BOARD OF DIRECTORS

staff-members-in-conference-room-viewing-a-slide-on-a-screen

Tanisha Armstrong

President

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Arlette Bright, Esq.

Vice President

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Ruth Thomas

Treasurer

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Rebecca Burner

Secretary

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Anthony Rodriguez, Esq.

Co-Chair, IDEA Committee

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doncella-wilson-licensed-masters-social-worker-board-member-portrait

Doncella Wilson, LMSW

Co-Chair IDEA Committee

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Candace Henry

Thomas Deliberto

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Discover how you can get involved below



Volunteer as an attorney

Help us provide civil legal services to more individuals and families in need.



Provide additional volunteer services

Speak another language? Help provide translation services!



Intern with us

For those who are interested in law, social justice, and community service.



Partner with us

Help us provide civil legal services to more individuals and families in need.



Make a gift

With your help, we can continue making the law accessible and affordable.

CORE VALUES

Integrity	Service Oriented
Compassion	Professionalism
Respect	Collaboration
Dignity

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access Goal

Shore Legal Access seeks to acknowledge and honor individual differences by fostering a culture of dignity, respect, and belonging for all service recipients, staff, volunteers, and leaders.

Tanisha Armstrong

"If you are not a part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem." That is the guiding principle of Tanisha Armstrong’s life. She is an educator, advocate, and leader who has spent more than 30 years supporting nonprofits, faith communities, businesses, and individuals in moving their missions forward. She has served the community in many capacities and has been on the board of a number of local organizations.

Tanisha is a first-generation Caribbean-American, passionate historian, and writer. She can always be found pursuing opportunities to cultivate compassion and joy both professionally and personally. She relishes the sound of laughter, the experience of a communal meal, and the beauty of nature.

Arlette Bright

Arlette Bright, an Eastern Shore native, is the principal and owner of The Law Offices of Arlette Kelly Bright, P.C.; Bright Title and Settlement Services, LLC,; and has been practicing law for over 28 years, with a focus on real estate, corporate and business matters, estate planning and administration, and intellectual property. Arlette’s private law practice experience began with the law firms of Miles and Stockbridge, P.C. and Piper & Marbury (now DLA Piper) and Hyatt & Weber, P.A.

Arlette has been active in and volunteered for many civic organizations, including Worcester County Child Advocacy Center, Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center, Worcester County Department of Social Services Advisory Board, Salisbury PFLAG, Delmarva Zoological Society, FreeState Justice, and Shore Legal Access.

Arlette lives in Ocean City, Maryland with her husband, Bruce Bright, and has three children, Day, Wyatt, and Colin.

Ruth Thomas

Ruth Thomas has over 30 years of experience in leadership and finance, along with prior work in the legal profession. She is currently the VP for Finance and Administration of SAT-7, a Christian nonprofit, headquartered in Easton, MD. Ruth brings to the board experience in finance, budgeting, HR, fundraising, legacy/planned giving, and nonprofit management.

Ruth is passionate about excellence and accountability in all aspects of her life and work and believes that transparency is key to gaining donor trust and support.

Ruth holds her B.S. in Business Administration from UMGC and a B.A. in Leadership from York University, along with a CCNL (Credentialed Christian Nonprofit Leader) through the Christian Leadership Alliance. Ruth is a member of the Tidewater Rotary of Easton.

Rebecca Burner

Rebecca Burner was appointed to the board of Shore Legal Access in June of 2019. Ms. Burner has more than four decades of experience in the public and private sector, where she developed an expertise in fiscal policy and program administration. She served for over a decade as the director of governmental relations, working for the secretary of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management. Previously, Ms. Burner served as a government relations consultant for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Earlier in her career she was the director of government relations for the Maryland Department of Environment and legislative liaison to the Maryland Department of Health. Prior to that she served as the city administrator for the town of Berwyn Heights and legislative assistant for State Senator Meyer M. Emanuel, Jr. She currently serves on the board and executive committee of the Chesterwye Center, Inc. She was previously appointed by Governors Schaefer and Glendening to two terms on the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education and served for two years as president. Ms. Burner, who holds a bachelor’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, earned her M.P.A. from The George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Anthony Rodriguez

Anthony (Tony) Rodriguez has been a public interest attorney since 1986. Tony retired from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2021 and in 2022 he began representing and providing legal assistance to Shore Legal Access's clients on various housing and consumer debt issues. Tony joined the board in March of 2022.

Doncella Wilson, LMSW

As an Eastern Shore of Maryland native, Doncella completed her primary education in Queen Anne’s County and holds an associate's degree in human services from Chesapeake College, and a B.A. and a master’s degree in social work from Salisbury University. Ms. Wilson is a board approved and licensed master social worker with more than twenty years’ experience in the human services profession. She is currently the co-founder of Minary’s Dream Alliance, Inc. (MDA) where she serves as the executive director. The mission of MDA is "to transform the lives of youth, families, and communities through education, resource development, and community engagement."

