Executive Staff
Lisa M. Clark, Executive Director
Lisa was born & raised in Baltimore and has over 25 years of experience in healthcare administration, business development, corporate governance, and project management. Lisa spent the prior decade of her career with XLHealth Corporation as an executive administrator and assistant secretary to the board of directors, and played an integral role in its $2.4B merger with UnitedHealth Group. Lisa continued in her role as project manager of government relations & health policy for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare & Retirement division until parting ways in 2013 to join the HJS Foundation. Lisa is an avid animal lover, and enjoys donating her time to animal welfare organizations. She has one adult son, three adult step-kids, and three grandsons, and resides in Glyndon Maryland with her partner, five species of individually-tanked piranhas, and two fur-kids - a French Bulldog and Boston Terrier.
Kerry A. McHugh, Program Officer
Kerry was born & raised in Maryland, land of crabs and Old Bay. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked in advertising and communications with government and non-profit clients, with a specific focus on behavior change and community-based marketing campaigns. She also works with the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, a project centered on reimagining the purpose and practice of evaluation in the philanthropic sector. Kerry speaks regularly about engaging the next generation of non-profit and philanthropic leaders in the sector, including facilitating Exponent Philanthropy’s annual Next Gen Fellows program and co-founding the Emergent Philanthropy (formerly Rising Leaders) Affinity Group at the Maryland Philanthropy Network. Kerry graduated from New York University and currently lives in Frederick with her husband and young son.
Board of Directors
Paul A. Serini, Esq., Chairman
Paul is a 1980 honors graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his juris doctor (JD) degree from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America in 1983, where he continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member, lecturer and principal member of the Board of Visitors. Paul has over 35 years of healthcare, corporate governance, finance, securities regulation and legal experience. He is a prior partner of Venable Law Firm in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD and founder and senior executive of multiple healthcare operating companies as well as a Washington, DC-based health policy consulting firm. He co-founded and served as Executive Vice President of XLHealth Corporation, a $2.7 billion dollar Baltimore-based Medicare Advantage insurance plan, for more than a decade. After XLHealth was acquired by UnitedHealth Group, he served as Chief of Government Relations & Health Policy for UnitedHealthcare's Medicare & Retirement division until retiring in 2013. Paul has three wonderful adult children and a new grandson. He currently divides his time between Annapolis and the British Virgin Islands.
Kerry A. McHugh, Board Secretary (also Program Officer)
Kerry was born & raised in Maryland, land of crabs and Old Bay. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked in advertising and communications with government and non-profit clients, with a specific focus on behavior change and community-based marketing campaigns. She also works with the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, a project centered on reimagining the purpose and practice of evaluation in the philanthropic sector. Kerry speaks regularly about engaging the next generation of non-profit and philanthropic leaders in the sector, including facilitating Exponent Philanthropy’s annual Next Gen Fellows program and co-founding the Emergent Philanthropy (formerly Rising Leaders) Affinity Group at the Maryland Philanthropy Network. Kerry graduated from New York University and currently lives in Frederick with her husband and young son.
Kevin McHugh, Treasurer
Kevin is an experienced healthcare consultant whose career focused on the privatized Medicare arena until shifting in 2022, when his desire to pursue a career aligned with his values led him to seek new opportunities. He served as the Interim President and CEO of Maryland Philanthropy Network from 2022-2023. A New Englander at heart (Go Pats!), Kevin lives in Frederick, Maryland, with his wife and young son. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration and Policy from American University, and serves on the board of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy.
Susan M. Serini, Assistant Treasurer
Sue began her career in the legal field and worked as a legal secretary until retiring in 2003. After developing a passion for the mental, spiritual, health and fitness benefits of yoga, she attended the Bikram Yoga School to become a certified yoga instructor and is currently teaching yoga in the Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland area. Susan actively volunteers through the Caring Canines organization with her certified therapy dog, Tobin, a French Bulldog who mistakenly thinks he's a person. She lives in Annapolis.
P. Alex Serini, Board Member
Alex was born & raised in Annapolis, Maryland and attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and Denver, Colorado to pursue his passions for cooking, hospitality and business. A lifelong student of farming and organic and sustainable agricultural practices, he owns and operates a mushroom and flower farm with his wife, Samantha. He previously worked at Open Book Farm in Frederick County, and before that, worked his culinary magic in the kitchens of Vin 909 in Annapolis and Brewhouse 32 in Baltimore. Alex and Sam live on their farm with their two rescued pit bulls and young daughter. When not farming or doing farm-related tasks and research (most recently, tapping trees for sap), he can be found hiking, scouting for local mushrooms, or reading up on tiny houses.
James Serini, Board Member
James Serini was born & raised in Maryland and graduated from Towson State University with an undergraduate degree in Family Studies. A proud advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, James supported programming through his undergraduate career at the Towson University Center for Student Diversity. As of 2019, James is a Masters Candidate in Applied Sociology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he plans to continue his studies of LGBTQIA-specific issues. He works as the UMBC Campus Life’s Mosaic Diversity and Inclusion Peer, where he assists with the needs of Diversity and Inclusion professional staff and Campus Life’s Interfaith Center and Queer Student Lounge. An avid reader and lover of gaming, pop culture and Star Trek, James is the family's go-to dog sitter, dog walker, dog petter, dog snuggler, and dog Instagram-er. He’s also a stellar uncle to his niece and nephew.
Robert H. Geis, Jr., Esq., Board Member
Bob was born & raised in Baltimore, Maryland and is a certified public accountant and former counsel of Miles & Stockbridge P.C. and Venable, LLC, where he provided tax, business and estate planning advice to individuals, businesses and business-owners for over 20 years. He graduated cum laude from Loyola College in Maryland receiving his B.A. in 1981 and attended & received his M.P.A. from the University of Texas and subsequently his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1989. Bob joins the HJS Foundation board with a wealth of knowledge & experience relating to estate planning and nonprofit foundations, with accolades including the Wall Street Journal Award, Economics Medal, Lybrand Accounting Medal and being listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law by Woodward/White, Inc. Miles & Stockbridge P.C. serves as legal counsel to the Foundation. Bob has two adult sons and lives in Baltimore with his wife and their fur-baby.
Advisors
David Rosen, JD, CPA, RS&F Chartered, Accountant and Advisor to the Board. David and his accounting firm, RS&F Chartered of Baltimore, Maryland, are the accountants for the Foundation, and routinely provide tax, compliance and related financial reporting advice to the board and management.
David Gilner, AIF, Strategic Financial Group, Investment Advisor to the Board. David serves as the principal investment officer and investment advisor for the Foundation. David was born & raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Since graduating from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School with a BSBA in 1995, David and his wife Jen have lived in Chapel Hill with their four daughters. When not working David enjoys surfing, crabbing, and coaching lacrosse.