Full Circle News

You care about women leaders in our community. Come show them just how much. On Monday, March 10, at 6:30PM, SHOW UP and SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. The program is incredible. The opportunity is now. The need is today. Women leaders are impacted by new federal orders and actions. Show you care. See you there!

Reserve your spot today! Click HERE to register!

In honor of Women’s History Month, come hear an incredible conversation with two phenomenal women leaders:

Featuring:

• MG (Ret) Linda L. Singh,29th Adjutant General
• Ms. Nora Demleitner, President, St. John’s College

MG (Ret) Linda L. Singh, Maryland’s first African-American and first woman Adjutant General, has a distinguished military and civilian career. Gen Singh commanded more than 6,700 people while also serving as Managing Director - Operations at Accenture overseeing a $3B budget. A Maryland native, Gen Singh held positions at every level of the command and earned four degrees along with being a fellow from the International Women’s Leadership program at Harvard University/Insead. She deployed to Kosovo and Afghanistan and, also, led the response to the 2015 Baltimore riots. She received her PhD from Capella University (industrial and organizational psychology), MAs from the U.S. Army War College (strategic studies) and Touro International (business) and a BA (business) from Columbia Union College.

Ms. Demleitner, president of St John’s College, is the second collegewide president and first female college president in the history of the 325-year old institution. She is recognized for her ability to increase educational access, grow fundraising and institutional support, and uphold educational rigor. A German-American immigrant, she is an expert on criminal justice issues and was recently dean of the law schools at both Washington & Lee and Hofstra University. She received her BA from Bates College, her JD from Yale, and her LLM from Georgetown in international and comparative law.

Facilitated by Margaret Davis, AAWGT President.

Our 54 Team Leaders and Reviewers are busily evaluating the 44 completed applications AAWGT received this year. The applicants requested more than $1 million in funding, 37 of them have asked for $25,000. The need is great, and every applicant is deserving.

Thanks to you, this year AAWGT will award its largest-ever funding — $201,000 — plus the special $25,000 grant from the Brian and Patricia Giese Foundation.

Members — watch for your ballot and the announcement of the awardees in early May.

Whittling down applicants is no easy task. Every reviewer assesses seven to eight proposals, answering about a dozen detailed questions for each. The six teams then convene to discuss their findings.

This thoughtful, time-intensive process wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated members. We are so grateful for their hard work!

Meet Heidi Rothenhaus, RN, JD, who joined AAWGT in September 2024. Initially from Long Island, Heidi moved in the 1970s to the D.C. area to finish her nursing degree and then get a law degree. She stayed ever since, first living in Northern Virginia, then moving to Annapolis in 1988.

Prior to retiring in 2020, Heidi ran large scale management programs for health insurance programs and clinical operations, including healthcare data informatics and analytics related to quality indicators, resource use, and other accreditation issues.

“I traveled 80% of the time for my job, so it took me a while after I retired before I could feel like, wow, now I can engage in the community. I had been aware of AAWGT for several years, knew some members (fellow sailors/boaters Sue Pitchford and Margaret Davis), and came to the Showcase gatherings twice. I was impressed by the rigorous approach of the grants work done by the organization. The nonprofits that received the funds were clearly committed as they were willing to be scrutinized in a way that showed a kind of healthy relationship between grantor and grantee. I figured that at some point, when things settled down for me a bit, I would like to become a member, be active, and see if there was some way I could contribute.”

Heidi recently completed five years on Anne Arundel Hospital’s board and joined the Anne Arundel County Advisory Committee for the Hospice of the Chesapeake. “As such, I can offer AAWGT some knowledge of local healthcare and its challenges, she says, and also would like to learn and contribute to other areas served by the organization.”

“When I came to my AAWGT orientation, the bright, talented group of women so impressed me. I see longevity as a big strength of the organization and I’m very impressed by the recent decision to diversify the ways people can join, from having only one level of financial contribution to having different levels. This will bring a mix of people who might not otherwise be able to come on board.”

An enthusiastic gardener, Heidi is actively involved in Unity Gardens, a local grant-making organization that helps community groups establish native perennial gardens. Last year, she assisted residents of a low-income Annapolis housing community in selecting, planting, and caring for a garden, and will do so again this year. Additionally, since 1998, she’s been involved in coordinating the oyster-growing volunteers for the Annapolis Yacht Club’s distribution of oyster spat under the Severn River Association. “It does my heart good to see people become knowledgeable about what filter feeders do for cleaning up the Bay.”

“Married to my wonderful husband Ken Henry, whom I met in 2003,” Heidi and Ken have two “great” teenage grandsons who live in Virginia. Kayaking on Spa Creek is a beloved activity for Ken and Heidi, while formerly they were sail boaters. “I’m happy to say that we’ve simplified!” Welcome to AAWGT Heidi!

Membership Open House, April 9, 5:30 PM, The Atreeum at Soaring Timbers, 610 N. Bestgate Road.
Register HERE.

Karen Bell-Wright, Faye Belt, Eileen Buzy, Karen Cook, Jessa Coulter, Donna DeCosta, Pat Farrell, Terri Galligan, Alexandra Hostetter, Jenny Kennedy, Sally Julian Koch, Paula McCormick, Amanda Mock, Reggie Noto, Kathleen Pearce, Yolanda Rayford, Tricia Sanborn, Raleigh Schein, Kris Shock, Barbara Witten