Board Members
Marilyn Maitland has been both an educator and business professional. In her teaching
career she taught elementary school, special education and gifted and talented
students. She served as Teacher Consultant to the Maryland State Department of
Education, Division of Instructional Television developing children’s motivational reading
series. As an award winning business professional, she worked in sales management and
business development for the IBM Corporation, General Electric Information Services
and Digital Equipment Corporation. Marilyn has led corporate sales training and
conducted international training. As a community activist, she has served as President
of her community association, Chair of the Howard County Maryland Board of Health,
and Regional Coordinator of the Children’s Friendship Project of Northern Ireland in
addition to participation in other organizations. Marilyn’s additional interests include
travel, gardening and painting.
Kirby Spencer has focused her entrepreneurial spirit in the fashion design industry and
real estate investments. She quickly parlayed a degree in theatre costume design into
wedding gown design and opened a retail bridal shop in Virginia at the age of 25,
consisting of national brands and her own design label. When relocation brought her to
Baltimore County, she expanded her interest in real estate. Kirby holds a license as a
Green Certified Realtor with Coldwell Banker and owns and manages both commercial
and residential properties. In addition to being an active member of many community
organizations, she currently sits on the board of UMBC Research Park, Baltimore County
Arts Guild and is a past commissioner of the Baltimore County Commission of Arts &
Sciences. Beyond Kirby’s focus on community and the arts, her interests include travel
and boating.
Barbara J. Cox has extensive experience in business management and, since 1992, has worked in residential and commercial real estate in the Baltimore area. Barbara co-founded The South African Lacrosse Project, an international non-profit that sponsors lacrosse camps and literacy programs for orphans in South Africa. She is also founder of the Senior Services Group, a consortium of companies with expertise in helping senior citizens through the transitions of aging. Additionally, Barbara’s community involvement includes membership on the Board of Directors for Concert Artists of Baltimore, The Junior League, Women in Film and Video, and Theatre Project.
Lisa Yerkey is an IT management professional with over 30 years of experience in the
business world. She has an MBA from University of Baltimore as well as a BFA in Music
Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lisa has worked with a variety of
local theater groups as actor, singer, and director. She is a founding member of The
Salem Players (now in its 40th season) and is the group’s current president.
Scott Graham is a healthcare consultant who helps behavioral healthcare organizations
prepare for national accreditation. Since his adolescent years, Scott has been involved
in the performing arts: singing in choirs and acting in school plays. In his “adult” years
he has contributed a significant amount of time to community theatre
productions: acting, singing, directing, writing, producing and creating playbills. He has
even appeared in two movies. Scott’s asymmetrical talents are in the area of accounting
and he has served as treasurer of both The Salem Players and the Baltimore County Arts
Guild.
As a result of having considerable training in the field of art, beginning in the High School of Music and Art, in New York City, and continuing through Queens College, the New School and years of private study, she has continued to paint throughout her professional career. Now, as a retiree, she maintain a studio in Fells Point and is able to devote more time to her artistic pursuits. In addition to painting and showing her work, she is committed to furthering an appreciation of the arts in the community.
Kate Martiyan started her career in advertising before working fourteen years as an art teacher in a private school in Towson. She is currently teaching art at the Severn School in Severna Park. Kate is a former President of the Baltimore County Artists Guild and served as Secretary and Chairperson of the Arts & Science Committee for the Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences as well as being the Vice President and one of the founders of the Towson ARTS Collective. She graduated from University of Maryland and has a Masters in Teaching from Notre Dame University of Maryland. Her second Masters’ thesis from Goucher College focused on the need for an arts center in Baltimore County. Now that Kate is a mother, she has an even stronger desire to bring the arts to the broader community and hopes to see the Guild become the backbone of the arts in the area.
John V. Murphy is a practicing attorney in the law firm of Murphy & Murphy, LLC. He is
currently a member of the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, with interest in redevelopment of the commercial core of Catonsville and associated legislation. John has a long history of contributions to Baltimore County including service as representative on the Baltimore County Council, Deputy Zoning Commissioner, member of the Baltimore County Planning Board, contract consultant with the Baltimore County Office of Planning, and president of Neighborspace of Baltimore County – an urban land trust. As one of the founders of B’more Artists Guild Inc., now Baltimore County Arts Guild, John is committed to developing an arts center to “bring the arts home” to Baltimore County.
Linda Popp brings a wealth of experience in arts education and promotion to our board. Recently retired from the Baltimore County Public Schools as the Visual Arts Coordinator, she currently serves on the Maryland Art Education Association Council, the MDSE Fine Arts Ed Advisory Panel, and until joining the board, she was a member of the BCAG Advisory Board. She has degrees from Chicago State University, Western Illinois University, and Towson University. Linda is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Art Education Association National Supervision/Administration Art Educator award (2016) and the NAEA Eastern Region Supervision/Administration Art Educator in 2015.
Linda Popp is also an artist. She makes clocks, narrative assemblage sculptures that happen to be clocks. Unlike other artwork that may capture a moment in time, her work looks at a period of time. So, the fact that it is a working clock fits. She says, “As always, my teaching has informed my art, and my art informs my teaching. “
Baltimore County Arts Guild Advisory Board
Kimberly Bowen
First Lady of Goucher College
Mary Cary
Executive Director, Arts Education Maryland Schools
Maryland State Arts Council
James Davis
Vice President of External Affairs
Riverside Health, Inc.
Tierra Dorsey
Director of Major Gifts,
Towson University
Symmes Gardner
Director, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Paul Glasgow, Professor/Artist
Coordinator of Art Department, Community College of Baltimore County
David Hess, Sculptor
Donna Jacobs
Owner/Director, Morton Street Dance Corp
Benjamin Jancewicz
Owner/Artist, Zerflin Advertising Agency
Todd Marks
President and CEO
Mindgrub Technologies
Kathy O’Dell
Associate Professor, Art History and Museum Studies UMBC / Special Assistant to the Dean for Education & Arts Partnerships
Susan E. Picinich
Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication
Towson University
Barry F. Williams
Director, Baltimore County Dept. of Recreation and Parks