ASPIRE Holds Annual Leadership Awards Dinner

By Rochelle Karina
Preserving our past, celebrating our present and planning our future: It’s the mission of ASPIRE – the Association for Severna Park Improvement Renewal and Enhancement – which recently honored several members who take that mission to heart and make it a reality.
Since 2004, ASPIRE has recognized community leaders for their efforts during a dinner ceremony - nominations come from community organizations. Members of ASPIRE gathered at Chartwell Country Club in late February where eight local residents were presented the Community Leadership Award as follows:

Andy Borland has been a proud member of the community since the 1960s. Andy has been a teacher, a coach and a mentor at Woods Church, the Severna Park Community Center, SPHS, SPMS, and the Green Hornets. As a coach and Athletic Director, he affected the lives of many students in Severna Park. The Severna Park community is a better place because of the contributions by Andy Borland and his family.
Jim Brennan moved to Severna Park from San Francisco in April, 2002. Since that time, he has been actively involved with several local groups, but none more so than the Watershed Action Group. Jim joined the group as the ASPIRE representative in the summer of 2005. By October of that year, he led the first homeowner’s workshops on “How we can improve our local waterways” at two of the first local green schools - Folger McKinsey and Severna Park Elementary. In addition to leading the Watershed Action Group, Jim currently serves as the Finance Chair of the Severna Park Community Center, and Planned Giving Counsel for Hospice of the Chesapeake and the Light House Shelter.
Diane Evans is a model for community building. She has devoted over 1,000 hours to helping seniors remain in their own homes and driven nearly 3,000 miles in service to others. She has used her connections and social skills to promote senior interests and has been the driving force behind the annual Partner In Care Jewelry Extravaganza, an important fundraising event. Diane served on the Anne Arundel County Council and has been very active in the upgrading of Jonas Green Park. She is currently the Treasurer of the Oncology Foundation of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Dr. Jessica Mulhern Heard is a veterinarian and owner of the Severna Park Veterinary Hospital where she has developed a volunteer program for high school students, and has also mentored interns in veterinary medicine. She has served as the President of the Severna Park High School Business Advisory Board and hosts kindergartners from Severna Park Elementary School on their annual field trip, as well as field trips for scouts and 4-H Clubs.
Dan Nataf has been involved in local activities for many years. He joined the Greater Severna Park Council in 1989 as a board member and became Chairman of the Public Works Committee, which works especially on transportation studies, in cooperation with the County Traffic Engineering Department. Dan teaches political science at Anne Arundel Community College and heads up the CSLI – Center for the Study of Local Issues. Dan was also involved in the formation of ASPIRE.
As our representative to the Watershed Action Group, Charlie Nolte has done a superb job representing the Magothy River Association. His leadership as an ambassador for the MRA to the community and his personal and communication skills have been invaluable in membership growth, fundraising activities and “getting the word out” about the Magothy River watershed. When water quality is poor, he alerts his community by placing a sign at the waterfront. Charlie thus demonstrates his continued concern for the well-being of his community. No matter how busy he might be, Charlie always finds the time to lead and is a major factor in the success of the MRA.