The staff of Government and Community Affairs represent Johns Hopkins at all levels of government and in the local community to further the Johns Hopkins mission.
Office of the Vice President
The office of State and Local Affairs works to build and strengthen Johns Hopkins‘ relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, policymakers, business and community leaders, and neighborhood residents, whose interest and support are vital to the mission of Johns Hopkins.
Maria Harris Tildon
Vice President
Maria Harris Tildon is vice president for state and local affairs for Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine where she spearheads Johns Hopkins’ legislative and regulatory agenda in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Florida. In this role, she leads efforts to build and strengthen Johns Hopkins’ relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, policymakers, business and community leaders, and neighborhood residents. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Ms. Tildon held progressively senior leadership roles with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield – the largest health insurer in the mid-Atlantic region. Most recently she served as executive vice president, public policy and government affairs. During Ms. Tildon’s tenure at CareFirst, she was responsible for managing marketing, internal and external communications, product development and lifecycle, and community investments and volunteering. Her previous experience includes serving in several senior roles in the Clinton administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce and practicing law at Venable, LLP, as a litigator with a focus on white collar criminal defense matters. Ms. Tildon serves as a trustee on a number of boards of local companies and non-profits, including the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, an Exelon Company; Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women (“BLSYW”); Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce; and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the Advisory committee of Health Care for the Homeless.
Education
Maria earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Boston University and Juris Doctorate from American University, Washington College of Law. She is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Kiobie Rice
Executive Specialist
Kiobie works closely with VP Maria Tildon and provides administrative and executive support. She has 15 years experience working as an executive assistant.
Netsanet Kibret
Special Advisor
As Special Advisor to the Vice President for State & Local Affairs, Netsanet works closely with Johns Hopkins University and Medicine colleagues to advance critical enterprise-wide government and community affairs priorities. In addition to directing and managing short and long-term initiatives, she leads the office’s budget, administration, communications, and policy teams.
Education
Netsanet earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and received her B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Rayna Jordan DC Dir
Director, State Affairs
Rayna is responsible for the legislative and public policy impact of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System in the District of Columbia. She advises the organization on what stance it should take on emerging issues, monitors and advocates for legislation, serves as the point person for relationships with DC government offcials and informs leadership of mission-related opportunities.
Education
Rayna earned her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Temple University.
Ann Harbour VA Dir
Director, State Affairs
Ann Harbour is the Director, Government Affairs for the State of Virginia. Prior to working at Hopkins, Ann was the Director in Government Affairs for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, where she worked to implement proactive strategies to advance CareFirst’s mission of quality affordable health care. With over a decade of health policy experience, Ann has worked for both commercial and Medicaid health plans as well as Inova Health System. Prior to moving to Northern Virginia, Ann worked for the Virginia Association of Health Plans and the Virginia House of Delegates in Richmond.
Education
Ann is a graduate of LEAD Virginia and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and an Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Honoree. She received a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Julia Schwartz
Communications Manager
Julia manages all internal and external communications from the Office of State and Local Affairs. She works to effectively promote all local events within Baltimore City as well other events taking place throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia and Florida. Julia collaborates with both the State and Local teams to follow all initiatives and gives guidance to ensure consistent messaging across both teams.
Education
Julia has a B.A. from Manhattan College in Communications. She also has a certificate in Data Anayltics from Cornell University.
State Affairs
The State Affairs team works with policymakers across the state to advance the mission of Johns Hopkins, advocating for a strong research environment and increased funding and investment for the groundbreaking innovations.
Michael Huber
Director, State Affairs
Michael directs the institution’s advocacy efforts before the State of Maryland. This include the Maryland General Assembly, as well as the administration.
Education
Michael has a B.A. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Jeanette Ortiz
Associate Director, State Affairs
Jeanette is a member of the State Affairs team. She advocates on behalf of Johns Hopkins University and Medicine before the Maryland General Assembly, Maryland Governor, Executive Branch agencies, and statewide policy makers on all legislative, regulatory and policy issues which impact the enterprise. Her portfolio includes higher education, pre-k-12 education, labor and employment, and legal matters.
Education
She received her juris doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and a bachelor of arts from The George Washington University.
Annie Coble
Assistant Director, State Affairs
Annie is a member of the State Affairs team, responsible for advocating to the State of Maryland on behalf of Johns Hopkins University and Medicine on all legislative, regulatory and policy issues. Her areas of focus include health care financing and behavioral health.
Education
Annie has her M.S.W. from Boston College and earned her a bachelors in Social Work and bachelors in Health Studies from Monmouth University in New Jersey.
Leslie Ford Weber
Director, Government & Community Affairs, Montgomery and Howard County, and Federal Strategy
Leslie Ford Weber has two roles at Johns Hopkins University and Medicine: director of Government and Community Affairs in Montgomery and Howard County and director of Federal Strategy. In her primary role, Leslie coordinates the regional legislative agenda at the state and federal levels and manages multiple relationships with the local executive and legislative branches and community organizations for both the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System in two key jurisdictions in Maryland. With the Federal Strategy team, Leslie manages the portfolio of general higher education, including federal student financial aid and Title IX issues.
Education
Leslie has her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and her AB from the University of Michigan.
Local Affairs
The Local and Community Affairs team works within Baltimore City and the wider community to advance the mission of Johns Hopkins on a local level. The team represent Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, as well as Bayview Medical Center.
Jeanne Hitchcock
Special Advisor to the Vice President for Local Government, Community and Corporate Affairs
Jeanne Hitchcock has been a practicing attorney, small business owner, and has served in executive management positions in the private, corporate and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining Hopkins, she held two cabinet level posts in the administration of Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley, and she previously served as Deputy Mayor of Baltimore City.
