Annapolis, MD --The Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce will hold its 15th Annual Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner on October 14, 2021 at the Double Tree Hotel located in 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis. The purpose of the Dinner is to recognize the outstanding achievements of several Chamber members. The Chamber will be inducting four members into the Business Hall of Fame and will also be presenting several other awards.
To be considered for the Business Hall of Fame a person must be a well-known, recognized, and respected business leader who has a career of distinctive achievements in leading his or her business. Former government officials who consistently supported business initiatives and leaders of non-profit, educational and community service organizations are also eligible.
Important consideration is also given to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the community and exemplify the meaning for corporate citizenship. This year’s Hall of Fame Inductees are well-known, recognized, and respected community business leaders who have made distinctive achievements in leading an Anne Arundel County business. The 2021 Inductees are:
- James Johnson, PhD
- Elizabeth Kinney
- State Senator Pamela Beidle
- Carter Heim,
The Chamber will also be presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award Karen Olscamp, the former CEO of the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. Information about each award winner is attached.
Tickets are $150 per person and will be available until October 14th. Tickets can be purchased by going to the Chamber’s web site at www.annearundelchamber.org
About The Chamber
The Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, consensus building business organization that have been serving Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis for 100 years. Its mission is to build and nurture a vibrant economy that provides opportunity for entrepreneurs and promotes business growth that creates jobs for our citizens. The Chamber also encourages a shared responsibility between the civic and business communities that helps fosters an exceptional quality of life that makes Anne Arundel one of the most desirable places to live on the entire east coast.
James Johnson, PhD—Business Hall of Fame 2021Educator and Civil Engineer
Dr. Johnson has a distinguished academic and professional career in Civil Engineering. He has held leadership positions as Interim President of the Baltimore City Community College, Chair of the Anne Arundel Community College and Chair pf the Maryland Association of Community Colleges which oversees the sixteen community colleges in Maryland.
In addition to his leadership positions, Dr. Johnson was a professor of civil engineering and the Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science at Howard University. He was also the Director of the National Center for Environmental Research for the Office of Research and Development at the US Environmental Protection Agency
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Howard University, a Master's of Science degree from the University of Illinois and a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Sciences from the University of Delaware. He has published more than 60 scholarly articles and is the recipient of the National Society of Black Engineers 2005 Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Academia, among other national awards.
Pamela Beidle—Business Hall of Fame 2021Legislator and Business Owner
Senator Beidle has served the citizens of Anne Arundel County as an elected official for over 20 years. She was elected to the County Council in 1996, serving two terms. In 2006 she was elected to the House of Delegates where she served until 2018 when she was elected to represent the people of the 32nd District in the State Senate. During her time as an elected official, Senator Beidle has served on many different committees and advisory groups that dealt with issues that are of great importance to the citizens Arundel County. She is currently a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Joint Committee on Gaming Oversight, the Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds and the Spending and Affordability Committee.
In addition to her legislative work, Senator Beidle has volunteered her time to be a member of many community groups and was a small business owner as the President of the Beidle Insurance Agency from 1979 to 2017. She has served as a Board member for the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC), Leadership Anne Arundel, the Anne Arundel Federal Savings Bank and the Hospice of the Chesapeake.
Senator Beidle’s Anne Arundel County roots run deep as she is a graduate of Archbishop Spalding High School, Anne Arundel Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Business and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration from Towson University.
Elizabeth Kinney—Business Hall of Fame 2021Executive Director, Lighthouse Shelter
Elizabeth moved to Annapolis in 1981 where she owned and operated several small businesses including a graphic arts firm, a retail store, and a health and wellness consulting company. While those business interests were quite diverse, Elizabeth always believed in “giving back” to the community so she volunteered to serve on several non-profit boards including Londontowne, the Key School, and the Maryland Social Services Board. She eventually became the President of the Friends of the Light House Shelter Board in 2004.
It became apparent that Elizabeth had a special place in her heart for the Light House Shelter and helping the less fortunate homeless population in Anne Arundel County. She became the Executive Director in 2011 and provided a great deal of vision and dedication that included a very successful fund-raising effort known as the “Campaign for Shelter” which raised over $8 million and resulted in the development of a 24,000 square foot facility.
In addition to housing solutions, the Light House Shelter, under Elizabeth’s leadership, developed several unique programs to address this issue of homelessness with employment training services and social enterprises such as the Light House Bistro to life which is a restaurant with a housing facility upstairs.
She attended Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and earned a degree in Philosophy and English.
Carter Heim—Business Hall of Fame 2021CEO, HeimLantz CPAs and Advisors
Carter has over 30 years of experience serving businesses and organizations throughout Anne Arundel County. In 1984, Carter formed Hammond & Heim which lead to establishment of Heim Associates in 1995 which eventually became HeimLantz CPAs and Advisors.
It has always been Carter’s focus to bring innovative planning for businesses and their owners. He specializes in integrating various disciplines to serve clients and brings much more value than a typical accounting firm. He applies the expertise he has acquired from his work with income taxation, estate taxation, business valuations, as well as business and financial planning. In addition to running his own company, Carter has been a very active leader in the accounting profession. He is past president of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and served on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
In the business community, Carter served on the Board of Directors of Bank of Annapolis, and served on the Board of Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation. He has also found time to serve as the President of the Board of Directors at the Anne Arundel Community College, was on the Board of Trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Trust and served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s School.
Carter graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a Bachelor degree in Accounting in 1975. He went on to graduate from the University of Baltimore with a Master of Science in Taxation degree in 1984. Carter is a regular speaker on tax and business matters to various local and national business and non-profit groups
Karen Olscamp—Lifetime Achievement Award 2021CEO, University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center
Karen started with the hospital in 1987 and has been vital part of the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s growth and it’s recognition as a top notch medical facility. In January of 2021, Karen retired as CEO after twelve years as CEO.
During her tenure as CEO, the hospital greatly expanded its obstetrics, behavioral health, cancer, critical care, and surgery programs. In 2009, the Pascal Women’s Center, which expanded obstetric care opened along with a new building which added 111 private patient rooms to the hospital. She also oversaw the completion of a $31 million surgical suite expansion, launched a new electronic medical record system, opened new nursing units, constructed a second state-of-the-art endovascular suite, and increased the number of inpatient beds to the behavioral health and labor and delivery units.
Aside from the new construction and equipment, Karen is most proud of the recognition the hospital received for the quality of care provided to the patients at UM BWMC. The hospital has been honored by organizations such as the American Heart Association, US News & World Report, the Maryland Patient Safety Center, and the Leapfrog Group for its delivery of safe, high-quality care. Karen’s leadership and dedication to providing compassionate and high quality medical care to the has greatly improved the quality of life for all Marylanders
