Dottie Paxton Elected President of Grassroots Board of Directors

Fulton Bank Vice President/Financial Center Manager Dottie C. Paxton has been elected President of the Grassroots Board of Directors, succeeding Nicholas J. Langhauser. Paxton has been on the board since 2013 and served as Vice President, Chair of the Resource Development Committee and in other posts. She is a graduate of Leadership Howard County and has lived in Howard County for the past 30 years.

Glenwood resident Joseph Stellone was elected Vice President. Stellone has served as Chair of the Resource Development Committee and as a volunteer employment counselor for Grassroots clients. Grassroots Treasurer Libby Boswell, who also serves as Chair of the Operations Committee, and Secretary Rochelle Michaux Conway were re-elected to those positions.

Two new members, Justin P. Baker and Brooke A. McCauley, were added to the Board of Directors. Baker has spent 20 years with the Howard County Police Department where he is Captain of the Special Operations Bureau. McCauley is Customer Experience Manager for the Howard County Library System. She is a licensed and ordained minister and serves as the Women in NAACP State Committee Chair, NAACP Maryland State Conference.

Grassroots provides 24-hour crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and support to individuals and families with a mental health, substance use or homelessness crisis.

Last year Grassroots’ emergency and winter sheltering programs helped 340 men, women and children to achieve stable housing. Another 921 people were served at the Day Resource Center, where the chronically homeless have the opportunity to pursue a new path in life.

In addition, Grassroots’ crisis counselors had 2,825 face-to-face contacts last year, received 33,474 calls on the Hotline, and went out on 721 Mobile Crisis Team community emergencies, such as traumatic death events, intense family conflict, psychiatric emergencies and risk of suicide.

Grassroots is located on Freetown Road in Columbia. For information, call 410-531-6006, or visit www.grassrootscrisis.org