About

Mission Statement

HLMS works supports both the business and the residential communities of our beloved Northeast Baltimore in both tangible and intangible ways that include: facilitating improvements to commercial properties via grant opportunities, using a community-based approach to work towards an aesthetic that contributes to a sense of place; promoting residential renovation loans and matching grants; creating signature experiences that foster connection and community among neighbors; and, activating our public and shared spaces with modern infrastructure and amenities, while cultivating that irresistible, inclusive, green, creative, and connected Northeast Baltimore vibe! Join us as we continue to elevate and amplify our network of neighborhoods and businesses in and around our commercial corridor — we believe there’s no better place to plant seeds and put down roots!

Both the list of what HLMS values (as seen below), and our strategic plan were developed via a process that involved the entire HLMS board coming together during several stages to discern the guideposts that would direct our way forward.  These values are:

  1. Supporting local businesses
  2. Embracing the diversity of the neighborhoods and reflecting the community 
  3. Encouraging environmental sustainability 
  4. Promoting walkability
  5. Ensuring continuing beautification of our Main Street
  6. Engaging and sharing opportunities with neighbors and the larger community 
  7. Being welcoming to all

Vision Statement

We envision a Main Street that, along with the surrounding neighborhoods, emits an irresistible magnetism- inspiring our creative and entrepreneurial residents to launch and endeavor and build right here, enticing established Baltimore City businesses to expand into our area, and empowering our current and prospective residents to maintain their unique identities and sensibilities as they contribute their threads to this beautiful and substantial fabric we are weaving TOGETHER!

  • We envision increased responsiveness to the needs of ALL of our community members.
  • We endeavor to humbly allow expertise and evidence-based best practices to guide our work.
  • We commit to applying an equity lens to all our undertakings — intentionally bolstering inclusivity and representation in the planning, execution, and evaluation of our efforts.

Come along and explore our site to see what all of this looks like in ACTION!

The Main Street Concept

The Baltimore Main Streets Program is an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development. The program is meant to support local businesses by providing them with developmental resources and by spotlighting Baltimore City neighborhoods. The Baltimore Main Street program follows the Main Street America approach centered around transformation strategies organized as four points: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.  We are not overseen by the National Main Street Center and do not receive funding from them.

"The four-point approach works because it gives every person a chance to be listened to, giving each a platform to do what they think is vital and important for the downtown."

Julie Irish, Program Manager, Peabody Main Street, Kansas

Board of Directors & Staff

Our work at Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street is a collaborative effort. We rely on the volunteer efforts of many- from folks committed to the cleaning and greening of our community, to local business owners and residents creating events and opportunities for interaction, to the contributions of our many partner organizations and institutions.

The Hamilton Lauraville Main Street Board of Directors is collaboration in action — these individuals volunteer countless hours of their time and talents to serve our community.

As part of their board service, various members of the board lead the four standing HLMS committees — Design, Promotions, Economic Vitality, and Organization. Please feel free to contact us if you’re interested in volunteering to assist one of these committees or would like to learn a bit more about their work!

Thomas Kreegen

President

Tom Creegan

Bio

Tom Creegan lives in Lauraville and has spent most of his career in the restaurant business at Hamilton Tavern and Brewer’s Art. He is now working in commercial real estate development focused on Main Streets in Baltimore. You may see him on any given day at Zeke’s or wandering around picking up trash or cycling down your street. Feel free to join him in any of those activities.

Jean Farnsworth

Vice President

Jean Farnsworth

Bio

Jean Farnsworth has lived in Lauraville (Arcadia?) with her family for over 12 years. Jean grew up playing piano in a music-loving family and received an AA degree in classical piano performance. She is a leasing and marketing coordinator & analyst for a commercial real estate firm. Jean has been involved with multiple non-profit organizations including the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, Shriver Hall Concert Series, & USGBC Maryland.
Greg Adamo

Secretary

Greg Adamo

Bio

Gregory Adamo, Ph.D. has lived in the Hamilton neighborhood since 2012. He recently retired as Professor in the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University. He is the author of African Americans in Television: Behind the Scenes and co-editor of the book College Media: Learning in Action. Dr. Adamo has published book chapters on “The Wire” and Baltimore, film and racial identity, as well as teaching about race and media. He may be a native New Yorker, but Greg loves living in Baltimore.

Richard Marsiglia

Treasurer

Rich Marsiglia

Bio

Richard Marsiglia is a longtime resident and business owner in the Hamilton area. He is the founding president of HLMS, and he currently serves on the board as treasurer. Rich spends all of his free time with his wife of 38 years, three children and six grandchildren.

John Harris

Board Member

John Harris

Bio

John Harris grew up in Louisiana and was reared with a social consciousness and community spirit that still drives him today. John has served on multiple boards in support to nonprofit operations. As president of Moravia-Walther, John helped to revive the 81-year-old organization for continued growth. As a community steward, John sits as second vice-chair on the Community Review Panel of the Lauraville Urban Renewal Plan. Additionally, John is privileged to be on the board of directors for HARBEL.

TeKesha Jamison

Board Member

TeKesha Jamison

Bio

TeKesha Jamison is the Chief Operating Officer of The Cube Cowork. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Coppin State University and a Master of Science degree in Human Service Administration from the University of Baltimore.  In addition to her work for the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation (DPP) for 19 years and more than three years of experience working in the Baltimore City Public School System, Ms. Jamison is the Assistant Director of Rising Over Standards and Excelling (R.O.S.E), a non-profit organization that provides resources to underserved communities by offering educational and outreach services for youth, young adults, and their families. Through her education and career, Ms. Jamison has gained experience in case management, supervision, administration, community outreach, negotiation and conflict management, and program planning implementation and evaluation.

Daniel Doty

HLMS Executive Director

Daniel Doty

Bio

Daniel Doty is a licensed attorney and was an HLMS board member for close to a decade before stepping up as the Interim Executive Director in July 2021. In January 2022, he became the full-time Executive Director. Over the past 15 years, Lauraville is where he has raised his two children and currently lives with his partner and her kiddo. [email protected]

Krista Cushman

HNI Neighborhood Marketing Coordinator

Krista Cushman

Bio

Krista Cushman, a resident and former HLMS business owner and board member, has now transitioned to our Healthy Neighborhoods program. In addition to HNI, Krista is a licensed real estate agent, petsitter, enjoys traveling, and fosters animals for a non-profit rescue organization. [email protected]

Healthy Neighborhoods

Healthy Neighborhoods programs support strong but undervalued neighborhoods (i.e. ”middle neighborhoods”) by connecting residents with below market rate purchase and renovation loans and grants, by marketing the neighborhood to prospective residents, and by facilitating resident-led projects and events that highlight positive activity in the community.

Learn more about Healthy Neighborhoods here:
https://healthyneighborhoods.org/

Learn more about “middle neighborhoods” here:
https://ncst.org/middle-neighborhoods/

Baltimore Main Streets Logo
Healthy Neighborhoods Logo

Contact

​We’d love to hear from you! If you have a question, a suggestion, or you want to get involved, please drop us a line!