Celeste joined the philanthropic community in 2012 after 18 years invested in public service and issues including housing, economic development, public works and environmental initiatives. Her wide and varied background in business development, marketing, communications, management and leadership led her to her role with Baltimore Area Grantmakers.  Celeste loves many things about her job but a few things stand out including the support she has received to elevate racial equity learning and action; that advocacy is now a routine part of funder conversations; and that she gets to work every day with colleagues who care so deeply about Maryland communities.

In 2018 Celeste was recognized as an Influential Marylander by the Daily Record.

Celeste is an active volunteer and currently serves on the boards of the MDSPCA and the South Baltimore Learning Center.  Her past board service includes Cleaner Greener Baltimore, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Baltimore International College and the Southeast Community Development Corporation.

Celeste earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University in Maryland.  Go Greyhounds!   She is a Baltimore City resident living in North Harford/Parkville with her partner, her stepsons and two pugs.

As the Member Engagement and Services Manager, Joyce is our primary liaison to our members. She cultivates and strengthens our relationships with current and prospective members through individual and association engagement. Joyce leads our enrollment and renewal procedures, member-specific research and requests, and helps facilitate member connections. She staffs the Member Engagement Committee of the Board of Directors as well as our member roundtables including the Family Philanthropy Roundtable, Corporate Giving Roundtable, and the Maryland Community Foundation Association (MCFA). 

With expertise in relationship-building, Joyce seeks to organize strategic action that is rooted in the needs and dreams of communities. She holds a graduate degree in Social Work with a concentration in Community Action and Social Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Grinnell College. Joyce is passionate about nurturing trust, practicing racial equity, and building bridges for transformative change. 

Yinka N. Bode-George is an environmental health advocate enthusiastic about creating health equity, environmental justice, and sustainable development through activism, policy, and practice. As Public Policy and Program Manager for Maryland Philanthropy Network (MPN), Yinka cultivates opportunities for members to address critical issues and improve community conditions. She coordinates MPN’s Health Funders Affinity Group, Green Funders Affinity Group, Rising Leaders Roundtable, Public Policy Board Committee, and Grantseeker workshops by managing member learning activities and member opportunities for collaborative action and investment in community issues.

Yinka has worked in various capacities to support programs that promote health outcomes and undo drivers of health inequities in Baltimore City. She serves as Board Member and Advocacy Committee Chair for the Maryland Public Health Association, leading public health professionals across Maryland in political advocacy. Yinka received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and Bachelor of Arts in Health Administration and Policy, from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She is also a graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where she received a Master of Health Science degree in Environmental Health.

As the Communication and Data Manager, Charlotte leads the day-to-day work that keeps our services to members and our behind the scenes data management systems running smoothly.  She works closely with our entire team to design and support all direct member engagement efforts, oversees all of our communication platforms, and ensures member requests for technical assistance are answered.  She leads our efforts to continuously develop and improve our integrated website and membership database.

Throughout her professional career, Charlotte has worked with various organizations to strengthen branding, improve communications strategies, and streamline internal processes. Most recently, she served as the Director of Food and Farm Programs for Civic Works Inc. Charlotte earned a bachelor's degree in Communication from Christopher Newport University with minors in Civic Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship as well as Leadership Studies. She grew up all over the U.S. and spent some time living in Nairobi, Kenya before deciding to call Baltimore home. These days she can regularly be seen walking her dog, Lewis, in Patterson Park or checking out the seasonal offerings at Baltimore’s many farmers' markets.

Elisabeth manages ABAG’s 100+ educational programs, various ABAG Affinity Groups as well as ABAG's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She manages the consultants who work with various other ABAG Affinity Groups and provides members with peer connections and assistance related to a wide variety of philanthropic initiatives and community issues. Prior to joining ABAG in 2007, she worked at the Annie E. Casey Foundation as the Leadership Development Program Assistant and was the Administrative Coordinator for a residential treatment facility for chemically dependent women and their children.

With a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Morgan State University, Elisabeth has a great interest in the relationship between people and the natural and built environment. She has a BA in English and French and a minor in Women's and Minorities' Studies from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She recently stepped down from the board of Blue Water Baltimore and was elected to the Board of Directors of City Neighbors Hamilton as Director of Family Participation. When not at work, she can be found assisting with school, scout, and church activities, and spending time outdoors.

Elyse provides administrative support to the Association on a day-to-day basis as receptionist, secretary, administrator of financial and other records, office systems, and human resources. She works closely with all senior staff in support of the Association's operations, board of directors and committees, data entry and event logistics. Her duties also include calendar scheduling, conference room scheduling, program logistics, ordering office supplies just to mention a few.

Elyse enjoys working at ABAG because of the close team/family-like setting and being a part of a team that works hard to inform and better our communities. In her spare time, she likes to visit her pup-nieces, Miss Yoko, pug mix and Millie, poodle/pug mix.