Past Honorees - 2008 (5769)

Johns Hopkins Medicine Community Service Award
Accepted by Gregory F. Schaffer 
President of The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

A member of the Johns Hopkins Bayview team since 1995, Gregory F. Schaffer was named president of the Medical Center in 1999.

Prior to his Hopkins Bayview career, Schaffer was vice president of facilities and support
services from 1992 to 1995 at S. Vincent's Medical Center, Staten Island, New York. He also held executive positions at the Hospital of S. Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut, and McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Schaffer also served as director of emergency medical services in New Britain, Connecticut from 1977 to 1980 and as director of emergency medical services for eastern Connecticut from 1974 to 1977.

Schaffer earned a master of science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Central Connecticut State University.

A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Schaffer also serves as secretary of the Southeast Baltimore Community Development Corporation and vice chairman of the Greektown Community Development Corporation. A past president of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, he is a trustee of the IND, a Lifeboard member of the Chesapeake & Potomac Region of the American Red Cross, and a trustee of the American Kidney Fund.

Schaffer currently is an associate faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and a preceptor for the master’s program in healthcare administration at George Washington University.

Chester (Chet) Burrell assumed duties effective December 1, 2007 as President and Chief Executive Officer of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the leading provider of health benefit services to 3.3 million members in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Prior to joining CareFirst, Burrell was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RealMed Corporation, an Indianapolisbased company that serves more than 20,000 providers. Under Burrell’s leadership, RealMed created and directed the company’s relationships with numerous Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Over five years at RealMed, he developed a sophisticated Internet-based system for claims processing and adjudication that is widely used by Blue Cross Blue Shield plans as well as by the company’s provider clients.

Before joining RealMed in 2002, Burrell was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Novalis Corporation, a groundbreaking managed care and health-technology company offering operational support to provider-sponsored care networks. Contracts he negotiated with large academic medical centers became the core of several major regional health care networks. The first of these networks created Preferred Health Network of Maryland, Inc., in Baltimore, a managed health care plan subsequently acquired by CareFirst.

From 1987 to 1995, Burrell served as Executive Vice President of Associated Insurance Companies of Indiana, the predecessor corporate organization that became Anthem BlueCross BlueShield (now WellPoint). Earlier, Burrell was President of the Albany Division of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which at the time was the nation’s largest nonprofit health insurer. Prior to his Empire experience, he was President and CEO for Blue Cross of Northeastern New York, serving subscribers in Upstate New York.

During a 10-year career with state government in New York, he served in various senior-level positions including Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Office of Mental Health; Deputy Director for New York State Office of Health Systems Management, the state's health regulatory agency; and New York State Governor’s Staff, Division of the Budget. Burrell earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Political Science from Allegheny College in 1969 and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Albany in 1971.

Throughout his career, he has been active in a number of community and health care organizations, including local Red Cross chapters, the Edy Foundation (an assisted living/nursing home/continuous care organization) in New York State, and the Chamber of Commerce, Capital District, New York. He and his wife live in Washington, DC.

Mr. Swirnow is founder and chairman of Harborview Properties Development Company and was the key developer that transformed the 42 acre former Bethlehem Steel Shipyard on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor into the sprawling urban resort known as HarborView Marina & Yacht Club. HarborView is a world-class residential development that includes luxury townhomes and penthouse style condominiums, a pedestrian promenade extending 1,000 feet into the harbor, a 280 slip marina, and has plans for five more luxury residential towers, additional marina slips and upscale retail/restaurant and commercial establishments.

The harbor’s revitalization has been hailed as a perfect symbol of America’s continuing urban renaissance as a “Grand New City” on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Mr. Swirnow is credited with launching the residential renaissance of downtown Baltimore.

