Chase Home, Inc. Announces New Board Leadership

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Feb. 11, 2021 - PRLog -- Annapolis, MD – Chase Home, Inc. is pleased to announce that its board of trustees recently elected a new slate of officers and welcomed five new members.

Leading the board is newly elected President Constance Werner Ramirez, a trustee since 2013, who is an urban planner and a national expert in federal cultural resources policy.  Ramirez founded the National Preservation Institute, a non-profit organization which provides training in historic preservation.  Ramirez served on the Annapolis Heritage Commission and is currently a member of the St. Anne's Cemetery Committee, Annapolis Arts Alliance and the West Annapolis Heritage Partnership.  "It's a wonderful time to be stepping in as board president," said Ramirez. "The new board is energized by Chase Home's commitment to realign our mission and invest in our future.  I believe passionately that Chase Home is an essential organization whose work to help women in need has never been more critical."

Ramirez holds the distinction of being honored with a Historic Annapolis, Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her contribution to historic preservation education.  Said Ramirez, "We are a self-perpetuating Board with fiduciary and real property responsibilities to support our mission.  The Board of Trustees invested in a comprehensive Building Condition Assessment and Health and Safety Assessment of the buildings and grounds of the Chase Lloyd House which revealed issues of age, health and safety.  We've engaged the DC-based architectural firm Citadel DCA to prepare a work plan to accomplish the repairs necessary to make the house habitable again and restore the historic structure."

Ramirez is joined by a slate of officers including

• Vice President — Nancy Clagett, retired nurse, owns a 290-year-old historic family home and is a member of the Upper Marlboro Board of Commissioners who worked with an architect to design the new Town Hall.
• Treasurer — Robert Petty, Financial Advisor and Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and current board member, Annapolis Life Care Inc./Ginger Cove, a continuing care community in Annapolis.
• Secretary — The Rev. Canon M. Joanna White, an Episcopal priest ordained over 30 years and currently serving the Diocese of Maryland as Canon for Pastoral Services.

Chase Home's new leadership slate comes on the heels of electing five new board members who bring diverse experience and expertise that is aligned with the organization's new strategic framework. They include

• Dr. Linda J. Hicks Boyd, Supervisor for the Center of Teaching and Learning, Bowie State University, and Chairperson of the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center Board of Directors and Anne Arundel County Commission for Women.
• Stephen A. Esmacher, Program Manager on IT Services, Northrop Grumman, and co-creator of the Ride for the Feast, a 140-mile bicycle ride fundraiser held 18 years for Moveable Feast.
• Mark Grimes, a Private Equity investor, founded CWK Partners, LLC and currently serves as the Chairman of Keystone Certifications, Inc.
• Carol R. Richards, an adjunct professor of journalism, The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, and a founding editor of USA TODAY.
• Judith M. P. Templeton, a retired entrepreneur, managed her family business W & P Nautical, a marina and commercial office management property, and was the prior owner of The Manor House, a retail business on Maryland Avenue in Annapolis.

"As is true of any team, getting the right talent and perspectives on the board is absolutely fundamental to the board's success," said Heather East, Executive Director of Chase Home. "We recruited our Board members strategically realizing our need for expertise in business, finance, communication, historic preservation and women's issues.  I am thrilled to welcome these tremendous individuals to the board, and to have the opportunity to partner with Ms. Ramirez and the entire board as we work toward securing our future and advancing our mission."

About Chase Home, Inc.

Since 1888, Chase Home, Inc. has owned and operated a home as an independent living facility for aged women in the Chase-Lloyd House, a National Historic Landmark.  The founder, Hester Chase Ridout, created the Chase Lloyd House to be a "retreat from the vicissitudes of life" for needy women and in her will executed in 1886, she established the charitable trust named Chase Home, Inc. and set up a board of trustees to own the house and administer her trust, which requires that the historic house always be cared for.  For 130 years, the self-perpetuating board of trustees has carried out this charitable trust to preserve the house and provide a home for women.  Chase Home, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit http://www.chaselloydhouse.org.