The University of Baltimore Foundation has announced the appointment of a new board chair for a two-year term, along with four new board members, each for a renewable three-year term. The foundation is a designated 501c3, established in 1969. In addition to assisting in the financial well-being of the institution, the board also provides leadership, oversight and guidance to The University of Baltimore administration in advancing the mission of the institution.
Members also serve as UBalt's Board of Visitors, where they provide advice and ideas to the president, deans and others. They also participate on search committees for senior level positions as well as on committees regarding institutional strategy and accreditation.
Arthur E. Flach, M.S. '83, has been named chair of the board. Flach has served on the UBalt Foundation Board since 2020. He has more than 40 years of experience and previously served as an adjunct professor of taxation at The University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business, for which he was awarded the 2020 Adjunct Faculty of the Year and the 2018 Richard Bucher Award Winner for Outstanding Adjunct Faculty. Prior to starting his own merger and acquisition consulting firm, Flach served as the Partner in Charge of Grant Thornton's Baltimore office as well as the tax practice leader. In addition to his leadership, he was responsible for income tax planning, tax provision and internal controls work, as well as tax consultation and compliance responsibilities for major Mid-Atlantic clients.
Flach was responsible for numerous client engagements providing tax structuring and planning for significant merger and acquisition transactions. In addition to UBalt's Merrick School of Business Accounting Advisory Board and Dean's Advisory Council, Flach has served on the boards of numerous local organizations, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Junior Achievement of Central Maryland and the Maryland Association of CPAs. Flach received gubernatorial appointments to the State of Maryland Banking Board and the State of Maryland Board of Public Accountancy. He became a member of the University of Baltimore Foundation's Audit and Finance Committee in 2018 and took on the role of Committee Chair in 2020.
The four new Board members, three of whom are alumni of UBalt, will participate in fundraising and other activities designed to provide financial support to the University.
The new board members are:
Peter Beilenson, MD, MPH, has served on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the past 25 years. He has also taught at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as well as Morgan State University's Public Health Program. Beilenson brings 20 years of experience in public health leadership, having previously served as the Health Officer of Howard County; in the administration of Howard County Executive Ken Ulman; and as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner in the administrations of Mayors Kurt Schmoke and Martin O'Malley. Beilenson is co-author of the 2012 book Tapping Into The Wire: The Real Urban Crisis, which utilized the Baltimore-based TV series as a road map for exploring correlations between inner city poverty and drug-related violence. Charged by County Executive Ulman to develop the model public health program in the state, Beilenson's five-year tenure as health officer saw the implementation of the national award-winning Healthy Howard Initiative, a program that set criteria for more healthful restaurants and workplaces, set safety standards, and identified healthcare solutions for the working uninsured. From 2012-17 he served as CEO and president of the Evergreen Health Cooperative, a member-oriented health care model authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Dr. Beilenson received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, his Medical Doctorate from Emory University School of Medicine, and a master's degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Terri D. Brown, M.B.A. '00, serves as director of Arbitration Services for the National Mediation Board (NMB). With more than 25 years of experience in labor relations, mediation, arbitration, and dispute resolution, she is responsible for all aspects of grievance and interest arbitration in the airline and railroad industries. Brown has served as NMB's director since March 2020. She joined the NMB in 2002 as a mediator and was subsequently promoted to senior mediator in 2010. Brown holds an MBA from The University of Baltimore, a J.D. from Howard University, and a B.A. from Chatham University. She is a member of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution.
Katie Dregier Fones, J.D. '00, is an attorney and senior real estate advisor whose career spans more than two decades of guiding individuals and families through complex legal, financial, and asset-based decisions. She began her legal career in 2000, spending 17 years practicing family law across Maryland and California. During that time, Fones developed expertise in asset division, fiduciary obligations, property valuation, and dispute resolution, and served as a partner at Miles & Stockbridge. In 2017, Fones transitioned her practice to residential real estate, bringing her legal foundation directly to bear on high-value transactions across Maryland and the San Francisco Bay area. Working with various brokerages in both markets, she advises clients on risk management, asset stewardship, and long-term planning. Fones holds active bar memberships in both Maryland and California, along with real estate licenses in those states. She is affiliated with the Baltimore County Bar Association, the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Marin County Bar Association, the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors, and the San Francisco Association of Realtors.
Matthew T. Scassero, M.P.A. '17, is a leadership and operations consultant, advisor, and mentor whose career spans more than four decades of public service. He retired from the U.S. Navy after 27 years of service, culminating as vice commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Following his military career, Scassero served as chief contracts officer at Melwood, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through employment and rehabilitative services. There, he helped grow the organization's portfolio by 36 percent across 42 contracts while employing more than 900 people, 75 percent of whom were individuals with disabilities. Scassero turned his entrepreneurial energy to higher education, founding and directing two research organizations at the University of Maryland. As founder and director of the UMD Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site, he led Maryland's efforts to integrate drone technology into the national airspace. He later founded and directed the UMD Clark School of Engineering MATRIX Lab, advancing autonomous technologies, interdisciplinary research, and community-based educational partnerships until his retirement from the university in 2025. Today, Scassero serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including Warfighter Advance, The University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs MPA Advisory Board, and the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance. Scassero holds a B.S. in Physics/Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy and a master's degree in Public Administration from The University of Baltimore.
Learn more about The University of Baltimore Foundation.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, The University of Baltimore School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.