2023-2024

President  / Kara D. Beverly

Kara is a graduate of Villanova University and the Howard University School of Law. An experienced labor & employment attorney, Kara currently investigates reports of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct at Johns Hopkins University and trains University community members on how to prevent all forms of discrimination in professional and academic environments. 

Kara has been a member of the JLB since 2016 and has served in various fulfilling leadership roles, including Partnership & Service Chair, Community Impact Vice President, Secretary, and President-Elect. 

In addition to the Junior League of Baltimore, Kara counts it a privilege to serve as a leader within other dynamic organizations that seek to improve the lives of women and families in Baltimore. Kara is a member of the Baltimore County Commission for Women and is the Co-Chair of the Commission’s Public Policy Agenda Committee. She is also a Past President of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Housing Coalition, an organization committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness by supporting families and individuals with permanent and affordable, service-enriched housing. An active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated for over 20 years, Kara serves as the Parliamentarian and Connection & Social Action Committee Chairman of the Psi Phi Omega Chapter (East Baltimore). She is also the Board Secretary of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE) and proud member of the Baltimore (MD) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.  

A Prince George’s County, MD native, Kara lives in Towson and enjoys spending time with her rescue dog.  

President-Elect / Marla Johnson

A native of the Baltimore area, Marla has been a member of the Junior League since the spring of 2019. She joined the Junior League of Baltimore because she is passionate about serving and being actively and thoughtfully involved in her community. She has served on the Membership Outreach Committee (2019-2021) and the Nominating Committee (2021-2022). Outside of JLB, Marla serves on the advisory board for Reading Partners Baltimore and is active with her neighborhood association. She also serves as a docent for the Baltimore Museum of Legal History.  

Marla is a graduate of Princeton University and Duke University School of Law. Professionally, Marla is an Administrative Appeals Judge for the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  

A proud resident of downtown Baltimore, Marla enjoys patronizing Baltimore’s many outstanding restaurants. Marla also enjoys exercising along Baltimore’s scenic waterfront and learning about different cultures and peoples through travel.

Secretary / Ty Baxter

Ty has been a member of the Junior League of Baltimore since 2017. She has served on the Partnerships & Service Committee, the Investment Committee, the Public Policy & Advocacy Committee, and served as Historian.  

She graduated from The University of Baltimore with a B.A. in History in 2021. During her time there, she was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. Professionally, she is a Lead Research Analyst in the environment risk information services industry. 

Currently, she lives in Baltimore and in her free time likes to volunteer, read, travel, and spend time with family. 

Treasurer / JJ Vancura

Jennifer is originally from the Greater Baltimore area and has been a Junior League of Baltimore member since 2019. She studied political science as an undergraduate, and currently works in the financial services industry with her series 7 & 66 licenses and is looking to obtain her CAP® and CFP® designations. Also just completed the CNAP course 2/2022 and will be able to add that designation after working in the financial nonprofit space approximately 12/31/2022. She previously chaired the Partnership Review Committee, FY22’s Treasurer-Elect and will be FY23’s Treasurer. Very active in her sorority alumnae chapters, and recently completed her tenure as Alumnae Recruitment Information Chair and Membership Chair. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at Make-Studio in Baltimore, gardening, and bad television. 

Treasurer-Elect / Lauren Baldwin

Lauren first joined the Junior League of Baltimore in January 2019. She has served on the 5902 Building Committee, as Membership Outreach Committee Chair-Elect, and Membership Outreach Committee Chair. She joined the Junior League to give back to her community and to be empowered by like-minded women.

Lauren grew up in Montgomery County, MD and has been a resident of Canton in Baltimore City since 2015. She is a 2010 graduate of James Madison University earning her B.A. in Justice Studies and received her MBA from Southern New Hampshire University in 2016.

Professionally, Lauren currently is the Vice President of Finance and Operations of Atlantic Corporate Interiors (ACI) in Columbia, MD. She wears many hats as a VP, but she is most proud of the team-building events she’s been able to plan and execute since starting at ACI in 2014.

In her free time, Lauren is an active mentor for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, loves to travel, and spend time with her family and friends, especially her husband, daughter, and Ripken the beagle.

Communications Vice President / Keely Bushby, MBA

Community Impact Vice President / Faith Ohai

Faith is a proud graduate of Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication. An experienced real estate professional, Faith is passionate about community development and impact investing. She is an alumna of the Real Estate Associate Program (Project REAP), a real estate training program committed to increasing diversity in the commercial real estate industry. Faith also completed the Emerging Real Estate Developers Program at the Harbor Bank of Maryland Community Development Corporation.

Seeking an opportunity for fellowship and leadership training, Faith joined the League in 2022. Since joining, she has served as Chair of the Partnerships & Service Committee, which organizes service projects for membership participation.

A native of Prince George’s County, MD, Faith has embraced Baltimore and enjoys a good brunch in her spare time.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Vice President / Position to be filled

Fundraising Vice President / Dr. LaShonda Cureton

LaShonda was born in Lancaster, South Carolina. She graduated in 2005 from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She was granted a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in Polymer Organic Chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in December 2010. As a Postdoctoral Researcher for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, she published technical reports on developing materials with potential use in military infrastructure. In 2013, she transitioned her scientific expertise to a career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Regulatory Review Scientist and then was promoted to Chemistry Team Lead. In addition to her team lead duties, she serves as a scientific reviewer for post-recycling processes and a scientific advisory member for the Codex Committee on Food Additives. She also is listed on the expert roster of the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives. LaShonda’s scientific contributions include publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at national conferences and symposiums, organizing national symposiums and developing international standards for harmonizing food safety and fair-trade practices.  

