Howard County Executive-Elect Dr. Calvin Ball has been serving Howard County since 2006 as the County Council member. Calvin is a former Howard County Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician who served as a three-term Councilmember. He made history in 2006 when he was elected as the youngest Council Chairman ever in Howard County. Calvin remains dedicated to making our community a better, brighter place for future generations.

A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Calvin, an educator, received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Towson State University, a Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore and was awarded a Doctor of Education from Morgan State University.

Calvin has been honored with numerous awards including the Michaeline R. Fedder Award for Public Health Legislator of 2015, the Marilyn J. Praisner Public Service Award, Daily Record’s 2014 Very Important Professionals Successful by 40 Award, William Donald Schaeffer Helping People Award, Louis Goldstein Award for Democratic Spirit, the Kittleman Award for Legislative Leadership, Community Champion of the Year Award, Jenkins Odoms, Jr., Freedom Fighter Award, Richard C. McCauley Transformative Leader Award, Humanitarian Award, and 2018 Senator James Clark Award.

A Maryland native and Columbia resident, Calvin and his wife, Shani Ball, RN, BSN, are proud parents of two daughters who both attend Howard County Public Schools. Calvin gained his passion for public service from his parents Calvin Ball Jr. and Carolyn Ball.

Janine Lind is the President of Enterprise Community Development, the largest nonprofit affordable housing developer in the Mid-Atlantic and an affiliate of Enterprise Community Partners. In this role, she leads the Community Development division’s high-impact residential development, preservation, asset and property management, and resident services work and its $1.4 billion portfolio of 115 communities serving 24,000 residents.

Lind is an experienced leader with an extensive background in community development and affordable housing, having led companies with portfolios ranging from 15,000 to 40,000 homes across 28 states, including substantial experience in the Mid-Atlantic. Most recently she served as MidPen Housing Corporation’s first chief operating officer, where she oversaw the organization’s work to develop and manage high-quality affordable housing in Northern California.

Lind’s career includes leadership roles at Progress Residential, Cerberus Capital, Edgewood Management Corporation, Guardian Management, and WinnCompanies.

Lind is the founder of the Permanent Supportive Housing Coalition, a Bay Area group of eight nonprofits focused on driving systems and policy change. She also is a board and advisory member of the Housing Partners Insurance Exchange and has been a member of the National Apartment Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council. She previously served as the vice chair of the Affordable Housing Management Association’s legislative and regulatory affairs committees.

Janine holds an M.B.A. in real estate finance from Marylhurst University, a B.A. in marketing from the American College of Applied Arts, and has earned the reputable certified property manager designation through the Institute for Real Estate Management. She is an associate certified coach through the International Coaching Federation, a Gallup-certified strengths coach, and a recipient of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Certificate in Public Leadership. She speaks fluent English and Dutch and is proficient in German.

Jennifer Jones has over 20 years of business and leadership experience in the private

and public sectors.

As Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority,

Jennifer is responsible for being a catalyst for economic growth, supporting existing

businesses, targeting new businesses, and working with stakeholders to set the vision

and direction for Howard County that positions it as a regional, national, and

international business location.

In her years in the public sector, she has been an integral part of the Howard County

business ecosystem, directly assisting and helping thousands of Howard County

businesses who have grown to know and trust her. As a former Deputy Chief of Staff in

Howard County Government, she worked collaboratively with the Howard County

Economic Development Authority, the Chamber, and others, to devise millions of dollars

in grant programs that ultimately helped thousands of businesses survive and thrive

through the pandemic.

She also led in accelerating opportunities through the pandemic. Leveraging federal

funds, she quickly produced a strategy and executed new public and private

partnerships so that Howard County was the first in the state to stand up county testing

sites and mobile vaccination.

Previously, Jennifer served as Vice President, Business Development at Live Nation,

where she was responsible for business analysis and market expansion. She also

worked with various other Fortune 500 companies, notably Sony and Universal Studios

on international business development, and as a Manager at Ernst and Young, LLP,

assisting middle market companies with their corporate finance needs.

A Howard County native and graduate of Wilde Lake High School, she holds a Juris

Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, a Master of Business Administration

from Pepperdine University School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical

Engineering from Purdue University.

