Meet Our Staff
Contact Wendy
In 2003, Wendy became Vice President of the Goldsmith Family Foundation. Over ten years, she restructured and branded the Foundation’s giving program, which donates up to $1,000,000 annually to education programs for underserved youth in Baltimore City. She worked with the board on strategic planning, providing professional development for board members, increasing their engagement, and honing the Foundation’s grant-making program.
Contact Stephanie
Stephanie Felton joined Middle Grades Partnership on October 1, 2014, as Director of Development. Stephanie comes from Gilman School where she was Director of Development Services. Stephanie spent 17 years in the Development Office at Gilman handling Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, Database Administration, and administrative duties of all fundraising and event planning aspects of their office. Stephanie stepped into the Director of Annual Giving position partway through her last year, while handing Database Administration, and was able to complete the fiscal year $140,000 over budget, raising over $2.3 million dollars (She attributes much of her success to the relationships she has built). Stephanie has experience working with the Board of Trustees as well as managing a 31 member Alumni Board
Stephanie graduated from Shepherd College in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management. She lives in Ruxton with her husband Johnny and two daughters, Madison and Olivia.
Contact Renee
Renee Samuels is the Middle Grades Partnerships Communications Manager and Digital Content Creator. Prior to joining Middle Grades Partnership, Ms. Samuels worked in the administrations of Mayors Sheila Dixon and Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as a Special Assistant working with arts, culture, and tourism programs and Director of International Affairs — overseeing the Sister Cities program. She began her professional career as a television reporter in Western Maryland and later as a gubernatorial speechwriter. Renee lives in Baltimore City with her husband Jordan and toddler.
Contact Anita
After graduating from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Anita Walia has lived and worked in many different cities around the country. Over 10 years ago, she moved from San Francisco to settle in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. Anita brings a wide range of employment experience to her work at MGP. She has clerked in the Federal 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote, produced, and anchored a news program at a start-up cable TV station. In Baltimore, Anita has worked in Immigration Law and served on the Midtown Community Benefits District Board. In addition to working for MGP part-time, Anita manages her historic rental property and raises her two daughters. Anita loves to travel and has been to Europe, India, China, and Iceland.