Meet Ben Danner, MND’s President of the Board
The Maryland New Directions Board of Directors recently elected a new president – and he just happens to have a unique family connection to our organization’s history. Ben Danner is Deputy General Counsel & Chief M&A Counsel at McCormick & Company, and he is also the grandson of Mandy Goetze, who founded Maryland New Directions (originally known as New Directions for Women) in 1973.
We recently spoke to Ben about continuing his family’s legacy and his vision for his tenure at our board’s helm.
What is it like to follow in your family’s footsteps by staying involved with MND?
MND is a great organization that has been around for a very long time now, and our family is very proud of it. My family has been committed to Baltimore for ages. My grandparents owned the Goetze Meat Packing Co. until it closed in the 70s, and they both remained very active in the community. My grandmother has been especially committed to women in the workplace – I think she was inspired by the increasing number of divorcees and widows entering the workforce after World War II. She is a founding member of the National Alliance of Professional and Executive Women’s Networks, as well as the founder of Maryland New Directions, which was originally focused on helping housewives reenter the workforce. Even though MND is now focused on completely different skill sets, it still makes sense to have our family represented on the board. I hope my grandmother is proud that I’m taking over some piece of the legacy.
What are your goals for your time as president of the board?
My goal is to be a responsible steward of the organization. What’s really compelling about the board is how seriously it takes its role and the strategic vision for the organization. The pandemic has shown everyone where they are strong and where they have room to develop. The organization stands on a strong foundation, and now it’s about putting the infrastructure in place to grow responsibly – increasing our donor base and getting more people through the door. I’ve learned a lot from the previous board chairs and watching Grace Lee lead this organization so skillfully – and I hope I can help us hit all the right points and make a positive impact.
What do you enjoy most about being involved with MND?
I have lived in D.C. for years now, and there is no shortage of organizations here that I could choose to work with. But Baltimore is a unique community that has gone through a lot more than other cities, and I feel it has a greater need than other cities. This organization is fundamentally about second chances and helping people get their foot in the door. By focusing on people who need and want jobs and helping them find their way to long-term, medium- to high-paying careers, MND is helping people change their lives through employment – which then carries through to the next generation. And that’s incredibly compelling to me.
What do you see next for MND?
This is an unprecedented time for employment – I think we need to focus on awareness and telling more people in the community that we’re here. MND has programs set up to help with job transitions of any kind – to help people gain new skills, make more money than they may be making now, and find a career path that will set them up for the future. We have great programs, a passionate group of staff, board members, and volunteers, and a lot of community buy-in – we just need to focus on reaching more people. This is our time to shine.
A Coach on the Court and in Life
Our clients count on Charles “Charlie” Hurt to coach them through life’s obstacles so they can shoot for success—earning job certifications and finding careers they love.
Basketball coaches recruit players, train them, and help them achieve their goals—whether it’s making it to the NBA, becoming a Hall of Famer, or simply learning what it means to be a team player or to work hard for your dreams. Our basketball-loving job coach, Charlie Hurt, would tell you that he does the very same thing for clients at Maryland New Directions. Working with our 18 to 24-year-old clients, Charlie recruits program participants, trains them, and helps them obtain certifications and employment opportunities in industries such as hospitality and guest services, commercial transportation, distribution and logistics, and more.
A longtime “sports guy,” Charlie considers himself to be a coach in every aspect—a basketball coach, a job coach, and a life coach. “My clients call me Coach Hurt because that’s what I am,” he shares. “I do more than help my clients find jobs—I coach them through life barriers like criminal backgrounds, living in impoverished areas, substance abuse issues, abuse, or the fact that they’re right out of high school with no clear career choices.”
Every new job coaching session with Charlie starts with him sharing his story in order to build trust with clients. “Relationships are so important when working with younger people,” says Coach Hurt. “And building relationships starts with finding a common ground. Oftentimes, my past experiences, life choices, and struggles help me connect with people.”
Charlie’s story starts in East Baltimore, where he was born and raised. “Growing up, basketball was my safe haven,” he shares. “I wanted to pursue a basketball career, which meant I needed to play at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School—and I did.” After being recruited to play basketball at several colleges, including the University of Pittsburgh, UMass, and Old Dominion University—Charlie found himself in a bad situation, which led to his arrest.
“I couldn’t point fingers at anyone—my bad choices were why I ended up in that situation,” he says. “During my time in prison, I decided I would use the gifts God gave me to teach younger folks valuable life skills—to let them know they have the power to accomplish their goals and dreams.”