James Lighthizer is the Founder and Managing Partner of Chesapeake Real Estate Group, LLC (CREG), a leading full-service commercial real estate investment and development firm headquartered in the Baltimore-Washington region. Since founding the firm in 2004, Mr. Lighthizer has led CREG through the acquisition, development, and asset management of more than 45 properties totaling over 8 million square feet of industrial, office, self-storage, and retail space across the Mid-Atlantic. Under his leadership, CREG has built a reputation for executing a disciplined investment strategy focused on value-add, build-to-core, and speculative development opportunities.

Mr. Lighthizer brings more than 37 years of experience in commercial real estate. Prior to founding CREG, he spent 16 years at CBRE, where he rose to the rank of Senior Vice President and Partner and was consistently among the firm's top producers nationally. During his tenure, he advised institutional clients such as RREEF, Ohio Teachers, Invesco, Opus, First Industrial, and LaSalle Advisors. He was also a recognized leader within CBRE’s National Global Logistics Practice Group, representing major occupiers across the country.

At CREG, Mr. Lighthizer has spearheaded some of the region’s most significant industrial transactions. Notable highlights include acquiring and developing Brandon Woods 3, a 1 million square foot ecommerce project occupied by Amazon and Best Buy. Port 95 Logistics, a 1 million square foot development at the Port, converting a 600,000 sf Unilever manufacturing facility. Baltimore Crossroads @95, a 240-acre business park with 1.5 million square feet of planned development. His brokerage business from CBRE carried over with his representing General Motors in the $33 million sale of its 182-acre Baltimore Van Assembly Plant to Duke Realty and he also played a pivotal role in GM’s acquisition of land in White Marsh, Maryland, for its 800,000 square-foot Allison Transmission Plant.

Throughout CREG’s history, Mr. Lighthizer has forged strategic capital partnerships with premier institutions including The Carlyle Group, USAA, Prudential Real Estate Investors, EverWest Investors, TA Advisors, Atapco Properties, and others. These relationships have been instrumental in growing the firm’s portfolio and expanding its presence along the I-95 and I-81 corridors in Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia.

Mr. Lighthizer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount St. Mary’s College (Class of 1988) and completed formal sales and corporate service training with CBRE/USC. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he is a graduate of Gilmour Academy.

Gabriel Chung is Senior Vice President of Development for Howard Hughes Communities, where he leads strategic planning, entitlement, and development initiatives across the Maryland Region. Over his 18-year career with the company, he has been involved in all phases of the development process, including public-private partnerships, joint venture structuring, entitlements, and project execution.

In his current role, Gabriel oversees strategic initiatives across Merriweather District and Gateway, with a focus on advancing mixed-use, commercial, residential, and industrial opportunities that support the long-term growth of the region.

Gabriel received his MBA from Columbia University.

Mr. Jautze, who joined St. John Properties in 2014, oversees leasing and marketing efforts for mixed-use business communities in Baltimore, Howard and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland. Mr. Jautze earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mount St. Mary’s University. He is an active member of Maryland chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, and previously served on the board for its Developing Leaders program. Mr. Jautze currently serves on the First Tee, Greater Baltimore Young Professionals Board.

Peter Engel is the Executive Director of the Howard County Housing Commission, the

public housing authority for Howard County, Maryland. The Commission owns and

operates over 2,500 mixed income rental units, has an active development pipeline, and

manages the Housing Choice Voucher program for the County. Mr. Engel has worked in

the affordable housing field for over 30 years, primarily at the intersection of rental

housing with government programs, in both the public and private sectors. He received a

B.S. in physics from the Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

As President & CEO of the Howard County Chamber, Kristi Simon leads with vision and dedication, fostering a vibrant business community. With a focus on strategic partnerships and economic development, she ensures the Chamber remains a pivotal resource for businesses of all sizes.

Phillip Dodge is Executive Director of the Downtown Columbia Partnership, where he brings people, organizations, and ideas together to create a more vibrant, connected downtown. With experience spanning placemaking, nonprofit leadership, marketing, transportation, and community engagement, he enjoys building partnerships that turn good ideas into meaningful results.

Phillip serves on the boards of the Howard County Library System, Visit Howard County, and

the Howard County Multi-Modal Transportation Board. He is a 2020 graduate of Leadership

Howard County and a 2022 graduate of the International Downtown Association's Emerging Leaders Fellowship.

Away from work, you'll likely find him writing songs, playing guitar, exploring new places with his family, or finding new ways to connect people and strengthen community.