AACC Community 0405 - Anne Arundel Community College

FOUNDATION MEMBERS
From page 18.
change your career a number
of times and you’ll have to go
back and refresh. And eventually
you’ll want to give something
back so you go back to
your school and teach.”
Giving back has been
rewarding for Cantrell.“It’s a
great experience! I’m having
a wonderful time learning
and becoming involved. It’s a
great journey!”
J. JEREMY PARKS.
J. Jeremy Parks has his eye on
helping not only the college,
but the students as well. “I
wanted an opportunity to get
involved with the college and
a way to give back to a great
institution,” Parks said of his
desire to join the board.“I
wanted to be able to help
people who might not be able
to further their education due
to financial or other reasons.
“I’d like to try to help
contribute toward dispelling
the lifelong picture that people
have of community colleges.The
education you’re
able to garner specifically at
AACC is equivalent to any of
the four-year colleges that are
out there. It’s proven by the
school’s standing against its
peers in the country,” he said.
As with his fellow newcomer
to the board, Parks
believes financial issues will
be one of the biggest challenges
to face the college and
the foundation in the future.
But he also believes AACC
will rise to meet any challenge.
“I think with continued
focus and the efforts of
everyone involved, from the
foundation’s board straight
through to the administration,
faculty, staff and students,
it will continue to be a
shining star in education at
the national level,” he said.
After a few
months as a member,
Parks has
nothing but praise
for the foundation’s
board.
“They’ve got
a great structure in
place. Quite honestly,
I think that
other boards
would take note of
that and adapt. It’s
always efficient.
They do a great
job. They are
always focused on
the job at hand.
Too often you get into these
board meetings where everyone
has their own agenda and
the focus gets lost.”
A partner in the Jerome
J. Parks Companies, Parks is
responsible for overseeing
day-to-day management
operations in the company’s
residential and marina operations.
He manages the corporations’
retail and commercial
properties and contributes
to strategic issues,
joint venture development
and due diligence reviews.
He also is the liaison to city
and county public officials.
Parks is a member and
co-founder of the Annapolis
Triathlon Club and has a personal
interest in the arts. “I
played lacrosse in college and
the focus is always on the
sports-related and the ultraacademics
as opposed to these
kids who give everything to
their art. Art can be traditional,
or something more modern
like dance. I’d love to see
more of a focus on that.”
“It’s all about fun. It’s
creating an opportunity to
come out, have fun, yet at the
same time give back to the
college,” he said.
THE FIRST RECIPIENTS of the Sarbanes Spirit Awards
were Barbara Huston, second from right, president and chief executive
officer of Partners in Care Inc., and Harriet B. Stephenson,
Ph.D., professor of management at Seattle University. Each recipient
received a plaque and an individual award. Huston received a
gift card for AACC tuition for professional development training
for her staff. Stephenson received a packet of DVDs and books
for use with her students. Presenting the awards were former U.S.
Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, AACC President Martha A. Smith,
Ph.D., left, and Cathy H. Doyle, director of AACC's Sarbanes
Center for Public and Community Service (not pictured).
Sarbanes Recognizes
Social Entrepreneurs
By Susan S.C. Gross
Former U.S. Sen.
Paul S. Sarbanes
honored two
women who created
businesses or
organizations that met social
needs, both in their community
and around the world, at
the inaugural Sarbanes Spirit
Awards Dinner Oct. 13.
Sarbanes was familiar
with the county winner,
Barbara Huston, president
and chief executive officer of
Partners in Care Inc., which
uses a model of service
exchange and time banking
to provide services to help
aging individuals and adults
with disabilities live with dignity
and independence in
their own homes. Her model,
he said, should be emulated
not only in the state but
around the nation. Huston
said the beauty of her organization
is the interdependence
of its members and volunteers.
She said the award
“rests on all of them.”
Cathy H. Doyle, director
of the Sarbanes Center for
Public and Community
Service at Anne Arundel
COMMUNITY of Alumni & Friends Anne Arundel Community College • Winter 2008 • 26