Mary E. Scott and her husband have 2 daughters, one with a developmental disability. Mary says they enrolled their daughter as a member of By Their Side many years ago because they recognize that they will not always be around to guide and supervise her care. Her sister will need and appreciate professional guidance in making decisions in the future.

Background: Mary is known by many families and professionals for her work as Transition Coordinator for the Baltimore County Public Schools, prior to her retirement in 2017. She serves as a Commissioner on the Baltimore County Commission for Disabilities and is a member of the Citizens' Advisory Council for the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities. In a former life, Mary directed an early intervention program, worked as a hospital teacher and was a family resource specialist for the Baltimore County Public Schools.

Mary received By Their Side's Martin Lampe Leadership Award in 2019 in recognition of her work to support transitioning students and their families, develop educational opportunities for parents, and her ongoing efforts to strengthen Self Directed services in Maryland.

Mary became Board President in 2020 and serves on all By Their Side committees. .

Vice-President:

Barry Gordon, MD, Ph.D

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Baltimore, MD

Term expires: 7/2024

Dr. Barry Gordon joined the Board in 2017. He and his wife Renee live in Baltimore.

Background: Dr. Gordon is a behavioral neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. His work focuses on developing methods for improving language, memory, thinking skills, and learning in individuals with autism and other acquired and developmental brain conditions. He was a founder of the Johns Hopkins' Cognitive Neurology/ Neuropsychology Division, Memory Clinic, and Mind/Brain Institute. Dr. Gordon has authored numerous academic publications including books on memory for the general public, Memory: Remembering and Forgetting in Everyday Life and Intelligent Memory. He has appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show, CBS’s Morning Edition, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Dateline, the PBS series The Brain, NPR's Fresh Air and The Diane Rehm Show, discussing topics such as autism and A Scientist's Saga: Give Son The Gift Of Speech.

Barry became Vice President in 2020 and is a member of the Fundraising Committee.

I joined the 'all volunteer' Board of By Their Side for two reasons. First, close family friends have a daughter with a developmental disability who is a By Their Side member, and I find it rewarding that I can help their family in a small way. In addition, I get complete satisfaction in donating my time to a great group of caring individuals that make a big difference in the lives of our members and their families.

I am Vice President of Marketing for Data Management Marketing/Digital Graphics, located in Malabar, Florida. I work with clients, providing commercial printing services, database management, and behavioral targeting, to manage their consumer marketing campaigns and services to their customers. We serve businesses across the country including financial and health care companies and government agencies.

I received my MBA from Loyola University Maryland, and my BS in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. My career started out in bank accounting, progressing into commercial credit analysis and consumer lending. Since that time, I've held positions in product analysis, risk management, and marketing management. All of my previous jobs serve me well as your Treasurer for By Their Side.

I am an avid golfer, and have 2 classic cars that need a lot of work. My wife Laurie and I now live in Florida. With children in college, the cars will have to wait to be restored, of course.

Jeff  chairs By Their Side's Finance Committee.

Dr. Philip Levinson and his wife Winnie have a son who is a member of By Their Side. His By Their Side advocate makes an annual visit as a transition for the future.

Dr. Levinson received a dental degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as an active duty and reserve officer of the U.S. Army and retired with the rank of Colonel. He was employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and served as Director, Dental Care Clinical Center of the VA Maryland Health Care System. Dr. Levinson was a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Dental School, and served on the Board of Directors of the Perry Point Federal Credit Union.

Dr. Levinson serves as Assistant Scout Master and chairs the Oversight Committee of a Scout Troop for men with developmental disabilities. The Troop provides a rewarding scouting and educational experience for 31 men.

Dr. Levinson serves on By Their Side's Family Services and FundraisingCommittees.

Immediate Past President:

Mark Wagner, DMD

UMD Dental School, Ret.
Pikesville, MD

    Term Expires: 7/2023

Mark is a retired professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and continues teaching at the Dental School as a volunteer faculty in Pediatric and Special Care Dentistry. Mark is a former Vice President for Health Programs of Special Olympics, International, and volunteers for Chesapeake and Potomac Spina Bifida,Inc.

Mark serves on By Their Side's Finance, Public Education, and Family Services Committees.

Joan joined the Board in 2014. Her parents enrolled her brother in By Their Side many years ago. A linguist teaching Russian at the U. S. Naval Academy, Joan arranges By Their Side monitoring services for her brother when she is traveling on sabatical.

Joan chairs the Family Services Committee. She is interested in opportunities for siblings to connect for information and support.  In the past, Joan participated in a series of panel discussions to help bring together Maryland silings to form the Maryland Sibling Network on Facebook. Joan can be heard on Insight on disABILITY Talk Radio's Archived program discussing By Their Side services.

Director:

Jenny Jones, B.A.

Kennedy Krieger Institute (Ret.)

Baltimore, MD

Term Expires: 7/2023

Jenny serves on the Public Education Committee and manages By Their Side's Facebook presence.

Director:

Calvin Simpson, B.A.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Ret.

Laurel, MD

Term Expires: 7/2023

A native of Washington, D.C., Calvin has also served on two HOC Boards and describes himself as a struggling tenor. 

Janis Ellis joined the Board in 2017. She and her husband, Jim, live in Baltimore, and their son is a member of By Their Side.

Janis has extensive background in education including consultation in special needs, teaching, and directing early childhood programs. She previously served on the Board of Directors of Bello Machre and as a volunteer for other organizations.

Janis serves on By Their Side's Public Education Committee.

My wife Barbara and I have been active in disability advocacy since our son was born with Down syndrome in 1983. We also have a daughter who is working as a museum educator at the University of Kansas. We procrastinated on estate planning for years because we could not figure out who would be our son's advocate and care coordinator after we're gone. I think it's a problem nearly all families of people with disabilities have. So we were very happy to learn that By Their Side can fill that gap. I would like to help By Their Side prosper, and to help other families learn about what By Their Side can do for them.

Background: I am a physicist with degrees from Harvard and University of California. I worked at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. for over 40 years, and retired as a senior scientist in 2010. I am currently a visiting scientist at the University of Maryland. I have managed a number of large programs, but I get my biggest thrill from working hands-on on basic science problems. I have served as chair of the Division of Plasma Physics of the American Physical Society, the national professional association in our field. I have served on the board and as president of The Arc Prince George's County, and on the management team of Special Olympics Prince George's County.

I am a former board president of By Their Side, and I have used my programming experience to develop an actuarial program that follows By Their Side cash flow to assure that we will be able to fulfill our obligations to our members. I am a lifelong tennis player and exercise enthusiast, and late in life I learned to play golf so I could play with my son: we both love it now. I'm an opera lover too.

Martin Lampe developed By Their Side's Actuarial Study, and was the recipient of By Their Side's first Leadership Award