Our Leadership & Staff

Teresa Sutherland, chair

Certified Public Accountant

Self Employed

Anne Arundel County

Teresa is a Certified Public Accountant who provides tax and accounting services to individuals, commercial businesses, trusts, and nonprofit organizations. Prior to opening her own CPA practice, she was the Annapolis City Manager from 2018 – 2020 and the Anne Arundel County Auditor from 1994 – 2016.  She has expertise in public policy, government operations, and government finance and accounting.

Nathan Betnun, vice chair

Public Finance Consultant

Self Employed

City of Annapolis

Formerly an investment banker specializing in bond financing for public infrastructure related to private real estate development secured by incremental or special taxes, Nathan is now a public finance consultant to developers, investors and municipalities.  He served as a consultant to the City of Annapolis on the financing of the Hillman Garage and the City Dock.  He received a PhD from MIT.  He is also a board member of Anne Arundel Community Development Services.

Jared Littmann, treasurer

Owner

K&B True Value

City of Annapolis

Jared served on the Annapolis City Council for Ward 5 from 2013-17, serving as chair of the Environmental Matters Committee and a member of the Housing and Human Welfare Committee. As Alderman, Jared was known for his leadership on key legislation to protect the environment, prevent overcrowding in schools, and provide additional access for City services to minority communities. Since his time on the City Council, Jared has continued his public service as a volunteer on the Caucus of African American Leaders, the Trial Board of Anne Arundel County’s Police Accountability Board, and the the Chair of the City of Annapolis Ward Boundary and Redistricting Task Force. Jared has an Environmental Engineering degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a law degree with an environmental law focus from the University of Maryland School of Law. Jared and his wife, Marlene Niefeld, are the owners of K&B True Value, an independent and environmentally friendly hardware store in Annapolis with 25+ employees celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2024. K&B True Value is the only business in Annapolis entirely powered by solar panels.

Vincent O. Leggett, Secretary

Founder

Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, The Leggett Group

Anne Arundel County

Vince is the President and CEO of the Leggett Group USA, an Annapolis-based consulting firm which specializes in government relations, public affairs and advocacy. He is a regulated lobbyist in the Maryland General Assembly with focus areas in equity educational funding, natural gas, oil and clean energy, environment, and historic and cultural preservation.  Vince is also the founder and president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake (BOC) Foundation. The BOC documents the significant contributions of African Americans in the maritime and seafood-related industries. The Library of Congress and the U.S. Congress designated the Blacks of the Chesapeake as a Local Legacy Project, and the Governor of Maryland appointed and commissioned an honorary Admiral of the Chesapeake. Through this work Vince provides training in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. Vince has earned a B.S. Degree in Urban Planning & Community Development and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan.  He has done additional training through the University of Michigan Multicultural Leadership Development Initiative and Executive Director Development Training through the Center of Government Services at The Rutgers University.  Vince and his wife make their home in Annapolis, MD., where he serves as Chaplain for the Fire Department.

Jamie Benoit

Chairman and CEO, WaveDancer

Anne Arundel County

Jamie founded WaveDancer because he wanted to change the way commercial and government organizations conduct business. After serving as an officer in the US Army, Jamie practiced corporate law before becoming the CEO of FedData. At FedData, Jamie took the company from a small start-up and built it into one of the most successful companies supporting intelligence and defense organizations. Jamie brings his deep legal, financial, private equity and mergers and acquisitions experience to WaveDancer and uses it to drive long-term shareholder value.

Véronique Bugnion

CEO, Clearly Energy, Inc.

Johns Hopkins University Professor of Climate Finance and Climate Risk

Anne Arundel County

Véronique Bugnion, PhD is a scientist, entrepreneur and energy industry leader. She has over 15 years of professional experience and leadership in the financial energy industry and has a track record of pushing the boundaries of energy analytics. She is currently co-founder and CEO of ClearlyEnergy, provider of innovative solutions to reduce building emissions. Prior to ClearlyEnergy, Véronique was Global Head of Carbon and Natural Gas for Thomson Reuters, a role where she developed trading, data, and research products for the electricity, natural gas, and carbon markets. Prior to working with Thomson Reuters and Point Carbon, Véronique worked with Goldman Sachs and Constellation Commodities Group where she focused on the deregulated power, natural gas, and emissions markets.

Emily Clifton

Associate Executive Director

Low Impact Development Center

Anne Arundel County

Emily Clifton, AICP is the Associate Executive Director for the LID Center. Emily has more than 22 years of experience in environmental planning, green infrastructure planning, natural resources management, and stormwater management. She has provided leadership on green street master plans and concept designs; LID design manuals; LID and stormwater pollution prevention trainings; plan development and review; and research related to green infrastructure and resiliency. Emily holds an M.S. in Environmental Science, a Master in Public Affairs, a B.A. in Business Administration, and a B.A in Philosophy. She is a certified planner through the American Planning Association.

Mariah Davis

Environmental Justice Officer

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

City of Annapolis

Mariah Davis is the Environmental Justice Officer for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Mariah is the first person to hold this executive role at DNR and works to ensure programs, policies, funding and projects have positive impacts in communities that have been disproportionately impacted, centering her career on providing DEIJ technical assistance and policy guidance to a broad base of stakeholders across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. She was recently awarded a Young Gifted and Green 40 Under 40 award from Black Millennials 4 Flint for her work on environmental justice. Mariah previously served as the Deputy Director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, a program of the National Wildlife Federation, where she managed the Coalition’s Young Professionals of Color (YPC) Mentorship Program. Prior to that, Mariah successfully advocated for the creation of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice, established in 2017. Mariah holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Public Management from the University of Maryland. She and her black cat, Bruce, live in Annapolis where she enjoys spending time in Quiet Waters Park, exploring local restaurants and breweries, and even planned the city’s first pride parade.

David Jarrell

Professional Engineer

Anne Arundel County

David holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering and began his career by serving 17 years as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in the U.S. Navy.  He came to the City of Annapolis as Public Works Director in 2010 from San Diego, where he served as deputy chief operating officer of the City of San Diego.  From February 2020 until June 2022, David served as the City Manager of Annapolis.  When his own replacement as Public Works Director, Michael Johnson, left to run public works and transportation in Prince George’s County, David returned to the Annapolis Public Works Department for another year of service to the city. 

Stacy Schaeffer

Executive Director

Resilience Authority of Charles County

Anne Arundel County

Stacy holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a Juris Doctorate degree from the George Washington University National Law Center. After ten years of practicing law in Washington, D.C., Stacy transitioned to a career as the Associate Director for Land Conservation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources from 2009 to 2021. Most recently, Stacy served as the Maryland Land Conservation Liaison for Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), an ecological restoration firm that works across the country. She is also a lead team member of The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resiliency Framework project.

Mike Sewell

Safety Director

Ernest Maier, Inc.

Anne Arundel County

Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a Master’s in Business – Organizational Management and Leadership from Johns Hopkins University.  He has  30 years of professional experience protecting the State’s environment as a police officer with the Department of Natural Resource Police.  Mike has a strong record of fiscal accountability while overseeing and improving departmental operations by evaluating policies, procedures, and personnel to ensure departments operate safely, effectively, and efficiently.  Mike is known for decision-making and the ability to facilitate positive change and possesses extensive knowledge of business operations, with the ability to implement changes smoothly and effectively.