Five Things I Have to Have Now

Louise Phipps Senft

Believing that good process and healthy dialogue between people in conflict is the secret to healthful living for individuals, organizations and communities, Louise Phipps Senft has taught hundreds in self-awareness techniques, mindfulness in conflict, and transformative practices from her Baltimore Mediation offices in Roland Park. Recently, she has been immersed in the controversy in Roland Park on the Keswick Multi-Care Center's plans for a continuing care retirement community there. She resides in Roland Park with her husband, Bill, and their five children, ages 6-18.

Five Things I Have To Have Now

Dan Keplinger

Dan Keplinger is a local artist whose life was the subject of the 1999 Oscar-winning documentary King Gimp. Although born with severe cerebral palsy, he has become a successful artist and public speaker. When he is not traveling, he is at work on new art shows that will open in Baltimore next year. You can see samples of his work at kinggimp.com. Keplinger lives in Towson.

Gregg Wilhelm

Gregg Wilhelm is executive director of CityLit Project, which presents festivals, conducts workshops and inspires youth to enjoy reading and writing. He founded the nonprofit in 2004 and hopes he has contributed to the area's resurgent literary-arts scene. Wilhelm also teaches book publishing courses at his alma mater, Loyola College. He and his wife live near Patterson Park. CityLit will present a free screening and discussion of the documentary Helvetica as part of Free Fall Baltimore tonight at 6 at the Charles Theatre.

Markand Thakar

Next Sunday afternoon, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra opens its 26th season under the baton of music director Markand Thakar with a concert at Goucher College's Kraushaar Auditorium. The program, in collaboration with the Handel Choir of Baltimore, includes favorites by Mozart, Vaughan Williams and Faure. Thakar, who also conducts the symphony orchestra and opera in Duluth, Minn., lives with his wife Victoria, professor of viola at the Peabody Conservatory, and son Oliver, in Owings Mills.

Marion Greenidge

If a woman stops you and asks "How is your heart health?", that's Theresa Volpe, Baltimore's spokeswoman and passionate ambassador for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, which encourages women to learn about heart disease. Volpe suffered a heart attack a year ago, when she was 38, and speaks to thousands of women about the importance of taking charge of their health. She will be sharing her story at Baltimore's Heart Walk on Oct. 25 at Federal Hill Park. Volpe lives in Lutherville with her husband and two daughters.

Five Things I Have To Have Now

Anthony J. Hoos

Anthony J. Hoos is a programming/traffic coordinator for two local access cable channels in Howard County and an adjunct professor at Howard Community College. But on weekend evenings, he can be found leading ghost tours in Ellicott City - a place that he calls "a spirit repository" and where, most of the time, the visitors who take his tour encounter the inexplicable, he says. Hoos lives in Oella with his wife and three small children.

Five Things I Have To Have Now

Dottie Freeman

This weekend is the 25th annual Maryland Wine Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster. The event is expected to draw thousands. The museum's educational efforts go on throughout the year. Dottie Freeman, the museum's administrator, began working there in 1986. "I feel strongly connected to the rural roots of Carroll County, having grown up with my grandparents and learning how to live off the land," she said. She lives in Westminster with her husband, Dusty.

Frances Hughes Glendening

Former Maryland first lady Frances Hughes Glendening is the head of Jobs for America's Graduates-District of Columbia Inc., a private, not-for-profit organization. She is president of the board of directors for the Maryland Women's Heritage Center and an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. Glendening lives in University Park.

Five Things I Have To Have Now

Steven Soifer

Steven Soifer, New York-born, moved to Baltimore in 1994 to take a job as associate professor of social work, University of Maryland, Baltimore. He has taught community organizing, community economic development

Ray Mitchener

Ray Mitchener grew up in North Carolina and came to Baltimore in 1972 to study fashion design at Towson State University. After jobs with Center Stage and Stewart's department stores, fashion maven Ruth Shaw hired him to be the buyer and manager for her high-end clothing boutique in Cross Keys. When Shaw retired in January, he bought the business.

