St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) welcomed five new trustees appointed by Governor Wes Moore in June: Susan Perkoff Bass, Antoinette Coleman, Micheline Lopez-Estrada, Heidi Murdy-Michael and Aaron Tomarchio, SMCM Class of 1996.
"It is a pleasure to welcome this new group of talented and dedicated trustees to St. Mary's College of Maryland, where we will value their rich and diverse backgrounds," said Board of Trustees Chair John J. Bell, SMCM Class of 1995. "My fellow trustees and I are confident that together, we can continue the tremendous momentum the College has built under the leadership of President Tuajuanda Jordan, and work constructively with our incoming President Rhonda Phillips to propel SMCM to new heights."
Governor Moore also re-appointed the following board members to continue their service for another six-year term: Judy Fillius '79, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD 5th) and Ray Wernecke.
“I would like to thank Governor Moore and his team for their continued support of St. Mary’s College in these challenging times,” added Bell. “The reappointment of valued trustee colleagues who have done so much for the College, and the quality of these new appointments, says much about Maryland’s commitment to our students.”
Additionally, Summer LaRocco ’25 rotates onto the board as student trustee, from her previous trustee in-training position. LaRocco, of Leonardtown, Maryland, is a double major in Asian studies and English, minoring in educational studies and international language and cultures-Chinese. At SMCM, she is student ambassador coordinator; a principal player in the SMCM Orchestra; music director for InterChorus, a coed a cappella group; secretary of the Asian Pacific Islander American Club; program student ambassador for Asian studies; and a peer mentor and tutor. She also completed a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in Taiwan in 2024. LaRocco was selected by the Board of Trustees through a competitive process from among other student applicants.
About the new appointees:
Susan Perkoff Bass has worked for nearly 35 years as an environmental and public interest attorney and executive. She is currently the senior vice president of programs and operations at EARTHDAY.ORG — a nonprofit organization whose mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Prior to joining EARTHDAY.ORG, she served as director of the inter-American program at the Environmental Law Institute for 16 years. Earlier in her career, Bass worked for Simpson, Thacher & Bartlet, LLP in New York and Dow, Lohnes & Albertson in Washington, D.C., specializing in corporate, banking and securities law. Bass was also a volunteer attorney with the International Human Rights Law Group, receiving a Pro Bono Service Award in honor of her efforts and interned with the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Bass graduated cum laude with a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, served on the Georgetown Law Journal and graduated cum laude with a BA in history from Yale University.
Antoinette A. Coleman, PhD, is the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Medgar Evers College and is responsible for leading and directing academic planning towards excellence in all areas of the college. Prior to Medgar Evers College, Coleman was associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at University System of Maryland, and she also held the role of assistant vice president of academic affairs and professor at Morgan State University, an HBCU. She has also held leadership positions at three other HBCUs, including Bowie State University, Norfolk State University and Coppin State College. Coleman earned a BA in sociology with a concentration in social work summa cum laude from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and a Master of Social Work in clinical social work and a PhD in administration, policy and research from the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the HERS Leadership Institute at Bryn Mawr. She also holds licenses and certifications in higher education administration, aging and child welfare, and the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW).
Micheline Lopez-Estrada is currently a partner and the managing member for Seymour Town Properties LLC, a company organized solely to purchase, develop, operate, own and/or lease commercial and residential buildings. Lopez-Estrada is also an investor in Washington & Park LLC, a company organized to own and operate a restaurant located in Leonardtown, Maryland. Her professional career includes 13 years of government service with the Department of the Navy at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and over 30 years of systems engineering and technical program management. Formerly founding partner of iLuMinA Solutions Corporation, a Woman, Minority-Owned, Small Business providing IT professional services to federal and state government agencies, Lopez-Estrada served as the chief financial officer (CFO) and chief operations officer (COO) for iLuMinA Solutions Corporation until 2012 when the company was acquired by ECS-Federal Inc. Lopez-Estrada supported ECS-Federal in the leadership role of vice president/account executive for the ERP Division and ECS Business Development Center until 2018 when ECS-Federal was acquired by ASGN (On Assignment). Lopez-Estrada holds a BS in computer science from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, a BS in computer engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, a BA from Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University.
Heidi Murdy-Michael has expertise in enterprise risk management, compliance, corporate governance, cultural change, crisis management and interfacing with independent overseers, monitors and audit regulators, having most recently served as national partner in charge of policy and enterprise risk at KPMG LLP. Prior to her tenure at KPMG, Murdy-Michael served as assistant general counsel at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a private-sector regulatory body that oversees the audits of public companies. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at Williams & Connolly, LLP, one of the world’s premier litigation firms. Murdy-Michael received her JD from Yale Law School and her BA from Duquesne University. She earned a COSO Enterprise Risk Management Certificate and has graduated from exclusive leadership development programs. She is a member of the New York and Washington, D.C. bars. Murdy-Michael serves on the Duquesne University School of Business Advisory Council and was previously a board member of the KPMG U.S. Foundation and served on the Hearing Committee of the Washington, D.C. Bar Association.
Aaron Tomarchio ‘96 is the executive vice president for corporate affairs at Tradepoint Atlantic. He also works with Tradepoint Atlantic’s parent company Redwood Holdings where he directs government relations for its affiliated beer, wine and beverage wholesale distribution and energy distribution business. In addition to his experience with government relations, communications, public affairs and community relations, Tomarchio has had an extensive career in state and local legislative and executive government roles including nine years as chief of staff to David R. Craig, county executive of Harford County; and as assistant secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning for Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Tomarchio received his BA from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he majored in political science and public policy. He serves on numerous community-driven boards, including The Greater Baltimore Committee and the Baltimore County Economic Development Advisory Board. Tomarchio is an active member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, James A. Garfield Camp #1 and was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan as a commissioner to the Historic St. Mary’s Commission, where he recently completed his term. Tomarchio was also recently appointed to serve on Howard County’s Economic Competitiveness and Opportunity Now (ECON) Task Force, which has been charged with recommending solutions for Howard County’s most pressing economic challenges.
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