Kenton Sovine is CHEER's new Executive Director. Kent graduated from Purdue University in Lafayette, IN, with a degree in Atmospheric Sciences Meteorology and has a graduate degree in History from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Before accepting this position, he was the founding CEO of a multi-million dollar and thriving landscape business in Woodbridge, Virginia. He served in that capacity for 28 years before deciding to sell off the business and retire. Kent is also local to Silver Spring, MD, highly active in the community, and has been on the board of several organizational and local charities.

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Bruce L. Baker is co-founder and Executive Director of Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER). Bruce has led CHEER’s efforts to facilitate a community strategic plan, conduct research on community housing and health conditions, and facilitate community improvement actions to address community priorities through collaborations and partnerships.

Vanesa is the organizer of all CHEER programming involving community building and networks of support in Long Branch. Before finding her passion in community organizing, Vanesa was an accountant in Bolivia. She is proud to have been that profession and equally proud to have left it behind as she credits her initial career path as the trigger motivating her to leave Bolivia and find her passion in the United States.