Schaefer Center Announces Appointment of Three New Board Members
September 6, 2023
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy at The University of Baltimore has appointed three new board members to its advisory board. The board supports the center in its work as Maryland's preeminent resource for informed public-sector decision making and leadership development.
The new members are:
Sharonne Bonardi (pictured, left) has more than 30 years of experience in public service. She retired from state service in 2021 to join the Federation of Tax Administrators as Executive Director. FTA is the oldest association organized to support the country's state tax agencies. In 2015, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot appointed Bonardi as deputy comptroller for the State of Maryland, a position she held for more than six years. Prior to that appointment, Bonardi held numerous leadership positions within the Office of the Comptroller, including director, deputy director, assistant director, manager of the Hearings and Appeals Section, and attorney hearings officer within the agency's Compliance Division. Many of the positions she held were under the tutelage of then-Comptroller William Donald Schaefer. She also served the state as an administrative law judge with Maryland's Office of Administrative Hearings. Bonardi was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women by The Daily Record in 2016 and 2019. She also is a 2018 Maryland Center Club Women in Business Financial Services Trailblazer honoree and has received many other accolades. She serves as vice chairperson of the Board of Directors for SECU MD, Maryland's largest state-chartered credit union, and is past president of the Federation of Tax Administrators' Board of Trustees and the
Northeastern State Tax Officials Association. Bonardi holds a B.A. in English from Trinity University, and earned her doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law and an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University's Carey School of Business. She is active in numerous boards and civic organizations, including the Baltimore County Board of Appeals, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., and Baltimore Center Stage.
Ryan Fredriksson, M.P.A. '16 (pictured above, center), serves as vice president of government affairs at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, consistently ranked as one of the top three aquariums in the country. Fredriksson leads the National Aquarium's government affairs strategy, policy advocacy, and relationship development efforts with community, political, and government leaders. He directs the organization's engagement efforts regarding local, state and federal policies in support of its conservation priorities, including the stopping of plastics pollution, the combatting of climate change, and the preservation of wildlife and habitats. Prior to joining the National Aquarium in 2017, Fredriksson worked for the Schaefer Center for Public Policy as a graduate fellow and later a research analyst, where he helped develop assessments and strategic solutions to challenges facing several public and nonprofit organizations. He also has experience working directly for local and state elected leaders, including previously serving as a staff member in the Maryland General Assembly. He holds a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Towson University and an M.P.A. from The University of Baltimore.
Keiffer J. Mitchell, Jr. (pictured above, right) serves as vice president in BGR's State and Local Advocacy Practice, where he helps clients navigate issues at the state and local level and shares his bipartisan perspective as a former aide to a Republican governor, an elected Democratic state delegate, and a former Baltimore City councilman. Mitchell served in various roles for eight years under state Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, including acting chief of staff, chief legislative officer and senior counsel, and senior advisor. He worked with Gov. Hogan and cabinet agencies to prioritize policy issues as well as to advance budgets and the legislative priorities before the Maryland General Assembly. From 2011 to 2015, Mitchell served as an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where he served on the Judiciary Committee, the Economic Matters Committee, and the Baltimore Regional Revitalization Task Force. He previously served on the Baltimore City Council from 1995 to 2007. As a councilman, Mitchell was chair of the Taxation Committee and the Education Committee. In addition to his public service, Mitchell taught middle and high
school history at his alma mater, Boys' Latin School, and coached basketball and tennis. Currently, Mitchell serves on the Board of Directors at the Maryland Center for History & Culture, the Maryland Government Relations Association, and The Signal 13 Foundation. Mitchell holds a B.A. in political science from Emory University and a J.D. from the District of Columbia School of Law.
Learn more about the Schaefer Center of Public Policy.