Mayor Michael O’Connor is a lifelong Frederick resident with a career rooted in public service, civic engagement, and local leadership. A graduate of Saint John’s at Prospect Hall High School and Saint Bonaventure University, he holds degrees in history and mass communication.

Before elected office, he spent nearly two decades in local media, serving as a reporter, news director, talk show host, senior producer, and moderator. He also worked as business manager at Saint Katharine Drexel Roman Catholic Congregation and taught as adjunct faculty at Frederick Community College.

First elected to the Board of Aldermen in 2009 and re-elected in 2013, O’Connor chaired the Streets and Sanitation Committee and served on numerous local boards and commissions. Now serving his third term as mayor, he continues to support regional and statewide collaboration through service on multiple boards, including the Maryland Municipal League and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

He remains active in the community through volunteer service and lives in Frederick with his wife, Tammy and their two dogs.

Lisbet is the Vice President and General Manager of AstraZeneca’s biologics manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland where she leads a workforce of 750 people who make life-changing medicines for patients around the world. Her experience living and working in five countries before moving to Frederick, coupled with her background in chemical engineering, prepared Lisbet for roles of increasing responsibilities. In addition to her passion for Operations leadership, she champions inclusive leadership, talent development, and she drives measurable sustainability improvements across the site.

Andrew Welker joined Ausherman Properties in 2017. He is involved in all aspects of the commercial development process, including acquisition, entitlement, design, construction management, leasing, and asset management. Andrew gained much of his development and construction experience while working for nine years with a regional commercial office real estate investment trust in Columbia, Md. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree from the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University. Andrew is also a graduate of Gov. Thomas Johnson High School and has resided in Frederick County since 1985.

Mr. Bookhout serves as Senior Vice President of Development & Investments. He plays a lead role in the company’s mixed-use development division, with responsibility for sourcing, evaluating, underwriting, acquiring and executing projects in the Mid-Atlantic region and the Carolinas. Prior to joining Greenberg Gibbons in 2021, he was Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic & Carolinas Regions for AvalonBay Communities, where he specialized in mixed-use projects that feature multifamily housing over retail and led teams that delivered more than 2,300 units. Mr. Bookhout holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. He is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School’s Board of Advisors, and has previously served on the Board of Directors for AIRS-Empire Homes and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. He is a member of ICSC and Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Jim Lears is a Vice President and General Manager within Turner Construction Company’s Advanced Technology Group, where he leads the delivery of data center projects across the United States. Over his more than 25 years with Turner, Jim has held roles in operations and finance, supporting the execution of complex, large-scale projects. In his current role, Jim oversees teams managing all phases of mission-critical construction, coordinating closely with clients, designers, and trade partners to meet the specialized demands of data center environments. He brings a practical understanding of project delivery and a commitment to aligning technical goals with client and community priorities. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a master’s degree from Loyola College. He is a member of the Maryland Tech Council and the Associated General Contractors of America. He continues to lead conversations around innovation in construction and the evolving role of data centers in shaping a connected, resilient future.

Heather Gramm has 23 years of experience in municipal, county and state economic

development in a variety of roles including business development, community development and

downtown revitalization. She currently serves as Division Director of Economic Opportunity for

Frederick County, Maryland. In this role she oversees the Office of Economic Development and

Frederick County Workforce Services.

Prior to this role, she was the Vice President of Strategy for PPR Strategies, a place-based

economic and community development consulting firm focused on strategy development and

implementation, as well as strategic marketing and communications. Heather also served as

Assistant Secretary of Business & Industry Sector Development with the Maryland Department

of Commerce. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of the state’s business development efforts

including domestic and international business attraction and in-state business retention and

expansion efforts; strategic industry sector development; economic development finance

programs; and the agency’s advocacy and support for military and federal assets in the state.

Heather’s career included other roles at Maryland Department of Commerce as Senior Director

of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship and Director of Regional Growth and Retention, as

well as Assistant Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, and the

City of Frederick Department of Economic Development.

She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career, including the Daily

Record Leading Women Award, the Development Counsellors International (DCI) 40 Under 40

awards, and the Maryland Economic Development Association Rising Star award.

Heather earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Hood College and the Certified Economic

Developer (CEcD) certification through the International Economic Development Council. She is

a 2011 graduate of Leadership Frederick County and a 2017 graduate of Leadership Maryland.

Danny Foit is the Director of Leasing for St. John Properties. He’s been with St. John Properties for over 8 years and holds over 13 years of industry experience. Danny manages all of St. John Properties leasing within the Central Maryland and Northern Virginia regions. The current portfolio he manages totals to over 3.2 million square feet of flex industrial space. Amidst his work, Danny proudly continues to be an active member in the community by volunteering in association with SJP Engage Community Service Events in Frederick. (SJP: St. John Properties)

Brad focuses on all activities associated with the marketing, brokerage, and negotiation of both new and existing leases along the northern I-270 corridor. Brad spends much of his time in Frederick and Northern Virginia, seeking to expand the footprint of the Matan organization and overseeing acquisitions in these areas. Prior to taking this role at Matan, Brad, a commercial real estate broker, served as Vice President of Sales and Leasing for McShea and Company. Though, he credits most of his real estate ingenuity to the years he spent working alongside his father in his family-owned construction businesses.

Brad holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Georgetown University. Among his many achievements, Brad was named Broker of the Year in Frederick County in 2016 and 2017. Brad has been active over the years as a leader in in regional economic development through terms on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Frederick County, the Business and Industry Committee of Frederick Memorial Hospital, and the Business and Industry Committee for the Frederick Office of Economic Development. Brad has also worked with the Affordable Housing Council of Frederick County, the Downtown Frederick Partnership and was a 2005 Leadership of Frederick graduate. Brad continues to give back to his community through volunteer work and serving as both a baseball and basketball coach for the county youth.

Mike has over 15 years of experience spanning investments, development, acquisitions, and asset management across mixed-use, residential, and commercial projects. Over the course of his career, he has been involved with more than $1.5 billion in development projects, primarily focused on mixed-use projects in the Washington, DC, region. At River Falls, Mike focuses on investments and development efforts while also supporting asset management and financing across the firm's existing portfolio.

Prior to River Falls, Mike was Asset Manager at Jefferson Apartment Group and Director in the Capital Assets and Financial Management Group at Virginia Tech. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Virginia Tech and a Master's in Real Estate Development from Georgetown University. Mike is an Advisory Board Member for Virginia Tech's Blackwood Department of Real Estate and an active member of NAIOP.

Jason Wiley directs the land acquisition and development activities within the Maryland DC suburbs. Responsible for all Elm Street efforts in Montgomery, Prince Georges, Frederick, Charles and Washington Counties in Maryland

Mark Schweighofer believes that clear and consistent communication is vital to providing superior legal representation, and he takes pride in being accessible to his clients. Mark provides transactional tax and business advice related to entity formation, partnership and stockholder agreements, equity and debt financing, mergers, acquisitions and business succession planning.

Confident and committed to his clients, Mark takes great pride in gaining a deep understanding of their present and long-term goals. Recognizing that no two cases are alike, Mark has a keen ability to adapt and strategize creatively, and to communicate complex tax information clearly and concisely.

Mark has extensive experience with international tax matters and assists both domestic and foreign clients in structuring their affairs with sensitivity to U.S. income tax considerations. He represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service on complex tax controversy issues in myriad areas, including partnership and corporate income tax examinations, employment taxes and personal income tax matters. Additionally, Mark works regularly with tax-exempt organizations, navigating a morass of complex rules and working to ensure and to maximize the organizations’ tax exempt status and protections.