In addition, Mr. Swirnow is chairman and president of TIA, Inc., which held controlling interests in Target Logistics, a national freight forwarding company, and TradeWinds International Airlines, a US 121 certified scheduled cargo and charter airline. Additionally, since 1964 Mr. Swirnow’s companies developed, managed, leased, sold and partnered extensive residential and commercial real-estate projects and subdivisions in Maryland, South Carolina, Florida and other states across the nation.
Previously, Mr. Swirnow’s business involvements also included ownership and management of companies in the healthcare, banking, manufacturing and building products industries. Mr. Swirnow graduated from Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree and began his career on research projects sponsored by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Air Force.

Mr. Swirnow’s civic involvements are many.

He served on the Advisory Board of the Maryland Science Center, and on the “Blue Ribbon” Commission to save the USS Constellation, the last surviving warship of the Civil War, and was later appointed to the Board of Directors of the Constellation Foundation. He is the annual sponsor of Cruise for Kids held by the Easter Seals Society for Disabled Children & Adults, and founder of Adopt a Turkey in Baltimore which provides 70,000 pounds of Thanksgiving dinners to the less fortunate.

Richard and his wife Rae dedicated the Swirnow Videoscopic Surgery Center at the University of Maryland Medical System, the Richard & Rae Swirnow Theater at The Johns Hopkins University Cultural Arts Center, The Richard & Rae Swirnow Center for Excellence in Training at the Easter Seals Inter-Generational Center in Silver Spring, The Richard A. Swirnow Computer-Integrated Surgical and Interventional Systems Mock Operating Room at Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus and The Swirnow Family Director’s Suite for the Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design, also at Johns Hopkins. They also lent their support to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for The Richard A. and Rachel M. Swirnow Symposium in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and The Richard A. and Rachel M. Swirnow Residency Prize, along with various other grants. Johns Hopkins also just recently formed the Swirnow Family Scholar and The Richard and Rachel Swirnow Fellowship Fund Endowment at the Whiting School of Engineering.

Richard and Rae Swirnow are the proud parents of three children and six grandchildren.

Woman of Valor Award
Hon. Suzanne Mensh

Judge Suzanne Mensh served as judge of the Orphans’ Court of Baltimore County for 24 years, of which 19 years she served as Chief Judge. The Orphans’ Court, among its many duties, administers estates and conducts judicial probate. Following her tenure with the Orphans’ Court, Judge Mensh became Clerk of the Circuit Court of Baltimore County, in which capacity she serves to this present day.

Over the years, Judge Mensh served in various professional capacities, including the Judicial Ethics Committee for the Maryland Judiciary, to which she was reappointed several times by two of the Chief Judges of the Court of Appeals, Chief Justice Robert Murphy and Chief Justice Robert Bell. She is Past President of the Maryland Association of Orphans’ Court Judges, and Past President of the Maryland Circuit Court Clerk’s Association. She also served on the Human Resource Policy Committee, which established state-wide personnel policies now in effect for the Maryland Judiciary.

Judge Mensh’s civic involvement included serving as president of the Baltimore Zionist Federation, and secretary of the board of the Jewish National Fund. She also served on several boards, including the Board of Baltimore County General Hospital (formerly Northwest Hospital), and the Foundation Board of Towson State University.

Corporate Achievement Award
Hilton Baltimore
Accepted by Linda Norman

Young Leadership Award
Don Tkatch

BDon Tkatch is a 17 year veteran in the field of gourmet catering. Don’s entrée into catering began in his native Kansas City learning the craft from the top chefs and directors of catering in the industry.

His expansive knowledge and adaptive ability made him a rising star in the hospitality industry, taking him to Chicago and ultimately Washington, DC to further his expertise. Don has built his reputation on hard work and integrity and has consistently provided his clients with honest and top notch service. He loves working with people to make their special day be truly their most special and memorable day.

Don’s ambition guided his move upward to buying into, and becoming managing partner of, Catering by Weiss in 2002. He also maintains a controlling interest in Schmell & Azman Bakery.

Don dedicates his career to updating the most current trends available in all aspects of the art of contemporary gourmet catering which continues the prestigious and prominent name that has always been associated with Catering by Weiss.

Don and his wife Chani reside in Baltimore and are the proud parents of three children, and they are members of Shomrei Emuna Congregation.