SMADC Commission & Staff

Meetings

SMADC meetings are open to the public and generally take place on the first Thursday of each month from 9:00 am to 11:00 am in the SMADC Office Suite located at 15045 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville, MD 20637. *Virtual until further notice.

Occasionally, meetings may be cancelled, postponed or changed to a different venue. Although anticipated changes to the schedule will be posted on the SMADC website under “News & Events,” please call ahead to confirm: (240) 528-8850.

Recent Commission Meeting Minutes

SMADC October 2024 Minutes

SMADC September 2024 Minutes

SMADC July 2024 Minutes

SMADC June 2024 Minutes

SMADC Board Members

Regular Members – 4 year terms

Two members of the Senate:

• Senator Jack Bailey
• Senator Michael Jackson

Two members of the House of Delegates:

• Delegate Brain Crosby
• Delegate Gary Simmons

Ten Southern Maryland Farmers
Two from Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s Counties: (with representation across sectors)

• Deana Tice, Anne Arundel, En-Tice-Ment Stables Obligation Farm & Farm Raised Meats
• Tresor Thomas, Calvert, My Mustard Seed, LLC
• Russell Shlagel, Charles, Shlagel Farms
• Dan Donohue, Prince George’s, Donohue Downs
• Willie Goddard, St. Mary’s, WAG Meats
• Five new members (one from each of the above counties pending) –                             To be announced February 2024 – Please APPLY HERE if interested.

One representative from the College of Southern Maryland:

Bill Hitte, Business Consultant, Small Business Development Center

Rotating Members – 2 year terms

At Large
Up to five members at large representing various industries and expertise, eg. business, economic development, finance, legal

• Joan Bearden, St. Mary’s, Agricultural Accountant
• Linda Jones, Prince George’s, Elements of Nature
• Dan Rider, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service
• Elizabeth Robinson, The Garden International, Prince George’s County
• Brian Russell, Shore Thing Shellfish, St. Mary’s County

One Young Farmer Representative:
Edward Goodman, Horticulturalist, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)

Agritourism/Heritage:

• Mary Wood (Chair), St. Mary’s, Forrest Hall Farm
• Lucille Walker (Vice-Chair), Southern Maryland National Heritage Area

Special Members– 1 year terms

One Farm Bureau Representative:
Alternating representatives – One vote

• Karl Shlagel
• Jamie Tiralla

One Tri-County Council Executive Board Member:

• BJ Bowling

Ex-Officio Non-Voting

Business & Economic Development Representatives
Local government small business and/or economic development and/or University of Maryland Extension representative:

• Shelley Garrett, Anne Arundel
• Caroline Trossbach, Calvert
• Sydney Garner, Charles 
• Charlie Sasscer, Prince George’s
• Priscilla Leitch, St. Mary’s

Agricultural Land Preservation Representatives

• Anne Arundel (Pending)
• Jennifer David, Calvert
• Charles Rice, Charles

Local Government Representatives
Senator Michael Jackson, Prince George’s and Calvert

Chair of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
Commissioner Buddy Hance, Calvert

Executive Director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
John F. Hartline

Secretary of Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)
Kevin Atticks

Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce
Kevin A. Anderson, Steve Wall (Representative)

Dean of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland Extension
Dr. Craig Beyrouty or Designated Representative

Interested in becoming a Commission Member?

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis as positions become available. To be considered, submit all pertinent contact information with a brief paragraph describing your background and relationship to the agricultural community to info@smadc.com.

What is the source of SMADC’s funds?

Maryland was one of 46 states to win the “Master Settlement Agreement” with the major tobacco companies in 1998. Maryland put its 25 year, $4.5 – $9 billion share of the settlement into a “Cigarette Restitution Fund,” of which five percent goes to support Southern Maryland’s Regional Strategy for Agriculture, with an emphasis on finding alternatives to tobacco. The funds are annually appropriated through the Maryland Department of Agriculture to the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland for SMADC programs. SMADC also seeks to secure grant funding and raise capital through sales of ads.

How is SMADC managed?

SMADC, established in 2000 by the Governor’s Task Force, has an executive director and staff who report to the full commission and the executive board of directors for the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, is “a tax-exempt public body corporate and politic which operates as a cooperative planning and development agency within the area to foster the physical, economic and social development of the area and utilizes effectively the assistance provided by the State.”

How is SMADC structured?

SMADC members come from a broad spectrum of the community, including elected state and local officials, farmers, county government, economic development, land planning and zoning officials, chambers of commerce, tourism, the College of Southern Maryland, and the state departments of Agriculture, Business and Economic Development, and University of Maryland Extension.