Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2020 Maryland Official Visitors Guide
Year of the Woman
Rona Kobell 2019-12-18 07:30:20
Leading Women
This year, we celebrate the 100-year anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Across Maryland we’re celebrating the “Year of the Woman” because we know that now, more than ever, women are taking the lead.
There’s a good bet that a woman is helming a crew on your tourist boat, brewing your beer, commanding chefs in a world-class kitchen or outfitting your kayak for an excursion around the marshy expanses of the Chesapeake Bay. Here are a few of the extraordinary women you can find running the show in Maryland.
JUDY BIXLER
Captain and Owner of the Oxford Bellevue Ferry
From spring until fall (it opens on Oxford Day in April), Judy Bixler steers what is believed to be the oldest continuously operating ferry across the Tred Avon River from tiny Oxford to sleepy Bellevue. Judy has been captain of the ferry for 18 years. Oxford is a maritime town, and the ferry is a favorite with cyclists and children who love a chance to steer the boat’s wooden wheel. She is also chair of the state’s tourism advisory board.
RACHEL DEAN
Captain at Solomons Island Heritage Tours
Mother, teacher, boat captain and business owner, there isn’t much that Rachel Dean can’t do. A Maryland native, Rachel and her husband, Captain Dale, run Solomons Island Heritage Tours and captain The Roughwater, a charter boat that is as much a fishing vessel as it is a window into a way of life. Passengers experience the rich traditions of the Chesapeake Bay as a waterman, learning how to harvest crabs, oysters and fish, and of course taste her treasures.
DEBBIE GOSSELIN
President of Watermark Tours
In 1972, Ed Hartman took the Annapolitan to the waters for its maiden sightseeing cruise. Years later, Ed’s daughter Debbie Gosselin purchased the company from her Dad and today, Watermark Tours offers a portfolio of 40-minute cruises, private charters and water taxi services that are a staple of the Annapolis experience. Debbie’s love for Annapolis and the beautiful Chesapeake Bay are second only to her desire to share them—cruise passengers enjoy beautiful scenery and get a sense of Annapolis culture and history on board.
JACKIE COPELAND
Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Maryland is home to some of the most influential African Americans in history. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrates that rich heritage through permanent and rotating exhibits as well as educational programs and events. In 2019, Jackie Copeland took on the role of executive director for this important institution. An accomplished art historian, she brings three decades of museum and education experience to the position. Jackie works to create an environment that is both a museum of culture and an approachable and engaging community space.
HOLLIE STEPHENSON
Head Brewer at Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House; Erin Lauer, Plant Manager at Guinness
Baltimore County is now home to the first beachhead of the famous Guinness Irish brewing company in the United States in nearly 70 years. So, when the company was deciding who would brew the taste of 259 years of Irish tradition, it didn’t bring over a brewer from the Emerald Isle. Instead, Guinness tapped Hollie Stephenson, who was working as a brewmaster in Asheville, N.C. Erin Lauer manages the 63-acre site in Halethorpe and was a pivotal force in bringing the brewery to Baltimore.
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