Brigitte Gendron is the 2022 Recipient of the Claire Marie Scholarship in Arts and Design! Brigitte, who graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson Maryland, is studying Concept and Visual Arts at Fordham University in New York City. She aspires to a career in the entertainment industry through enhanced visual arts.
Ella Pritsker
Fashion Designer Ella Pritsker of Ella Pritsker Coutre, is known for her timeless designs and classic trademark suits. Her style is elegant and sophisticated, paired with great attention to detail.
While living in Europe as a young woman, she met three “Old World” designers who introduced her to the fine art of hand stitched custom coutre. She found her calling and loves to share her knowledge! From patternmaking to production, marketing and being featured in New York Fashion Week, Ella has led promising designers on the journey to making their dreams become a reality. Ella created the Maryland Academy of Couture Arts, later to be named the Maryland Center of Fashion Design to preserve the fine art of couture.
With numerous honors for her contributions to the design arts in Maryland, Ella has also advised corporate clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense and global giants such as UnderArmour. Her designs also appoint the closets of many private, high level executive clients, political leaders and society leaders.
Katherine Boggs
Katherine Boggs is a freelance artist who specializes in everything from custom portraits and illustrations to large scale murals and digital designs for both corporate and private clients. With bursts of color and a touch of whimsy, Katherine brings her special magic to landscapes, figure studies, even a portrait of man’s best friend! She received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of Charleston in South Carolina and now resides in Atlanta, GA where she works out of her studio. A friend of Claire’s at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson Maryland, Katherine serves as Art Director to the Claire Marie Foundation. Her coral-infused designs can often be spotted our Instagram and event promotions. Katherine is honored to join our CMF Arts and Design Scholarship Team as both an NDP art alumnae and judge!
2021- Megan Gregory
Megan Gregory is the 2021 Recipient of the Claire Marie Scholarship in Arts and Design. Megan is studying animation and digital game design at University of Maryland Baltimore County. She brings so much light and color to her work – we can’t wait to see how she brightens the world with her work!
Jacqueline Smith
Jacqueline Smith is a two-time stage III melanoma survivor who has dedicated the last decade of her life to patient advocacy, health policy and advancing the field of cancer survivorship. Currently, Director of Grassroots Advocacy and State Government Affairs, Jacqueline was Associate Director for U.S. Oncology Advocacy and Professional Relations at Bristol Myers Squibb where she oversaw the melanoma, breast and survivorship portfolios. Jacqueline is also a former staffer for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand where she served as the Senator’s representative in the 11-county Central New York region and worked tirelessly to develop and forward the federal policy priorities of the constituents of that region.
Due to Jacqueline’s health advocacy efforts, she is a frequent speaker on Capitol Hill and beyond, including being a Spotlight speaker at the Biden Cancer Summit. She has been featured in InStyle, Self Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Yahoo Health and other international publications. Jacqueline has also shared her melanoma journey and expertise on live news broadcasts, on NPR and in documentaries.
She is proud to be appointed to the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Council of Research Advocates, the external advisory boards for H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center’s Skin Cancer and Health Disparities SPORE programs, and as a reviewer for the U. S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Research Program in melanoma. She is a former appointed Commissioner on Montgomery County’s Commission on Health (Maryland), served on the Board of Directors for the Melanoma Research Foundation and served as the survivorship and palliative care co-lead for Washington D.C.’s Cancer Action Partnership.
2020- Allison McDavid
Allison McDavid is the 2020 Recipient of the Claire Marie Scholarship in Arts and Design! Allie, who graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson Maryland is studying Interior and Architectural Designs at Miami University in Ohio. We can’t wait to see what she creates to bring joy and design to the world.
2019- Margaret Franze
Margaret Franze is the 2019 Recipient of the Claire Marie Scholarship in Arts and Design. Maggie had a primary role in Notre Dame Preparatory’s Project CW Greenway fashion show. It was the perfect enhancement to her studies in fashion and costume design at Savannah College of Arts and Design in Savannah Georgia.
Dr. Joe McGowan IV, M.D.
Joseph McGowan IV, M.D. is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in Mohs micrographic and dermatologic surgery. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He completed his dermatology residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. After residency, Dr. McGowan completed his fellowship in Mohs micrographic skin cancer surgery at the Dayton Skin Surgery Center. He has authored numerous articles and has lectured at many national professional meetings on skin cancer and reconstructive techniques.
Dr. Kristen Brinkmann
Kirsten M. Brinkmann received her undergraduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from the University of Maryland. She completed her pediatric Internship and pediatric Residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Brinkmann joined the Maryland Pediatric Group in 2000 to start her primary care practice. As a fun fact, Dr. Brinkmann technically joined MPG in 1988, as she worked all departments as part-time job in college and in medical school. Dr. Brinkmann is married to her college sweetheart, a proud mother of two and enjoys cooking and traveling in her spare time!
Dr. Ciro R. Martins
Dr. Ciro R. Martins is recognized as an international leader in general medical dermatology, infectious skin diseases, and skin wellness/maintenance. Board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and Brazilian Society of Dermatology, and with more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles and publications, Dr. Martins expertise and specialization lies in the area of skin cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Born in Brazil, Dr. Martins earned his medical degree at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine. Shortly thereafter, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions invited him to complete a post-doctoral research fellowship in immuno-dermatology. In order to obtain licensing and board certification in this country, he repeated his internship and residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Upon completion, he joined the Hopkins faculty, where he was very active in patient care and medical education, ultimately becoming an Associate Professor. Dr. Martins was associated with both the Department of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases for almost 10 years before he started his own private practice. He now serves as the lead Medical Dermatologist at Belcara Health in Baltimore, MD.
