Three community leaders recently joined the Board of Directors of MCE (Maryland Capital Enterprises, Inc.) – Deborah “Debbie” Abbott, William “Bill” Athes, and LaMonte Cooke.
Deborah S. Abbott, a veteran of the local banking industry is bringing her 30 years of banking knowledge and experience to the non-profit organization. She serves as Senior Vice President of the Bank of Delmarva, where she is Lending Group Manager, and CRA Officer. She has helped oversee strategic planning, product development and total quality management.
She has extensive community involvement including serving as a Board member for Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Inc.; a Board member for Shore Hatchery, Inc., and entrepreneurship entity of the Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University; Board member of Hope and Life Outreach, a homeless organization on the Delmarva Peninsula, a Board member of the Salisbury Award Committee; strategic planning for Coastal Hospice’s Worcester County facility; a member of the Salisbury Sunrise Rotary Club, and a member of the Southern Delmarva Advisory Council of Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake.
Her education includes a BA in Communication Arts from Salisbury University. She is a graduate of Maryland Banking School, and Maryland Advanced Banking School. She is also a graduate of National Commercial Lending School (American Bankers Association) and a graduate of Advanced Commercial Lending School (Risk Management Association).
“We are thrilled to have someone of Debbie’s caliber join our team,” said Board Chair Daniel Kuennen. “She has been involved with our organization on different projects for a while now. We are looking forward to having her experience and knowledge for our guidance and support.”
Also joining the Board is William “Bill” Ahtes, a retired Salisbury businessman who has helped oversee real estate and commercial development in Salisbury for decades. Ahtes has been a Realtor, a developer, and a restaurateur. A champion of downtown Salisbury development he is one of the founders of Urban Salisbury and was presented the coveted Salisbury Award in 2013. He also has devoted his time and energy to numerous charitable causes including volunteering at the Joseph House in Salisbury.
The third new board member is LaMonte E. Cooke, warden of the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center and past president of the Maryland Correctional Administrators Association. A resident of Chestertown, Cooke has been the Director of Corrections since 1987. He has been a resident of Kent County since 1974 and was the first African American deputy sheriff in Queen Anne’s County.
A Chesapeake College graduate, Cooke has completed Police Academy and National Institute of Corrections training in Colorado. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Peoples Bank of Kent County and has served on the board of Kent & Queen Anne’s Hospital and the Kent County Board of Education. He is past president of the Centreville Rotary Club.
Maryland Capital Enterprises is a non-profit organization that empowers businesses to grow, create jobs and generate wealth on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and across the state. It offers businesses access to the resources they need to start or grow their business, including training, consulting and loans.
MCE is the only micro-enterprise organization in the state of Maryland certified as a SBA, USDA and US Treasury Dept. CDFI Intermediary Lender. MCE is funded through Federal and State grants, as well as private contributions, foundation funding and fundraising efforts.
