Wellness House of Annapolis is fortunate to have dedicated, qualified professionals on our Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and staff who believe deeply in our mission.
DR. KELLY SULLIVAN, MD, FACS
FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS
Dr. Kelly Sullivan is the Founder of Wellness House of Annapolis. She is a board-certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, and is Medical Director of the Sullivan Surgery & Spa and the Surgery Center of Annapolis. She holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. and medical doctorate from Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Sullivan founded Wellness House after witnessing among her clients a great need in our community for services that support individuals touched by cancer in a way that provides connectivity, strength, and healing. She is active in community service and is the recipient of many awards for her professional work and community involvement, including the People’s Physician Choice Award, Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award, Anne Arundel County CASA Community Leadership Award, Kevin E. Reichardt Foundation Award, What’s Up Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Docs.
Tom Simmons
Board President
Thomas Simmons is a Partner with Liff, Walsh & Simmons, the Director of the Real Estate Practice Group, and a member of the Business Law, and Commercial Finance Practice Groups. An engaged member of the Anne Arundel community, he has served on the boards of several local organizations and currently also serves on the Board of Directors for the Building Traditions Society for the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College and obtained his Juris Doctor at Florida State University College of Law.
Marina Taft Hardy
Vice President
Marina Taft Hardy is Senior Counsel at Imperium Global Advisors, leading the firm’s state and local government relations and political strategy practices.
Marina is a widely respected and influential advocate and political strategist. As the head of Imperium’s state and local government relations practice, she focuses on helping companies and organizations gain traction with policy makers in state governments.
Marina’s public sector and private sector experience at the state and local level lend a deep understanding to agency and legislative processes. As a political strategist, Marina has helped start and lead winning political and grassroots campaigns. Prior to joining Imperium, Marina founded and directed Taft Hardy & Associates, a boutique government relations and political advisory firm. While running her own business, Marina successfully lobbied on major healthcare, economic development and transportation issues. She also has experience advising clients in the financial services, real estate and energy industries.
She has held positions at leading companies such as Southeast Toyota Distributors, Southwest Airlines, and Clear Channel Outdoor. As a political strategist, Marina is best known for her work as the co-founder of Change Maryland alongside now Governor Larry Hogan. She utilized her experiences and relationships to build a platform advocating for small business, economic growth, fiscal responsibility and government accountability. Marina served as Finance Director for Hogan for Maryland, the first successful publicly financed gubernatorial campaign in Maryland state history, where she was instrumental in qualifying the campaign to receive public financing. Marina then founded and ran the state’s first successful super PAC, whose summer Gonzalez poll is considered the “game changer” of the 2014 gubernatorial election of Governor Larry Hogan.
Marina has served as a Board Member of many leading organizations, including the BWI Business Partnership, the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore and the Greater Washington Urban League.
Marina graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Honor’s Program at Mount St. Mary’s University and earned her Juris Doctor at Nova Southeastern University. She is admitted to the bar in the State of Maryland.
Jennifer Navabi
Treasurer
Jennifer Navabi is District Director for Senator Sarah Elfreth (D-30) where she oversees all district operations, communications, and constituent services. Jennifer has over 25 years of management experience in the public and private sectors, and served as the executive director for an Annapolis nonprofit for over 15 years. Jennifer has a bachelors of arts in economics and international relations from The American University, and an MBA in global IT management from the Kogod School of Business at The American University.
PATTI ADAMS
Patricia Adams served on the Maryland Worker’s Compensation Commission from her 1999 to her retirement in October 2018. Previously, she was the managing partner of Serio, Tansey, and Adams. During her tenure, she managed a worker’s compensation practice, representing primarily police officers and firefighters. Patti is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland.
Alexis “Lex” Arizzi
Alexis “Lex” Arizzi, Marketing Manager at Alcorn Immigration Law and Principal of Arizzi Creative, has more than a decade of experience honing and delivering strong, consistent brand messages and creative imagery across all media platforms. Her drive, creativity, organization, and attention to detail sets her apart in all that she does. In addition to the Wellness House of Annapolis, Lex is on the Board of Fish For a Cure. “I’m very passionate about where I direct my energy; when it comes to family, friends, my job, and my community – I want to focus on what really matters. I’m thrilled to bring my expertise, passion, and desire to help my community through the Wellness House.”
Dr. Benjamin Bridges
Benjamin Bridges, MD, joined the board of Wellness House of Annapolis in August 2021. After completing his medical school at the University of Tennessee in 2001, Dr. Bridges went on to complete his internship at the University of Maryland and his fellowship at the University of Maryland’s Marlene & Stewart Greenbaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Before joining Maryland Oncology Hematology, Dr. Bridges practiced at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Boise, Idaho, for 11 years where he served as Chairman of the Department of Oncology, Research Director for the Cancer Institute, and medical director for St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Meridian, Idaho. In his role as Research Director for the Cancer Institute, he served as a principal investigator for the Pacific Cancer Research Consortium, one of the largest National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Programs in the country.
