Board of Trustees

	Roger C. Merrill, MD - Chairman Chairman of the Board of QHS; Long-time Delmarva Foundation Board of Trustees Member and Past Chairman; Chief Medical Officer for Perdue Farms Incorporated; Active practice of internal medicine in Salisbury, Maryland for 25 years; Chief of Staff of Peninsula Regional Medical Center; Member of the Board of Trustees of PRMC for eight years; President of the County Medical Society; and is active on numerous boards of medical and quality assurance organizations. Dr. Merrill earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Utah in 1972 and his MD in 1975 from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Merrill is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

	Catherine N. Smoot-Haselnus, MD - Vice Chair Founder and President, Chesapeake Eye Center, PA; Commissioner, Health Care Access and Cost Commission (1997-2000); Commissioner, Maryland Health Care Commission (2000-2002); National Board of Medical Examiners, 1986; American Board of Ophthalmology, board certified; American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Medical Association; Past President and Board Member, MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society; President, Vice President, and Board Member, Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons; President and Executive Board, Lower Shore Medical Society; Board of Directors, Maryland Medical Political Action Committee.

	J. Bruce Williams, BES - Secretary/Treasurer Former President and Owner of Carl J. Williams & Sons, Inc. construction company; Partner O’Neill & Williams commercial property management; Board of Directors The BowMar Millwork Corporation; Chairman of the Building Board of Adjustments and Appeals for the City of Salisbury, Maryland; Advisory Board—Maryland State Bank; Salvation Army Advisory Board; Past President of Eastern Shore Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

	Mary L. Fleury, MD In private practice with four other physicians in Pocomoke City and Salisbury, Maryland; served with the National health Service Corps; former medical director for Hartley Hall Nursing Home; serves on the staff of Peninsula Regional Medical Center; Director of the Chest and Hypertension Clinics of Somerset and Worcester Counties; American College of Physicians; Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of the State of Maryland; American Medical Association; Board of Trustees, Charitas; Worcester County Medical Society; Southern Medical Society. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, in 1982 she was awarded the National Health Service Distinguished Physician Award.

	Ronald G. Forsythe, Jr., PhD Dr. Forsythe has an extensive background in leadership and resource development, academic leadership, management, and scholarship. As Vice President for Information Technology and Outreach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), his cross-divisional responsibilities include establishing new academic programs, providing accreditation support, and expanding the university’s research capacity. In this capacity, he has transitioned UMES’ two-year engineering program to a full, four-year offering and is developing academic programs in Space Sciences and Renewable Energy. Prior to his current position, Dr. Forsythe was Executive IT Management Consultant with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and served as Assistant Vice Provost of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He has a Master’s and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland.

	Melvin D. Gerald, MD, MPH Melvin Douglas Gerald, MD completed his undergraduate education at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Howard University School of Medicine and completed a family medicine residency from Freedmens-Howard University Hospital. Dr. Gerald obtained a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Hygiene. For a period of time he was involved in academic medicine, but later established primary care group practices. Dr. Gerald is currently President and CEO of Gerald Family Care in the Washington, DC and Maryland areas, as well as G&G Family Care in North Carolina. During his distinguished medical career, Dr. Gerald served on the board of the American Academy of Family Physicians for three years and has received numerous outstanding awards and recognition for his service, contributions, and altruism for humanity.

	Margaret (Peggy) Scott Schiff, CPA, MBA Ms. Schiff retired from The Washington Post after working in the industry for over 30 years. Prior to joining the Post, she was an independent auditor with Price Waterhouse & Co. During her last 20 years at the Post she served as Chief Financial Officer/Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, part of the Corporation's senior executive team. Along with the QHS and DFDC boards, Ms. Schiff serves on the Audit and Finance Committees of CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland, is a Trustee for the University of Maryland College Park Foundation and other not-for-profit advisory boards including the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and The International Women's Media Foundation. In 2002 she was recognized as one of Maryland's "Top 100 Women." Ms. Schiff has a BS in Accounting from the University of Maryland, an MBA in Finance from The George Washington University and maintains an active CPA license in Maryland.

	Elizabeth (Beth) St. J. Loker, BA Ms. Loker retired from The Washington Post in 2003 after serving the newspaper for nearly 30 years. During her last ten years at the Post, she was Vice President of Systems and Engineering and a member of the corporation’s senior management group. Along with the QHS Board, Ms. Loker is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Copyright Clearance Center and Board of Directors of Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield (both corporate and for Maryland). She has also worked with community-focused organizations such as the Greater Washington Research Center, (now a part of the Brookings Institution). A recipient of the Bill Lee lifetime professional achievement award from the Newspaper Systems Group, Ms. Loker has a BA degree from The George Washington University and has completed graduate studies in Operations Research and Economics.

	Jeffrey F. Turner, BS Mr. Turner is a Senior Banking Officer with over 30 years’ experience leading commercial lending, banking operations, sales, marketing, credit, and branch management. His recent professional experience includes serving as Regional President of PNC Bank (2007-2008), President and CEO of Mercantile Peninsula Bank (2004-2007), and President and CEO of Peninsula Bank, Mercantile Bankshares (1994-2004). Under Mr. Turner’s leadership, Peninsula Bank achieved the top ranking in all areas of financial performance measurement in 2006 and 2007. His many community affiliations include serving as a Trustee of Peninsula Regional Medical Center and as Director of Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. Mr. Turner has a BS in Economics from Towson University.
	Last Updated: August 24, 2011