Public Commentary

Dr. Sharfstein is the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Previously, he served as the Commissioner of Health in Baltimore, Maryland and as the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In these positions, Dr. Sharfstein has pursued creative solutions to longstanding public health problems -- including drug addiction, school failure, unsafe consumer products, and most recently, cheap, candy-flavored cigars.

Marc B Terrill is the President of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. In his professional leadership role, Marc directs the day-to-day management and operations as well as the long-range planning for THE ASSOCIATED, with a primary emphasis on the development of human and financial resources. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and obtained his Masters in Social Work with a concentration in community organization from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Marc received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Baltimore Hebrew University.

Mark Furst is the president and chief executive officer of United Way of Central Maryland. Prior to joining the organization in 2004, he spent over 25 years in banking, primarily in executive positions at M&T Bank and its predecessors.

Mark has volunteered on various nonprofit boards over the years and presently serves as a director of Baltimore City Head Start, GBC LEADERship and Baltimore Workforce Investment Board. He is also an advisor for Baltimore’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness and on the Mayor’s Pay for Success Workgroup.