During his incarceration, Charlie was an integral part of shaping a program called ROPE, Reaching Out to Provide Enlightenment, which taught people the importance of their actions. After his release, he worked as a mentor and advisor with several organizations, including a Psychiatric Rehabilitation program, Job Corps, and the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy. His passion for mentorship and advising led him to Maryland New Directions in July 2019.
“Joining Maryland New Directions as a job coach gave me the chance to help people find new life opportunities,” says Charlie. “It takes patience, endurance, and a sincere effort, but I want my clients to know that the door is never closed. It just takes dedication and hard work.”
Working with our younger clients, Coach Hurt usually has 20 participants in his program each year, assisting them with interviewing and networking preparation, resume writing, employment readiness training, and even accompanying many of them to job interviews. Someday, Charlie aspires to launch his own non-profit organization and apply his knowledge on and off the court to teach youth between the ages of eight to 16 about conflict resolution through basketball. “Each day, I set out to help people at Maryland New Directions redefine themselves,” he adds. “I want people to win in life, and I think we can do that together.”
A Decade of New Directionss
Meet Sonya Harrison, the first MND client to be hired as a full-time job coach, as she celebrates 10 years of service
“I always tell my clients that they were supposed to meet me. I was supposed to be your coach.”
This is how Sonya begins her first meeting with every new client on her case load. And as a job coach for Maryland New Directions, a non-profit organization providing no-cost employment coaching and specialized career training to people in and around Baltimore City, Sonya meets her clients at all stages of their lives. Some are re-entering the workforce after a prison sentence. Some are survivors of domestic abuse wanting to regain their independence. Others hold PhDs and have had accomplished careers, but are looking for a new path. The one common thread that ties Sonya’s clients together? They want a better life, and to get there they need a new job.
Regardless of their circumstances, Sonya can relate to this desire in her clients, because she experienced it herself. Ten years ago, she was 17 years into a career in retail management. She earned a decent income, had successfully raised her daughter, and owned her own home. But she was tired of the work schedule required in the retail world and was ready to transition to a career that would feel more rewarding. But with no high school diploma and a lack of computer skills, she felt her options were limited. Then in 2010, Sonya attended a job fair that would change the rest of her life.
There, she met Stephen Thomas, who is now lead instructor at Maryland New Directions (MND). He handed her his business card and encouraged her to check out their programs.
“It was maybe a month later that I was standing in my bedroom and something said to my spirit, ‘call Steve Thomas.’ That was in August 2010,” says Sonya. “Steve told me what Maryland New Directions did, and he said, ‘if you’re unemployed, why don’t you join our training?’ I had nothing to lose, I was getting my unemployment benefits, so I started the training.”
Over the next few weeks, Sonya would complete a free two-week training course at MND, be placed in a new part-time job, and be invited by MND’s executive director to assume an internship with the organization. She performed so well, the internship was extended for a second term. While interning, Sonya was matched with an accredited online course – paid for by MND – that prepared her to pass her GED exam in 2011. She then became the first former MND client to be hired as a full-time job coach.
“When I got to MND, I was at the point where I was tired of working all the time, on the weekends, the late-night calls, the emergencies, and being responsible for another person’s business,” she says. “I had been praying to the Lord that I was ready for a transition. And since joining MND, human services and Sonya are almost like Jello – we jiggle! This is not a job for me, it’s a lifestyle.”
Ten years later, Sonya has worked with hundreds of men and women in Baltimore City to help them discover their next career path. Each month, she performs intakes with new clients to discuss their goals, their barriers, and guide them in the next steps of their journeys. She matches clients with MND’s three career training programs, reviews resumes and cover letters, holds mock interviews, leads workshops, and speaks with potential employers. As needed, she helps clients apply for unemployment benefits, finds childcare, arranges transportation, provides bus tokens, even buys shoes – anything her clients need to successfully complete their training and arrive at their interviews prepared. As COVID left more and more people out of work, Sonya’s dedication never wavered. Unable to meet with clients in person, she did intakes from her car outside her clients’ homes, held meetings via phone and FaceTime, and led workshops online.
Sonya has continued her own professional development as well. She is now a certified case manager, a certified offender workforce development specialist, a grief instructor, a certified youth and young adult career development facilitator, has taken courses in mental health, and more. She has a goal to earn a new credential or certification every year – anything to help her better serve her clients.
