The Future of Downtown Baltimore

Terri Harrington is a Senior Vice President with MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services. Terri’s commercial real estate career spans almost two and a half decades with a variety of leasing experience including executive suites, mixed-use, office, retail, and new development in both suburban and urban properties. Terri began her career with a national developer responsible for both leasing and building operations and understands both sides of the leasing transaction process. Over this extensive career, Terri successfully leased some of the most challenging projects in downtown Baltimore including the conversion of the Federal Reserve Bank and American Urological buildings from single user to multi-tenant office buildings. Terri was also responsible for the lease transaction to bring the first supermarket to the Central Business District. Terri most recently worked on the new development project of Harbor Point and was responsible for the recent lease up of Class A office building, One South Street. Terri has consistently been one of the top leasing brokers in the Baltimore market and has been involved in some of the city’s more notable leasing transactions. In addition to her career in commercial real estate brokerage, Terri is active in economic development and strategic planning efforts to affect positive change in the communities where she lives and works. She serves on numerous boards and committees including the Downtown Partnership, Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Program, and the Charles Street Development Corporation. In addition, Terri serves on the Advisory Board of The University of Baltimore’s Real Estate & Economic Development Program and the Bon Secours Health Systems Foundation Board.

Lesley Malin is a founder of The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and has served as its Managing Director since 2003. She managed CSC’s building renovation of an 1886 bank into its award-winning modern Shakespeare playhouse as well as the associated $6.7 million capital campaign. Her acting credits at CSC include Lady Macbeth, Lady Bracknell, Mrs. Fezziwig, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, and Titania; previously, she performed in New York. She has, for over a decade, been the vice president of the board of trustees of The Lark, a new play development center in New York City, where she once served as Managing Director. She served on the Executive Committee of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association and organized its 2017 conference that was held in Baltimore. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, NYU’s Arts Management program and Leadership Howard County.

Mike Heslin is the Baltimore Market Manager for Lyft, where he leads the team responsible for the growth and health of Lyft's business and brand locally. He is an experienced leader of growing companies, including startups in the transportation, financial services, and marketing spaces. Mike began his career at Google and then worked in consulting, where his clients included Google, Twitter, Hewlett Packard, and Deloitte, among others. Mike is a native of Severna Park, Maryland and a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Byron Cantrall is the Vice President of Comcast Business for the Beltway Region. He oversees the continued growth of our commercial products and services throughout Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C as well as parts of West Virginia and North Carolina. Byron ensures our sales goals and forecasts are consistent with the Northeast Division and Corporate strategic direction. He is responsible for providing direction and oversight to the development of Comcast Business operations, marketing, sales, and customer experience capabilities. Most recently Byron served as the Vice President of Comcast Business for the Houston Region.  Under Byron’s leadership, Comcast Business market share in Houston grew exponentially, having outpaced Metro E MRC Sales and Advanced Voice sales goals, quarter after quarter. Byron and his team also focused on leveraging the Comcast Business brand in exciting ways to improve the customer experience and to increase InnerCircle business employee referrals.  Byron joined Comcast in November 2012 from MegaPath, where he served as the Regional Vice President.  Prior to Megapath, Cantrall held a series of executive positions, including SVP and General Manager of Integra Telecom, with responsibility over 7 states.  He began his career in various sales positions where he consistently achieved Presidents Club awards, including this past year for Comcast as an RVP. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Colangelo School of Business at Grand Canyon University.

Marjorie Rodgers Cheshire is President and Chief Operating Officer of A&R. Prior to joining A&R, Marjorie spent many years in the media and sports industries. Her most recent position was as Senior Director of Brand & Consumer Marketing for the National Football League. Prior to that, Marjorie held positions as Vice President of Business Development for Oxygen Media, Director and Special Assistant to the Chairman & CEO of ESPN, and Manager of Strategic Marketing for ABC Daytime. Marjorie also worked as a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, a strategic consulting firm serving Fortune 500 companies. Marjorie has a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She is a Trustee of Baltimore Equitable Insurance, Baltimore School for the Arts, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Director of PNC Financial Services Group.