Art Donovan

At age 84, Baltimore Colts' Hall of Fame defensive tackle Art Donovan says he doesn't need a lot. Since retiring from football in 1962, he has been an author, country club owner, speaker and TV commentator. Today he lives with his wife, Dorothy, at the Valley Country Club in Towson, which they own. "It's right up against [Interstate] 695. ... The traffic sounds like music. ... It takes me back to New York," says Donovan, who grew up in the Bronx.

Andy Cashman, Maryland State Fair assistant general manager

Although the Maryland State Fair runs for just 10 days, Andy Cashman's job runs all year long. The fair's assistant general manager for the past 11 years, he is responsible for everything from booking entertainment to locating portable toilets. Cashman, who was in 4-H as a kid, was involved with the Baltimore and Carroll county fairs before taking the job with the state fair. "I just love the fair business and think it's the greatest thing in the world," he says.

Five things I have to have now: Sally Thorner

Sally Thorner

After being diagnosed with noninvasive melanoma about six years ago, Sally Thorner eagerly spreads the word about protecting skin from the sun. That's why when her dermatologist, Dr. Mona Mofid at Johns Hopkins, asked her to co-author a children's book about the dangers of sun exposure, she put on her thinking cap. "Having no experience in this field, I enlisted my incredibly creative friend Barbara Dale. Together, we came up with Franny and Freddy Get Fried," says Thorner, who is married and has a son. The book is due out this summer.

Sister Elizabeth Anne Corcoran, Sisters of Mercy

While still a nursing student, Sister Elizabeth Anne Corcoran decided to enter the community of the Sisters of Mercy. "Sister Mary Thomas Zinkand (then Mercy president and CEO) was my mentor during my discernment period and a true friend until the day she died," said Corcoran. Since then, she has served in a variety of positions at Mercy Medical Center, including nurse recruiter, director of nursing and vice president for nursing. Corcoran is now assistant to the president for hospitality at Mercy.

Olive Waxter, director of the Hippodrome Foundation

Since January 2005, Olive Waxter has been director of the Hippodrome Foundation. The mission of this nonprofit partner of the Hippodrome Theatre is to increase access through education and outreach programs. The foundation has a free summer theater camp each year for kids interested in performing arts. Waxter says, "Their smiles take up half their faces" when they attend. Waxter lives in Baltimore City.

Donna Crivello, coffee bar owner

Donna Crivello, is founder and owner of Donna's cafes and coffee bars. In addition to running a chain of restaurants, she also teaches Mediterranean cooking classes at her restaurant in Columbia. Before she opened her first coffee bar in Mount Vernon in 1992, Crivello was a teacher and a graphic designer. Since then, Donna's has grown to include five locations in the Baltimore region.

John Miliauskas, marching band leader

In only his fourth year as director of Towson University marching band, John Miliauskas will be leading his musicians to the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. When he learned of the selection, Miliauskas felt a combination of excitement and relief; he had been applying for a spot for the past four years.

Conrad Bladey, artist

Self-proclaimed "cartist" Conrad Bladey has been creating works of art from cars for the past 20 years in Linthicum. The extravagant vehicles have become staples at the annual Artscape, where two years ago they were sans gas engines. Bladey then sought to create a human-powered art car, what he says was the natural progression in the project. The Art Gurney, devised from a gurney bought at the Maryland State Surplus Warehouse, was decorated with buttons and paint from other car projects and serves as a memorial to a friend who passed away during its construction.

Aileen Gabbey, executive director of the Maryland SPCA

Animal lover Aileen Gabbey has been with the Maryland SPCA since 1997. She began as the director of volunteers and events and moved to her current position of executive director in 1999.

Linda Biggs, fantasy artist

Linda Biggs is a Baltimore native and fantasy artist whose works are collected around the globe. After a long career in advertising and corporate commercial printing, she retired and began her new life as a full-time fine artist in 1999. Many of her vibrant watercolor images of fairies are licensed and re-created in a variety of products. Linda lives in Parkton, with her husband and two children.