Education
She received a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State College and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Jennifer Mielke
Director, Local Government and Community Affairs
Prior to joining the Office of Government and Community Affairs in the fall of 2012, Jennifer worked in local government for fifteen years in various capacities. From 2005-2012 she worked at Baltimore Housing focusing on neighborhood revitalization initiatives and affordable housing development. Previous to her Baltimore Housing experience, Jennifer worked in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods for four years where she served as a liaison between communities and city government.
Education
Jennifer received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Lake Forest College and a master’s degree urban and regional planning from Ball State University.
Michael Preston
Director, East Baltimore Community Affairs
Michael has more than 20 years of experience in community affairs, government relations and communications and has consistently succeeded in forging partnerships between business and community leaders and building bridges in the community through thoughtful strategic messaging and open communications. Previously, Michael served in the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration and the Empower Baltimore Management Corporation.
Education
Michael is a graduate of Towson University where he received a BA in Mass Communication.
Pamela Crunkleton
Executive Specialist, Special Advisor for Local Government Affairs
In this position, Pam organizes, leads, and helps execute company projects. She regularly engages with stakeholders, sets priorities, tracks deadlines, and makes decisions within established guidelines for special initiatives and projects in Local Government and Community Affairs. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins in 2009, Pam worked as an Executive Specialist for over 15 years.
Education
Pam earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from St. Leo University. Pam also received an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management from Community College of Allegheny County.
James Biernatowski
Administrative Specialist
Jimmy provides support to the Special Advisor to the VP of State and Local Affairs as well as the entire Local Government and Community Affairs team. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, he worked with event planning, marketing and design.
Education
Jimmy earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication and Media Studies from Towson University.
Nondie Hemphill
Associate Director, Local Government and Community Affairs
Prior to joining the GCA team, Nondie spent several years working in the Aerospace industry as a law clerk for a Space Law firm. She has worked with a wide array of regulatory and policy issues at both the local and international level. Additionally, Nondie worked in the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Government Relations as a Legislative Analyst and has over four years of local government experience.
Education
Nondie received a bachelors in East Asian Studies from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law.
Pat Carroll
Community Relations Manager
Pat’s role includes managing programs to educate the community (youth and seniors) and employees about wellness and health promotion, including exercise, nutrition and injury prevention education.
Education
Pat has a high school diploma and over 37 years of experience as an employee of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She was first employed as a clerk for the administrative offices, and over the years, she advanced in position with the offices of administration, community relations and nursing administration.
Selwyn Ray
Director, Johns Hopkins Health System Community Relations
Selwyn oversees programs to educate and support our neighbors, leads the Medical Center’s Community Advisory Board, and leads our community health needs assessment and action planning at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medicial Center. Mr. Ray also has an additional broader role for community health outreach for the Academic Division of the Johns Hopkins Health System. Within the larger Academic Division, he helps develop and strengthen inter-campus and inter-departmental programs to improve the health of our neighbors and neighborhoods.
Education
Mr. Ray holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and has pursued studies at St. Mary’s Seminary, Ecumenical Institute of Theology.
Chrystal Green
Assistant Director, East Baltimore Community Affairs
Prior to joining GCA, Chrystal worked at Johns Hopkins Health System as a project coordinator and contract administrator. She previously worked with the University of Maryland Family Medicine, Rouse Community Center in Sandtown-Winchester, The Renaissance Center, and Black Entertainment Television (BET).
Education
Chrystal earned a BA in Psychology from Spelman College and a Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology from Howard University.
Strategic Initiatives
The Strategic Initiatives and Community Health Improvement team works collaboratively with community health and community outreach teams at all JHHS hospitals to align priorities and messages system wide. The team produces collateral materials and reports for public relations and government compliance and works to promote change through strategic program development and communication strategies.
Sharon Tiebert-Maddox
Director, Strategic Initiatives and Community Benefit
Sharon leads the Community Benefit team responsible for federal and state reporting on community engagement efforts by the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) with leadership responsibilities for the health system. This includes conducting and producing the triennial Community Health Needs Assessment for the health system’s Baltimore hospitals. As the Director of Strategic Initiatives, she leads multi departmental projects including the enterprise-wide Economic Impact Report and has a leadership role in lobbying regulatory compliance, finance and human resources.
Education
Sharon received her M.B.A from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. She also has Master and Bachelor of Music (M.M. and B.M.) degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
Sherry Fluke
Sr. Financial Manager
In addition to handling the financial administration for GCA, Sherry is the Project Manager for the triennial Economic Impact Report and has responsibility for the annual Community Benefit Report for Johns Hopkins Hospital, the triennial Community Health Needs Assessment for the Johns Hopkins Baltimore hospitals and supports GCA’s lobbying reporting efforts.
Education
Sherry has her M.B.A from the Pennsylvania State University and completed her B.B.A. with a concentration in computer applications from Penn State, also attending the University of Maryland, College Park.
Sudanah Gray-Myers
Financial Analyst
As a Financial Analyst, Sudanah works closely with the Financial Manager handling day to day financial activities. In addition, Sudanah acts as a reporter of the Community Benefit Report for both JHH & Bayview.
Education
Sudanah has Bachelors for Business Administration and Fine Arts with a concentration of Radio, TV, Film from Howard University.
Lynette Floyd
GCA Specialist
Lynette has been with Johns Hopkins for more than 20 years. She works closely with the Chief of Staff, functioning as HR lead and administrator for Sponsorships. Prior to joining GCA, Lynette was a Government Relations Associate for the office of Government Relations at the Johns Hopkins Health System.
Education
Lynette attended the College of Notre Dame.
William Wang
Associate Director
Will works on policy research and strategic initiatives, the Community Benefit Report for Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Community Health Needs Assessment.
Education
William received a bachelor’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University and an M.B.A. in finance from the Carey Business School.