Christopher “CJ” Jensen
Christopher Jensen – known to most as CJ – is a passionate entrepreneur with a long track record of success. A former practicing attorney with expertise in the cannabis, legal technology services and outsourcing industry, CJ has a successful track record of driving revenue and building companies in both publicly and privately held environments. CJ co-founded Mana Supply Holdings, a multi-state cannabis operation, in 2016. He helped found and currently serves as a Board member and officer of the National Cannabis Roundtable.
CJ was voted the “Cannabis Industry Rising Star” at the Cannabis Dealmakers Summit in 2019. At the height of the Great Recession, in 2008, CJ founded TrustPoint International, a legal services firm providing support in all phases of the discovery process, from his basement. CJ served as President and Founding Partner, playing an integral role in building the company to $60 million in revenue in four years with 13 locations across the U.S and doing business around the world. As President, CJ played a critical role in the procurement and management of talent for every business function, while also overseeing several mergers and acquisitions, prior to selling his interest in 2013. In addition to launching the Maryland-based Mana Supply Holdings in 2015, CJ has since focused on investing in and advising early-stage companies on how to navigate challenging areas of scale and achieve strong growth.
He is native of low-country South Carolina and a Double Deacon, having received both his B.A. in English Literature and his J.D. from Wake Forest University. CJ is passionate about spending time with his two amazing kids, listening to live music, hiking, camping, and watching baseball. In fact, he is a minority owner of a minor league baseball team, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Tricia Lehmann
Patricia Lehmann, a senior account executive with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has over 40 years of experience in the health insurance industry, managing the large municipal accounts out of the CareFirst district office in Annapolis. She is also a board member at Hospice, executive committee member of the YWCA of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, and member of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together. Tricia holds a bachelor’s degree in business, management, marketing, and related support services from the University of Maryland.
Liz Thibodeau
Liz Thibodeau is a career veteran in the digital media field. Since forming her company, Thibodeau Media Group, in 2016, she has established client relationships that run the gamut from nonprofits to big corporations that specialize in medical media production with a focus on medical video production. Liz has lived in and around Annapolis since 1994 with her family and is passionate about the causes of health and wellness, the environment, women’s rights, and youth. Liz graduated Cum Laude from Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communication with a degree in video production and telecommunication management.
Manelle Martino
Manelle is a graduate of Columbia University, an accomplished singer, she is also an accomplished entrepreneur. The daughter of successful immigrants from Sri Lanka (her Mom) and the Dominican Republic (her Dad), Manelle traces her family lineage in the tea trade back to the 1870s when her great-great grandfather, Francis Van Reyk, emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to oversee one of the first major tea estates.
In 2007, Manelle co-founded Capital Teas with her then husband Peter Martino. As Chairman of the company, she guided the strategic direction to imbue her family’s 5-generation family tradition of excellence in the tea trade. Her combined Sri Lankan family tradition and Hispanic heritage touch everything from product selection and packaging to music selection in the stores to community involvement and outreach.
In the last few years, Manelle helped build and assist in the acquisition of a a technology and software company called Cannveya. This October, it was acquired by Weedmaps and she now nerves as their Senior Director of Government Affairs.
Manelle lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her four children, and previously served on the Boards of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and Historic Annapolis. She previously studied classical voice at the Julliard School of Music in New York City and she is fluent in four languages.
Melanie Quinn
Melanie has worked in the event and marketing industry for over 20 years. She owned an upscale baby boutique in Annapolis and worked as the event coordinator for the Lighthouse Shelter. Since 2011, she has been the Director of Events for What’s Up? Media. Melanie is a proud alumna of UMBC, holding a bachelor’s degree in Art History.
David Sovinski
David Sovinski joined Wellness House as a board member in Spring 2022, serving as an advisor and project manager for construction of a new facility. His role includes serving as liaison between the owner, architect / engineer, and builder for the project.
David’s background includes construction project management and supervision on large commercial and high-rise projects in New York City, Houston and Dallas, Texas, and Chicago, IL. He also served as National Director of Engineering, Research and Industry Development for the International Masonry Institute. After retirement, David is focused on education and service, teaching construction management at Anne Arundel Community College and serving on the board of several community nonprofits.
Chris Zoeller
Chris Zoeller, VP, Relationship Manager at CFG Bank joined the board at Wellness House of Annapolis to lead efforts in expanding the footprint of our organization from Anne Arundel County to include the Baltimore Metro area. At CFG Bank, his philanthropy work includes forging and maintaining relationships with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore, including a seat on their Envision Committee, and The Living Classrooms Foundation.
In his personal time, Chris has enjoyed coaching his three children in soccer and softball, as well as attending their football games and Irish dance competitions. He also loves golf as well as softball, given his role as captain of varsity baseball at Franklin and Marshall College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. In addition, he completed his banking education at Maryland Banking School through the Maryland Bankers Association where he graduated with honors.