Leadership

Ms. Sarah Sowden, Chair

Accenture

Ms. Amanda Freeman, Vice Chair

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

“Working with Cornerstone Montgomery is important to me as a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church that was part of Cornerstone Montgomery’s founding. I want to support the needs for behavioral health in Montgomery County and help St. Luke’s be a good neighbor for the Southport Hub.”

Ms. Freeman is a D.C. native and a retired high school history teacher. She is an active member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, one of the founding members of Cornerstone Montgomery. Coming from a family that has struggled with mental health challenges and substance use disorders, Amanda is excited to support Cornerstone Montgomery’s mission. Amanda is actively engaged in anti-racism work. Her other interests include spending time with family and friends, reading and being active outdoors.

Mr. Moe Abutaleb

UltiStat, Inc. (Retired)

“Cornerstone Montgomery’s programs support the most vulnerable in our community and are so important during these challenging times, and I am honored to joing the board. Its success over the years has been highly impressive and I look forward to leveraging my entrepreneurial background in helping to fulfill the organization’s aspirational future goals.”

Mr. Abutaleb is a seasoned telecom and aerospace industry executive with 40 years’ experience in the development and implementation of advanced satellite and wireless communications technologies and services. His career includes the formation of several start-ups that were organically built and grown and subsequently sold to publicly listed companies. With a strong sense of customer service, his businesses have prioritized the client’s objectives, developing innovative best-value solutions in response to unique application requirements. While developing many industry-first technology solutions, he also co-authored a number of patents related to satellite and wireless technologies and network security solutions, and in 2011 was presented with the Technology Council of Maryland’s prestigious Executive of the Year Award. Mr. Abutaleb holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree, with an emphasis in communications and microelectronics, from the University of Maryland. He serves on several corporate and non-profit boards and is an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Mr. Abutaleb is married with three grown children and his family has resided in Montgomery County since the early-80’s.

Ms. Alice Santoro

Montgomery College

“I believe all community members should feel valued, supported and prepared to succeed. The team at Cornerstone Montgomery has shown through a commitment to providing comprehensive behavioral health services that they too believe this and are working to make this a reality. I am extremely honored to be able to support this work.”

Ms. Santoro is an associate dean of student affairs at Montgomery College where she chairs the campus behavioral intervention team and assists students in crisis. She has 24 years of experience in higher education, affording her a diverse professional background in the areas of public safety, emergency preparedness, academic advising, counseling and teaching. Ms. Santoro is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and works part-time as a mobile crisis clinician in Anne Arundel County. She has also supported community members by serving as a psychiatric rehabilitation aide in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County.

Mr. Joey Chambers

Capital Bank

Joey Chambers is Vice President of Business Development, Non-Profit Banking at Capital Bank. He has work in the financial services for over 30 years. Mr. Chambers started his career with Equitable/Maryland National bank and retired with successor Merrill Lynch. He has work in Consumer Bank, Human Resources Business Banking and Global Wealth Banking during his career. Mr. Chambers has hosted series of Lunch & Learn Seminars for the Non-Profit Community. In his free time Mr. Chambers serve as a Football Official for youth football in the Washington area.

Erkan Erdem, PhD

KPMG, LLP

Dr. Erdem is a Principal at KPMG, LLP with training and experience in program evaluation, policy analysis, statistical modeling, econometrics, and data analytics. He has extensive experience with health care reform, Medicare payment systems, risk adjustment, value-based payment models, and analyses based on health care claims databases. In recent years, Dr. Erdem has led health care projects for many Federal and state clients, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), New York State Department of Health, and Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) in Maryland, which involve program evaluation, data analytics, economic analyses, and development of tools and visualizations to. Dr. Erdem has authored many peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented his research at national conferences. Dr. Erdem holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from the Pennsylvania State University.

