Board of Directors | Former Board Members | Commitee Chairs
Advisory Board | Founding Families | Staff
Maria Filardi is an attorney at Jacobs & Dembert, P.A., a small firm located in downtown Baltimore where her practice focuses on business law. Maria received a B.A. in public policy, with a minor in computer science, from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Upon returning to her home state of Connecticut, she spent the next several years working for Sikorsky Aircraft as a software programmer, while simultaneously studying for her law degree at the University of Connecticut. Maria and her husband Vince chose to relocate to Baltimore in 1998 in conjunction with the start of Maria’s legal career, after searching for a vibrant, friendly, urban environment where Maria could preferably walk to work. They found just what they were looking for in the Otterbein neighborhood. Maria and Vince are parents to Ella and Peter, two school-aged children who both attend public city schools, one at The Green School of Baltimore, a public charter school, and the other at Federal Hill Preparatory School, an elementary/middle school. Maria has been an active participant in FHP’s PTO since 2006 and currently serves as a member of its School Family Council and Chair of its Grounds Committee. Maria is vice president of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance and is serving as interim chair of the advocacy committee.
Michele Esch is the administrator of the Conservation Grants Program at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, providing grants to farmers to implement best management practices on their farms. Michele moved to Baltimore in 1999 from New Jersey, where she received a bachelor's degree in natural resource management from Rutgers University. She now resides in Canton with her husband Eric and daughter Marin. In addition to her work with DBFA, Michele serves on the board of the Old Line chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Michele served as the chair of the events committee from 2007-2009 and is currently a member of the board of directors and interim events/programming chair.
Sara Shipley Bahris a part-time nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a full-time "mom" to her two children, Charlie and Alice and their Catahoula leopard dog Blue. Sara and her husband came to Baltimore in 2005 so Sara could attend the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. They soon fell in love with the city and in 2006 bought a home in Patterson Park. Prior to entering the nursing field, Sara graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in government and politics. She worked for three years in resource development at the Alaska Wilderness League in Washington, DC. Currently, Sara and her husband are active in the Patterson Park Neighborhood Association and volunteer their time at various local charities. Sara served as the chair of the resource development committee of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance from 2007-2009 and currently serves on the board of directors and as interim chair of the membership/fundraising committee.