LaShonda has been an active volunteer on the boards of several civic, nonprofit, and community organizations including the Black Youth in Action Debutante Corporation, where she previously served as the Program Coordinator for ten years, and the Junior League of Baltimore, in which served as the Chair of the Scholarship Committee and is currently serving as Fundraising Council Vice President. She is Co-Committee Chair of the Ames United Methodist Church Scholarship Committee, where she has served as a member for over ten years. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She previously served as chapter Vice President for the New River Valley graduate chapter and as the Chaplain and Standards Committee Chair for the East Baltimore City graduate chapter. Currently, she is serving as the Secretary of the East Baltimore City graduate chapter and is also active on several other committees within the chapter.  

In her spare time, LaShonda enjoys spending time with friends and family, volunteering at church and community activities, and exercising. Her favorite quote is, “Progress over Perfection; Emerge Positive” because perfection is only tangible by the Creator, but progress is tangible by all of us. 

Fundraising Vice President-Elect / Lee Barry

Lee A. Barry attended S.U.N.Y College at Old Westbury, where she majored in American Studies and The University of Phoenix and earned a Masters in Education with a concentration on Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently a Special Educator in Prince George’s County.  

Before teaching, her passion for culture and music led her to intern in the music industry. As an intern in Public Relations, she built media kits in the  Corporate Communications department, and as an Artist and Media Relations intern, she created press kits for the artists, created media campaigns, and supported Artist management with events such as listening parties and movie viewing under the various labels. This experience taught her the importance of creating a brand and documenting your success.  

After her internship ended, she began teaching Kindergartners. Her passion grew for education and she eventually moved to Maryland where should could engage students on a larger scale. Since completing her degree, Lee has worked as a Special Educator focusing heavily on student curriculum and instructional support for general education teachers who need guidance on classroom strategies for special education students. 

Outside of work, she has traveled to Belize for the past five years to engage with young women about the importance of education and empowerment. She and her friend have adopted Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn initiative and each year they create activities centered around S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).  

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. 

Membership Vice President / Chelsea Durbin

Chelsea has been a member of the Junior League of Baltimore since the fall of 2019. She joined the JLB because she was looking for ways to give back to her community, enhance her leadership skills, and connect with like-minded women. Prior to her role on the Board of Directors, she served as Co-Chair of Meetings and Socials and Chair of Partnership Review.  

Chelsea attended Fort Hays State University where she obtained a B.S. in Organizational Leadership, Arkansas Tech University where she obtained an M.S. in Higher Education and College Student Personnel, and Notre Dame of Maryland University where she completed a post-masters certificate in Educational Leadership. Chelsea is currently completing her Doctorate at Morgan State University in Community College Leadership.  

Professionally, Chelsea works as the Director of Enrollment Management at the George Washington University School of Nursing. She has extensive experience in higher education ranging from for-profit education, private four-year education, public four-year education and community college education. She has a passion for college access, first generation college support and community outreach.

In her free time, Chelsea enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, gardening, enjoying brunch with friends and spending time with her husband, daughter, and their three cats.

Nominating Committee Chair / Sheraie Darby

Sheraie Darby has been a member of the Junior League of Baltimore since the Fall of 2015. She was a member of the Wise Penny Committee (2015-2016), BCCW’s Women’s Expo (2015-2016), Community Impact Transition Rollout Chair Elect (2016-2017), Retail Training Initiative Chair (2017-2018), Placement Member (2018-2019) & Chair (2019-2020), and Nominating Committee (2020-2023).

Sheraie attended Pennsylvania State University where she received her B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Business. She later attended Loyola Maryland earning a Master of Education (M.Ed) in  Reading Teacher and recently received a Masters of Art in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Sheraie is currently a middle school teacher with over 20 years of classroom experience. She also held many leadership roles such as grade level team lead, union representative, and literacy lead. She is involved in several community organizations where she holds leadership roles.

In her free time, Sheraie enjoys reading, performing community service, and traveling.

Sustainer Vice President / Bonnie Wrzosek

Bonnie joined the Junior League of Baltimore in 2014. She has served on the Wise Penny committee, as a member and a chair, supported the Retail Training Initiative, and Partnership & Service committees. She is especially fond of the Wise Penny and enjoys sorting through the treasures!

Her favorite league memories include participating in the 80’s Flash Back 5K, working the Prom Dress Give-A-Way, completing a ride-along with the Baltimore City Police Department, and delivering meals across Baltimore with the Women’s Housing Coalition.

Bonnie works as a Human Resources Business Partner for Loyola University Maryland. Her job involves working with senior leadership to develop strategies that help the department meet their goals. She provides coaching and consultation to Staff and Administrators, manages, and resolves complex employee relations issues, handles performance management, completes job evaluations, reviews job offers, provides training on policies, and conducts effective investigations. Her position assists with writing and reviewing University policies, reducing legal risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, earned a bachelor’s degree in communication, and was a community service scholar – which involved completing direct service and civic engagement each semester. Additionally, she was a varsity athlete for all four years on both the field hockey and lacrosse teams.

Bonnie is a Baltimore native, and currently lives in Baldwin with her husband, two children, a cat, and her beloved Boston terrier named Simon. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going thrifting, and walking outside for exercise.