It’s because of this commitment that Sonya recently reached her newest career milestone – being promoted to MND service coordinator. In this new role, she will continue to coach clients, but will also work with all new job coaches, training them on the organization’s policies and procedures, and helping to ensure the coaching team reaches its goals.
“I could be working anywhere in the world, doing anything, but for me, God has placed me here,” she says. “This isn’t just a job, it’s a ministry. I’m supposed to pour into people; motivate, encourage, and inspire them, wherever they might be when I meet them. Everything I do is about more than helping someone find a job – it’s helping them have a better quality of life. I love the feeling of someone saying ‘Miss Sonya, I got the job!’ – it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Stephen Thomas: A Jack of All Trades
Our lead training facilitator was instrumental in launching MND’s virtual training programs during COVID
If you’ve participated in one of our career training programs within the past six years, you’ll likely recognize Stephen Thomas as the face at the front of the classroom. As lead training facilitator at Maryland New Directions, Stephen has played a critical role in building the curricula for our Maritime, Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (MTDL) and Commercial Transportation Careers (CTC) programs and guides a new cohort of clients through these courses each month.
Stephen is uniquely qualified for his role, to say the least. In addition to his passion for public service, his background includes experience in theatre, customer service, teaching, and even video game design, which have all served him and MND well in helping our clients navigate their own career journeys.
In March 2020, when the pandemic forced MND to immediately shut down our in-person training sessions, it was largely Stephen’s dedication and ingenuity that helped us get back up and running within just six days. We were in the middle of our three-week CTC program at the time, and Stephen jumped into action and quickly created online surveys to ensure our clients could still complete their training and take the CDL learner’s permit exam virtually.
Working tirelessly over the next few weeks, Stephen fully transitioned our training programs online by customizing a virtual classroom on Moodle – an open-source learning platform many teachers use – and quickly got to work assisting clients with tech support as he learned to navigate the system himself. Drawing on his knowledge of gaming, Stephen integrated video games, videos, and other interactive content into the trainings – making each session engaging and effective while learning remotely.
“It took a significant amount of work to prepare the Moodle classroom. I did it at home on graphics software, and spent hours searching YouTube for the best videos. I even recorded and narrated some of the educational videos myself,” he says. “But it’s all worth it. It helps our clients find an awesome job so they can provide for themselves and their families. I couldn’t ask for a more rewarding career.”
Considering his own career journey, Stephen knows first-hand what it’s like to want more out of a job. When the video game company he was working for closed, he knew he wanted his next role to be more meaningful.
“I made a promise to myself that I would work for a non-profit organization,” he says. “I knew I was done with the ‘sorry, that’s just business’ culture that I experienced at my last jobs.”
After dipping his toes in the non-profit realm with AmeriCorps and helping with fire response and first aid safety in Baltimore, Stephen found himself at MND. “Executive Director Grace Lee took a chance hiring me as a job coach. I started off helping people who had recently been released from prison, or were about to be,” says Stephen. “I assisted them with job searches, writing resumes, and making sure they had a secure plan in place.”
Stephen has served as MND’s lead trainer since 2015 – planning, developing, facilitating, and reporting on all training curricula. As part of his role, he connects with MND’s hiring partners to see what type of workers and skillsets they are looking for, and from there, he develops trainings based on their employee “wish lists” and criteria. “Our special partnerships with employers help us make placements while ensuring our clients are hired—it’s a real win-win,” he adds.
When planning MND’s different training agendas, Stephen truly goes above and beyond to ensure clients get the very most out of the courses. With his extensive research and program preparation, he has obtained certifications for workforce services such as operating a lift truck, working in a warehouse, and more. “If I understand the logistics of what we’re training these people to do, I can do everything I can to help them be successful,” he shares. “When I know what the client is looking for, I can make the training process easier for them, or steer them in the direction they need to go in order to achieve their goal.”
As the aftermath of the pandemic begins to settle, Stephen looks forward to embracing a new hybrid training model for our programs. “We do everything that we can to prepare our clients for jobs, so if the hybrid option is the best solution moving forward, then we’ll take the necessary steps to offer that in the future,” he shares. “My goal at MND is to set our clients up for success in a way that works best for them. That’s how we make people’s lives better.”