Ms. Christine Fruehwirth

FlexCareers Consulting

“In my coaching practice and within my own family, I have seen the benefits to those suffering from mental illness when those individuals have access to, and engage in, mental health treatment services such as those offered by Cornerstone Montgomery. As a career services professional, I am excited to see this outstanding organization’s commitment to helping clients find and keep employment to stay on the path to recovery. I look forward to joining this board and giving back to the Montgomery County community that I am honored to live in.”

Christine Fruehwirth has had more than 15 years of career counseling and life coaching experience through her successful business, FlexCareers Consulting. Her focus and passion has consistently been helping stay-at-home parents return to the workplace and working parents who are looking for more balance in their lives. From 2009 to 2019, Christine also worked as a Career Consultant and Instructor of a Career Management Strategy course at George Washington University, and most recently at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. ​

She developed an expertise in helping undergraduates of all majors recruit for and successfully obtain internships and full time positions in the Financial Services industry. She spent a decade in that industry focused on consumer and later investment banking, working for major financial institutions including Bank of America, Capital One and Wells Fargo. Her last few years in the industry were spent at Lending Tree on the senior leadership team.

Christine earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Villanova University in 1991 and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in 1996. She currently volunteers as a consultant through Compass Pro-Bono non-profit organization and as a Parent Ambassador for the Blue Ridge School where her youngest son attends.

Ms. Jennifer Jette

Friedlander Misler, PLLC

Ms. Jette is a Montgomery County native and a partner at Friedlander Misler, PLLC where she concentrates her practice in commercial real estate law, working with developers and investors in all aspects of the acquisition, development, sale, financing, and leasing of industrial and mixed-use property, multi-family housing, affordable housing projects, and office buildings. Ms. Jette also advises on various corporate matters and assists buyers and sellers of multifamily properties in the District of Columbia on compliance with the District of Columbia Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.

Mr. Joe Mills

St. John Vianney Parish

Mr. Mills is a retired engineer whose career included work in the private nuclear power sector as well as the Department of Defense.  He found a second career as a Deacon within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is assigned to St. John Vianney parish in Prince Frederick, Maryland.  He is involved in ministry both within the parish and in the southern Maryland community and in addition to serving on the Cornerstone Montgomery board, is a member of the Board of Directors for Project Echo (the local homeless shelter).  Mr. Mills also volunteers for NAMI and facilitates a support group for family members who have a loved one living with mental illness.

Ms. Cindy Rauner

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative​

Ms. Rauner is Senior Vice President of Human Resources and CHRO at Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative.  Cindy possesses over 20 years of human resources and organizational development experience.   Her expertise includes labor relations, performance management, recruitment, training and development, diversity, benefits and wellness administration.  She holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management.

Mr. Mark Robins

Aronson, LLC

” I believe in the Cornerstone Montgomery mission and that services provided to people with mental health disabilities are imperative to our local society, and can be life changing for the client. The postive community impact provided by Cornerstone Montgomery is inspiring.”

Mr. Robins is a partner with Aronson, LLC. He works in the firm’s Nonprofit and Association Industry Services Group. Mr. Robins specializes in assurance and consulting services for foundations, public charities, schools and service organizations. His experience with fair value concepts, investment portfolios, federal compliance and revenue recognition issues allows him to be a valued resource for nonprofit organizations. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of financial reporting and internal controls. He is a member of the Finance Committee.

Mr. John Wille

” Cornerstone Montgomery and Cornerstone Southern Maryland are a critical source of support to disadvantaged individuals with mental health issues.  Since 2018 I have seen both organizations successfully address the many challenges posed by the Covid pandemic and shortcomings in the state’s Medicaid programs, and have been proud to support management through these trying times. I look forward to continuing to provide inputs and advice to the organization as it navigates this continuously evolving healthcare environment.”

John Wille recently joined the Board as a result of the merger with Southern Maryland Community Network, where he was most recently Board President.  He is a presently a consultant specializing in technology solutions for international development. Previously, John spent 20 years with the World Bank, advising governments throughout the developing world on technology applications to improve public service delivery and attract foreign direct investment.  He also worked in Price Waterhouse’s consulting arm as well as in industry and banking. He has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.  He is married with three children including an autistic adult son.