Greater Baltimore Committee, a regional business advocacy organization, and served in the office of former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.
Shaina lives in Baltimore City with her husband, Chris Barnes, and children Asher (4) and Jackson (3).
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath
RADM Gilreath assumed the duties as Assistant Commandant for Capability in July 2024. In this capacity, he is responsible for identifying and providing capabilities, competencies, and capacity along with service-wide policy for the staffing, training, equipping, and employing Coast Guard forces to meet mission requirements.
His previous flag officer assignments include Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District where he was responsible for Coast Guard operations in the Mid-Atlantic region including the Key Bridge Response; and Commander, Personnel Service Center where he was responsible for implementing personnel policies across the service. Other assignments include Chief of Staff for the Eighth Coast Guard District; Chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Maritime and International Law; Sector Commander and Deputy of Sector Honolulu; Chief of Prevention Law within the Office of Maritime and International Law; Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge; Staff Attorney at the Eighth District Legal Office; Marine Inspector at Marine Safety Office New Orleans; and deck watch officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter NORTHLAND. In 2005, he served as a unified commander for a multi agency task force conducting urban search and rescue operations in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina.
A 1991 graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a B.S. in Government, he received his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from Tulane Law School in 2001 and is a member of the bar association in the state of Louisiana. He completed a one year fellowship as a Senior Military Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a non partisan think tank based in Washington, DC.
RDML Gilreath’s military awards include the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, five Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, a Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal. He was honored by the Judge Advocates Association with the Coast Guard Outstanding Career Judge Advocate Award in 2011 and by the American Bar Association as the Coast Guard’s Outstanding Military Service Career Judge Advocate in 2019.
Lisa M. Hamilton
Lisa M. Hamilton is the president and chief executive officer of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private philanthropy based in Baltimore and dedicated to building a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities in the United States. The Foundation was established by Jim Casey, founder of the logistics company UPS, and named in honor of his mother.
Since taking the helm in 2019, Hamilton has spearheaded several new initiatives to maximize Casey’s impact, including its Thrive by 25® effort, which aims to improve outcomes for adolescents ages 14–24 to ensure they successfully transition to adulthood.
Before becoming president, Hamilton was the Foundation’s executive vice president and chief program officer, overseeing all the organization’s grant-making efforts. Prior to that, she served as vice president of external affairs, leading Casey’s work to provide data, analysis, research and policy solutions to help all children realize their full potential. In this role, Hamilton oversaw the Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book and was a key architect of the Race for Results series, which compares how children across racial and ethnic groups are faring at the state and national levels on key education, health and economic milestones.
Hamilton came to the Foundation after a 14-year career with UPS, where she held various roles, including president of the UPS Foundation and vice president of corporate public relations. Her unique blend of philanthropic and corporate expertise has helped Hamilton expand Casey’s reach and find new ways to improve child well-being.
A testament to her influence in the sector was Hamilton’s selection as one of Inside Philanthropy’s 50 most powerful women in U.S. philanthropy in 2023 and her inclusion in the Nonprofit Times’ Power & Influence Top 50 list in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024.
Hamilton’s dedication to service extends beyond the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She is a member of numerous national boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Living Cities and StriveTogether, and is on the advisory board of the public company Twilio.org. Hamilton is deeply committed to the Casey Foundation’s hometown, serving on the boards of the Baltimore Community Foundation and Baltimore’s Promise, as well as the board of the Greater Washington Partnership.
An Atlanta native, Hamilton earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Michigan. She also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Livingstone College.
