March 19, 2024

Elder Joins CSM Foundation Board

Elder

The College of Southern Maryland Foundation Board of Directors welcomes its newest member. Karen W. Elder of Leonardtown, a technical recruiter for T-Solutions Inc., has joined the board.

The CSM Foundation is the nonprofit charitable organization and fund-raising arm of the College of Southern Maryland. Comprised of an all-volunteer board of directors, the CSM Foundation creates relationships to benefit the college and raises funds to support students and college initiatives, promoting scholarships, programs, technology, professional development, and special projects.

“We are excited to have Karen join our CSM Foundation Board of Directors,” said CSM Foundation Executive Director Michelle Goodwin. “She is high energy and compassionate about education and how it levels the playing field in terms of opportunities. She will be a great advocate for our students and our community.”

“I look forward to working with the College of Southern Maryland Foundation board and the community to help open doors to higher education and close the gap for students who struggle financially and have a difficult time meeting their educational and/or workforce training goals,” Ms. Elder said. “I have such passion for my community and being a part of the CSM Foundation board seemed like a perfect fit.”

A summa cum laude graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Ms. Elder has used her writing, management, and human resource skills in a variety of professional positions. In her current position with T-Solutions Inc., she is responsible for developing and executing recruitment strategy for the company, a woman-owned, veteran-owned small business (WVOSB), which provides government clients with maintenance engineering, logistics, information technology, and program management services.

Ms. Elder’s professional affiliations include membership in the Society for Human Resource Management and the American Marketing Association. She has strong ties to the region’s military industry, and she plans to use those connections to build on the connections that already exist between the military bases and the college.

“I look forward to continuing to promote the amazing programs that the college provides our community,” she said. “I also hope to serve as a conduit between the defense industry and the college; growing the professional development resources and targeting community needs as they relate to supporting the DoD are one of my goals as director.”

While Ms. Elder acknowledges that promoting charitable giving can be challenging, especially for larger projects, she believes that CSM is already in a strong position as a valued community resource. “I think the Southern Maryland community is quite responsive to the needs of CSM,” she said. “County government has been very supportive in working with the college to grow and expand. The new Regional Hughesville Campus is a testament to that. I look forward to continuing to work with the local officials to ensure that we receive the necessary support to thrive within Southern Maryland.”

In addition to volunteering to serve on the CSM Foundation board, Ms. Elder’s commitment to community service includes work as an elected member of the St. Mary’s County Republican Central Committee, a registration volunteer with Wrapping Arms Round Many (WARM), as social media manager for St. Mary’s County Special Olympics Management Board, and coaching work with St. Mary’s County Special Olympics, as well as serving as a family adoption volunteer for St. Mary’s County Christmas Caring Program. She was a past volunteer with St. Mary’s County Teen Court and served as an appointed member of St. Mary’s County Commission for Women.

Current CSM Foundation directors include, in addition to Elder, Eileen Bildman of Hollywood; Linda Cox of La Plata; James Di Misa of Waldorf; Leah Estevez of Waldorf; Ruth Ann Ferrell of Indian Head; Immediate Past Chair E. Rané Franklin; Chair Nancy Hempstead of Leesburg, Virginia; David Hruda of Newburg; Alland Leandre of Silver Spring; Jay Lilly of Bryans Road; Christy Lombardi of Waldorf; Brenda Lowe of King George, Virginia; Dixie Miller of Dowell; Lisa Oliver of Mechanicsville, Dr. Stephen Peters of Port Republic; Trey Proctor of Accokeek; Thomas Quattlebaum of Waldorf; Vice Chair Kimberly Rosenfield of La Plata; Jerry Sanford of Bowie; Dr. Ila Shah of Mechanicsville; Bernadette “Birdie” Shannon of Leonardtown; Harry Shasho of La Plata; Gary Simpson of Port Tobacco; Jennifer Wamsley of Lexington Park; CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy; and CSM Foundation Executive Director Michelle Goodwin.

For information on the CSM Foundation, visit the college’s website.

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.

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