Vincent Martinez, managing partner of Mosaic Nightclub & Lounge

Last year, when the owners of Mosaic in Power Plant Live wanted to retool the high-end lounge, they tapped Vincent Martinez for the job. Martinez, a Texas native who managed the Mosaic in Houston, moved to Baltimore in December and oversaw Mosaic's expansion and reopening in March. He now runs the club's daily operations. Martinez lives in Butcher's Hill.

Tracey Gaughran-Perez, blogger

Blogger Tracey Gaughran-Perez describes herself as a "prototypical Gen-Xer and mom." She is also the creator of the popular mommy blog Sweetney.com, as well as the pop culture blog MamaPop.com, and WeCovet.com, where she confesses her "sins of consumer covetousness." This being Mother's Day, she has some definite ideas of what she covets.

Doreen Bolger, director of the Baltimore Museum of Art

After 10 years on the job, Bolger says she still finds it thrilling. "I am most excited when I see people walking through galleries engaged in art and finding meaning to them," she says.

Sally White, vice president for Academic Affairs at the College of Notre Dame

Since the beginning of her term in the fall as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, Sally White has been working to bring a school of pharmacy to the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. The program, slated to start next year, will be the first of its kind created by a women's college. In her spare time, White enjoys spending time with her family and playing golf. She lives in Pikesville.

David Nevins, owner of Nevins & Associates

While working with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Nevins was encouraged by friends and associates to start his own marketing company. This year, Nevins & Associates celebrates its 25th annniversary.

Casey Jenkins, chef and owner of Darker Than Blue Cafe

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Casey Jenkins knows good food. He also is betting that he knows a good location when he finds it. Although his friends in New York wonder why he stays in a city made famous by TV crime dramas, Jenkins says he loves Baltimore. After working nearly 10 years in the food service industry here - mostly with Sodexho - Jenkins opened his own restaurant in September in Waverly. He named it Darker Than Blue Cafe after an old Curtis Mayfield song. Jenkins plans to eventually offer live jazz in the space upstairs.

Buddy W. Roogow, Maryland State Lottery Agency Director

Buddy W. Roogow's job is to give away money. As head of the state lottery agency since 1996, he has given away billions. "I do get a little envious at times," he says. "But we all have a certain role to play, and mine is to give away money."

Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College

Sanford J. Ungar was an editor for The Atlantic, managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine, staff writer of the Washington Post , a host on National Public Radio and director of Voice of America. But of all his jobs, he likes his current one, being president of Goucher College, the best.

Dave Trembley, Orioles manager

You can catch him on the field or riding his bicycle along the sandy shores of Daytona Beach, Fla. When Orioles' manager Dave Trembley's schedule is not filled with baseball, he is definitely thinking or talking about it. "It's my life," said Trembley.

Sascha Wolhandler, owner of Sascha's 527 Cafe

Armed with a crepe stove, Cinzano umbrellas, blue-and-white checkered tablecloths and "a whole lot of nerve," Sascha Wolhandler decided to open an outdoor cafe in Baltimore during the 1970s, after being inspired by her European travels. In the 1980s, she expanded by starting Sascha's Catering and Sascha's Silver Sacs, a lunchtime delivery service.

Edwin V. Avent, owner of Heart & Soul magazine

When he is not traveling on the road handling business, Edwin V. Avent can be found at his home in Hanover spending time with his wife and two sons. Since his purchase of Heart & Soul magazine in 2004, the 45-year-old has found ways to increase readership of the second-largest African American women's magazine in the country, through a Web site, conferences, and product branding.Avent recently launched a brand of products called the "Heart & Soul Healthy Weight Plan," and is working on creating a television show.

Alvin Katz, president and CEO of KAWG&F

Most people dread the period between early January and April 15. For Alvin Katz, it's just business as usual. The president and CEO of KAWG&F, one of the 10 largest accounting firms in the Baltimore area, has seen his company through quite a fair share of tax seasons.