Mr. Bookhout serves as Senior Vice President of Development & Investments. He plays a lead role in the company’s mixed-use development division, with responsibility for sourcing, evaluating, underwriting, acquiring and executing projects in the Mid-Atlantic region and the Carolinas. Prior to joining Greenberg Gibbons in 2021, he was Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic & Carolinas Regions for AvalonBay Communities, where he specialized in mixed-use projects that feature multifamily housing over retail and led teams that delivered more than 2,300 units. Mr. Bookhout holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. He is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School’s Board of Advisors, and has previously served on the Board of Directors for AIRS-Empire Homes and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. He is a member of ICSC and Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Kirby Fowler is President of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Inc. (“DPOB”), and the Executive Director of the Downtown Management Authority – nonprofit organizations working with the public and private sectors to make Downtown Baltimore a great place for businesses, employees, residents, and visitors. Downtown Baltimore is the fastestgrowing neighborhood in the City, and it ranks 8th in the country in terms of residential density and 12th in the country in employment density. DPOB employs approximately 140 people dedicated to: cleaning sidewalks and streets; maintaining a hospitable environment; overseeing park spaces and greening initiatives; promoting economic development; monitoring infrastructure projects; reducing traffic congestion; providing business networking opportunities; and marketing Downtown amenities. Prior to joining DPOB, Kirby was Of Counsel to Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, and was also a partner in the law firm of Ober Kaler Grimes & Shriver. Previously, Kirby served as Special Assistant for Economic and Neighborhood Development under Mayor Martin O’Malley. In that position, he worked on such projects as The Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art, the renaissance of Belvedere Square, and the retention of existing businesses such as Phillips Seafood. From 2001 through 2006, Kirby led the creation of the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. During that time period, more than 108 new artists moved into Station North, more than 14 establishments opened (including MICA’s Studio Center, Area 405, Load of Fun, and Joe Squared), and two significant residential projects – Railway Express and Station North Townhomes – were launched. In addition, special signage was installed, a map guide was developed, and celebrations such as “Gotta Have Art” were held to promote the district. In 2005, Kirby created the non-profit organization and hired the first full-time Executive Director of Station North. From 2009 to 2012, on appointment by Governor Martin O’Malley, Kirby served as Chair of the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Commission, overseeing the lottery as well as the licensing and operation of the new slots facilities in Maryland. During Kirby’s tenure, the Commission drafted the first-ever regulations for slots facilities and table games; granted licenses to the first five casinos to open in Maryland; and oversaw three consecutive record-breaking years in revenue generation for the lottery. In 2010, Kirby was asked to participate on an Urban Land Institute Advisory Panel, providing advice to the City of Chicago on redevelopment of the Navy Pier. Kirby also served on the Transition Teams for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Mayor Sheila Dixon. He currently serves on several boards, including Baltimore Homeless Services (previously Chair), Central Baltimore Partnership, Charles Street Development Corporation, The Economic Alliance Advisory Board (previously Chair), Healthcare for the Homeless, Mount Vernon Cultural District, Public Markets Corporation, and Station North Arts & Entertainment, Inc. (previously Chair). Kirby has been named “Influential Marylander” by The Daily Record; a “Leader We Admire” by SmartCEO Magazine; “Baltimore Icon” by 89.7 WTMD; “Forty under Forty” by Baltimore Business Journal; “Father of the Year” by the American Diabetes Association, Maryland Chapter; “Breaking Boundaries” honoree by the International Interior Design Association; Fullwood Foundation Valued Hours Award recipient; and The Daily Record “Innovator of the Year” for the Charm City Circulator and “Operation: Storefront”. During his tenure, The Partnership has also won awards from the International Downtown Association for its Kids Month promotion (2010) and “Operation: Storefront” (2011), as well as the Spencer Ellis Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for stewardship of the local environment. Kirby is a graduate of Dartmouth College and New York University School of Law. He is married to Carmina Perez-Fowler, and has two wonderful daughters.

Annie Milli became Executive Director of Live Baltimore in June of 2017. She originally joined the organization in 2013 as Marketing Director. Annie’s experience in marketing and advertising covers a broad range of industries; including work with US Airways, The Maryland Lottery, Marriott International, The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Bravo Health, Hooked On Phonics, the Lenox Corporation and many more notable brands. Her work in both broadcast and print media have earned awards from the Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors Association, local and district ADDYs, Print Magazine and the One Show. Annie holds a BA in Advertising and Graphic Design from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio and an MS in Communication Management from Towson University in Maryland. Annie loves living in her 1929 Arcadia home with her husband, daughter, and dog. (She previously lived in Ednor Gardens.) In her spare time, Annie enjoys admiring Baltimore architecture, running, and relaxing with her family.

Ari Abramson is a Vice President of Acquisitions for Continental Realty Corporation. CRC, headquartered in Baltimore and founded in 1960, is a full-service commercial real estate investment company which owns and manages a diverse portfolio of apartment communities featuring nearly 10,000 units and retail centers consisting of more than 3.5 million square feet of space. In his role, Ari focuses on multifamily acquisitions and dispositions throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, manages broker/owner relationships, and oversees the underwriting and due diligence process. In Baltimore, Ari lead CRC’s acquisition of Browns Wharf, a 104,000 sf adaptive re-use waterfront property in Fells Point. Prior to joining CRC, he held positions at Alex. Brown Realty, Stifel Nicolaus, Townsend Capital, and Legg Mason. Ari has a B.A. in Business and Economics from Muhlenberg College and a M.S. in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School. He is active on numerous community councils and committees focused on real estate in Baltimore.

Adam Kleeman has more than 18 years of experience providing audit, accounting and consulting services in the commercial and multi-family real estate industries. Based in CohnReznick's Baltimore office, he has extensive experience working with investors, developers, owners and management companies of various sizes and complexities. This experience includes audits of publicly-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and Community Development Entities (CDEs). Most recently, Adam has focused his efforts on servicing clients that utilize New Markets, historic and low-income housing tax credits to subsidize the financing of real estate projects. He has also managed engagements as the external auditor for publicly traded companies and reported on internal controls over financial reporting as required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Education: B.A. – Government and Politics, University of Maryland.

Donald C. Fry has been the President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), the central Maryland region’s most prominent organization of business and civic leaders, since November 2002. The GBC serves as a knowledgeable and highly credible business voice in the Baltimore region, Annapolis and Washington, D.C., on policy issues and competitive challenges facing Maryland. Its mission is to apply private-sector leadership to strengthening the business climate and quality of life in the region and state. Fry served as GBC Executive Vice President and General Counsel from 1999 to 2002. From 1980 to 1999 Fry was engaged in a private law practice in Harford County. During this time he also served in the Maryland General Assembly. He is one of only a handful of legislators to have served on each of the major budget committees of the General Assembly. As a member of the House of Delegates from 1991 to 1997 Fry served on the Ways and Means Committee and on the Appropriations Committee. Serving in the Senate of Maryland from 1997 to 1998, Fry was a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Fry is a 1979 graduate of the University of Baltimore, School of Law. He earned a B.S. in political science from Frostburg State College.