Restoring Hope in Baltimore
Program Director Maurice Good returned to his hometown to give back, and is now changing lives through employment at Maryland New Directions
Beyond being a key member of our leadership team, Maurice also oversees our lead instructor and job coaches, ensuring they have the guidance and resources they need to best serve MND’s clients. In addition, he also meets regularly with stakeholders, including public officials and employers, to help raise awareness for MND’s mission and seek new opportunities to fill Baltimore’s employment needs.
“Our goal is to connect job seekers with livable wage career opportunities,” he says. “That means a big part of my role is identifying those industries that are on the rise and building relationships with employers and other community stakeholders. We then strive to build training modules to help job seekers gain the knowledge and credentials that will allow them to take advantage of those opportunities. My position continues to evolve, and that’s very exciting for me.”
Maurice has dedicated his 20+ year career to youth workforce development and creating alternative education and employment opportunities in underserved communities. And this is actually his second stint with MND – he initially worked with us back in 2000, leading our youth initiatives for a time before moving to New York City. He spent nearly 15 years in NYC, providing leadership and vision for several youth development and alternative to incarceration programs in the South Bronx. But after seeing the social unrest that erupted in Baltimore following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, Maurice felt compelled to return home.
“I love my hometown, and after watching the uprising in April 2015, I decided to cash in a few of my retirement accounts and come home, just to give back,” he says. “I went back to my old neighborhood in southwest Baltimore and started using the skills I had gained academically and professionally to pursue philanthropy work and assist with several grassroots non-profits in the city.”
His journey would lead him back to MND in 2017, when executive director Grace Lee encouraged him to apply for the opening of program director. After securing the position, one of his most immediate contributions would be to help launch the Commercial Transportation Careers (CTC) program, which helps job seekers earn their CDL-B (commercial driver’s license) learner’s permit and secure employment with local transportation providers. Since 2017, at least 194 individuals have completed the CTC program and started new careers with employers like Transdev and the MTA.
“I recently learned one of our clients who earned her CDL with us just celebrated her 29th birthday in Mexico,” says Maurice. “Three years ago, this young lady came to us as a single mother of two who was working two jobs to raise her family. To think she’s now in a position to vacation in another country – that’s amazing to me. It’s very rewarding to help people improve their quality of life through employment.”
From Maurice’s perspective, providing these employment opportunities is vital to improving life in Baltimore City.
“For me, to move the city forward, you have to get the residents excited about Baltimore. And you do that by putting them in a position where they can earn a higher wage to take care of themselves and their families. If a person can advance from making minimum wage at two or three jobs, to making $22 an hour at one job, with better benefits, they are able to move their family to a better circumstance. And now they’re excited about where they are in the trajectory of their life, and their family’s life, and that gives them hope. At MND, we want people to know that we are here to support them and give them that sense of hope. We’re very proud to be part of the solution for the challenges in the city.”
And it seems employment solutions are needed now more than ever, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created both a new pool of job seekers, and an unprecedented need for workers. While admitting that having to quickly shift from in-person to virtual training was a huge challenge, Maurice also believes the pandemic created many opportunities that will help MND in the long run.
“As an organization, COVID gave us the push we needed to go virtual, which was a direction we had wanted to explore anyway, but we hadn’t had the time to figure it out,” he says. “Our name is ‘Maryland New Directions,’ but before we went virtual, we really only served the Baltimore metro area. But now, we can reach people out west, on the Eastern Shore, and elsewhere for the first time and truly represent the whole state. We have also worked closely with employers during COVID to create more employment opportunities for our clients. While the hospitality and transportation industries were hurting, the supply chain was thriving, and that created even more openings for our Maritime, Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics (MTDL) program. And because we were virtual, our employer partners were more available to present directly to our clients and talk about their companies and promote their job openings. Our role has been to keep our ear to the ground, listen to employers, and help address the needs of the community.”
Looking to the future, Maurice hopes that in addition to expanding on the virtual training opportunities created by the pandemic, MND can eventually expand its physical footprint, too.
“I would love to get us to the position where we have our own space to not only offer the classroom training we have now, but also our own vehicles to provide behind-the-wheel training,” he says. “If we have our own forklifts and our own commercial vehicles, we won’t have to rely on partners to provide that training, and it will help us provide even more value to employers and grow as an organization.”
And growing as an organization means helping more clients achieve their goals and dreams, which is what keeps Maurice going.
“My favorite part of my job is witnessing when clients get to the point in their journey where they see their own success,” he says. “That’s what fuels my fire and drives me – to see our clients live their best lives.”