Manil Suri, professor of mathematics and statistics

When Manil Suri isn't working on partial differential equations or trying to get more people interested in math, he can often be found honing his creative chops as a novelist. The professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County recently released his second title, The Age of Shiva, a story about maternal love and contemporary India. Suri's first novel, The Death of Vishnu, garnered the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and was a finalist for the Pen-Faulkner Award.

Creig Northrop, real estate agent

On a typical workday, Maryland native Creig Northrop usually wakes up about 6 a.m. and tries to squeeze in some tennis before getting to work about 9 a.m. Then he begins playing catch up with his e-mail inbox and prepares for bouts of meetings and appointments. It's all part of the job of heading a busy real estate office.

Henry Wong, owner of An die Musik

In 1990, Henry Wong and a few of his friends decided to open a revolutionary music store, An die Musik, in Towson. The business went green, recycling all music packaging, and became one of the first stores in the country to offer music listening stations that allow customers to sample CDs.

Dr. Robert L. Caret, President of Towson University

Maine native Dr. Robert L. Caret has spent most of his life in the world of academia. After receiving a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, he began teaching at Towson. At the conclusion of a 21-year stint - including positions as faculty member, dean, executive vice president and provost - at the school, Caret left to assume the presidency of San Jose State University in 1995. In 2003, he returned to the area to become president of Towson University.

Norm Lewis, chief meteorologist for ABC2News (WMAR)

Norm Lewis spends a lot of time with his head in the sky. Not only does he study the clouds for his nightly forecasts, but he's also a huge fan of astronomy. Lewis, a married father of two grown kids, learned about the weather while serving in the military. Since then, he's spent more than 30 years doing weather on TV in Baltimore. Lewis lives in Mount Airy with his wife, Linda.

Michael D. Golden, managing director of communications for Maryland Public Television

Michael D. Golden, managing director of communications for Maryland Public Television, lives in Millersville with his wife, Lisa, and three children. The 52-year-old Glen Burnie native also has a son in Texas.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore Commissioner of Health

When he was just 28 and a pediatrician-in-training, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein made headlines by helping write a report linking poor housing conditions to children's health. More recently, he made news with another fight on behalf of children's health when he led a group of pediatricians opposed to giving common cold medicines to infants and toddlers.

Jefferson A. Russell, actor

Jefferson A. Russell worked as a Baltimore police officer for four years, then as a juvenile probation officer, before giving up law enforcement to pursue his first love of acting.

Jack Everly, pops symphony conductor

Jack Everly is principal pops conductor of the Baltimore, Indianapolis, and National Arts Centre (Ottawa) symphony orchestras and music director for the Symphonic Pops Consortium in Indianapolis. He is also the music director of the Indianapolis Symphony's "A Yuletide Celebration" and music supervisor of the Baltimore Symphony's "Holiday Spectacular," which has its last performance of the season today.

Laura McManus, president of Mackenzie Ltd.

An avid gourmand, Laura McManus has spent the past 12 years as president of Mackenzie Ltd., a gourmet food mail-order company that sells various items such as crepes and caviar. Her job takes her around the world sampling fine foods, although she says her favorite is Spanish food, especially paella. "We try so many foods every week. ... I get to try so many amazing weird things."

Lisa Anne Portera, of Lisa Anne's Decadent Gifts

Sixteen years ago, Lisa Anne Portera started Lisa Anne's Decadent Gifts featuring a large Granny Smith apple drenched in caramel, chocolate and toffee. She has since created other sweet treats, which she sells out of her store at 2121 N. Charles St., and online at theapplelady.com.

Marin Alsop, BSO conductor

Marin Alsop is one of the busiest conductors on the scene today, and also one of the brightest (with a $500,000 "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation to prove it). Her energy, inquisitiveness and dry wit have made her quite a musical force, and local audiences are about to experience that force more often. The New York-born Alsop, 50, music director-designate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, will conduct several weeks of programs in the first half of 2007. She's likely to make an even bigger splash come September, with the start of her first full season as the first female music director of a major American orchestra.