Ms. Wilson was elected in 2017 to serve as a council member on the town council in Denton, Maryland to serve a five-year term. She volunteers her time on various local and state boards. Ms. Wilson is the current board president for the Caroline County Council of the Arts and also a board member for Mid-Shore Behavioral Health and Shore Legal Access. Ms. Wilson was appointed by Governor Hogan to serve on the Uninsured Employers Fund Board in 2019 and in 2021 she was appointed to the Commission on Trauma-Informed Care. Ms. Wilson was a co-chair for Comptroller Brooke Lierman’s Public Engagement transition team and is a current member of the Comptroller’s Financial Literacy Workgroup.

Doncella seeks to live her life as the Maya Angelou quote states, "When you learn, teach. When you get, give."

Tim Abeska

Tim Abeska is a retired attorney who practiced law in Indiana for nearly 35 years.The focus of Tim’s law practice was business and construction litigation and transportation law. He also represented banks and other commercial lenders.

In July 2015, his wife, Mary Ann, was diagnosed with ALS (often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease). In 2017, Tim accelerated a planned retirement so that Mary Ann could live her last days on her beloved Eastern Shore.

Tim began work as a volunteer attorney for Shore Legal Access (then named Mid-Shore Pro Bono) in March 2018 and has provided services to many clients. After Mary Ann died in January 2019, Tim expanded his volunteer work with Shore Legal Access, and joined the Board of Directors in late 2019. He was previously president of the board.

In addition to his work for Shore Legal Access, Tim serves on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Bar Foundation, is an Upper Shore Regional Council Small Business Mentor, and is a Volunteer Advocate with I AM ALS, an organization which is revolutionizing how we cure ALS by empowering and mobilizing patients, engaging with policymakers, and offering vital resources for people impacted by ALS.

Holland Brownley, Esq.

Holland Brownley has called Queen Anne's County her home since childhood. After graduating from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, in Washington, DC, she clerked for the Hon. Thomas G. Ross, in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County. When her clerkship concluded, Ms. Brownley decided to stay local and opened her own practice in Stevensville with a focus on criminal defense and family law. She has provided pro bono service throughout her 15-year legal career, whether it was through Mid-Shore Pro Bono (now Shore Legal Access) as a volunteer attorney, or as a panel conflict attorney through the Office of the Public Defender.

In 2014, her firm was awarded Law Firm of the Year from Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) for its representation of pro bono family law clients. In 2017, Ms. Brownley joined the Office of the Public Defender in its Talbot County office so that she could devote her attention full-time to representation of indigent clients. In 2020, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Maryland's Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, and is now serving a second term. She has served on the board of Shore Legal Access since 2020.

Jenifer Goolie, Esq.

Jenifer Goolie has been practicing law in Maryland for 31 years and is currently a social services attorney in the Lower Shore where she works in child welfare, adult protective services, and adult guardianships. She holds a bachelor's degree in city planning, magna cum laude (1989); a juris doctor (1993); and master's degree in Divinity (2002), all while matriculating at Howard University, Washington D.C. She began her legal career working in small firms or in solo practice in the D.C. Metropolitan area concentrating in family law matters. She became an attorney to be able to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to defend the rights of the poor and the needy." She believes that folks have the right to have quality legal services even if they cannot afford it. Throughout her career Jenifer has been involved in pro bono work in some form, and this shall always be a part of her life and work. Jenifer is originally from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies and is the proud mother of three young children.

Mike Starling

Mike Starling is a retired D.C. and California attorney who spent 25 years at National Public Radio, retiring as vice president & executive director of the Technology Research Center & NPR Labs. In "retirement" Starling became the founder & general manager at Mid-Shore Community Radio's NPR Member Station WHCP-FM, 91.7 MHz.

Angel Perez

Angel Perez is the Caroline Pride CEO/Founder, who has been recognized as the Caroline County Citizen of the Year 2020, Caliber Award Mary Beth Brennaman 2022, and Jefferson Award for Public Service 2022. For the past 13 years, Mr. Perez has dedicated his time to positively impacting his community, especially carrying the message of inclusion, respect, and equity. Mr. Perez created the Greensboro & Preston Connects Initiative and currently serves as president of the Rotary Club of Denton, the Caroline County Local Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, Caroline Goes Purple Committee, Caroline County Public Schools Citizens Advisory Committee, Wellness Coalition, Caroline County Equity Committee, MD Rainbow Roundtable, Regional Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, Caroline Co. Extension Advisory Council, and Mid Shore Suicide Coalition.

Candace Henry

As a Talbot County native, Candace completed her primary education at Easton High School and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Grambling State University, an M.S. in Human Services from Capella University, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Frostburg State University. Candace is a seasoned higher education leader with over 20 years of experience advancing disability services, accessibility, and inclusive practices across college campuses. She currently serves as Director of the Office of Access & Accommodations at Salisbury University, where she leads strategic initiatives that promote equity, Universal Design for Learning, and a culture of belonging.

Candace brings deep expertise in policy development, strategic planning, and compliance with federal and state disability laws. She is an active contributor to the broader field through presentations, community service, and leadership on university and local boards. Candace is committed to mentoring emerging professionals and building institutional and community partnerships that improve access and success. In addition to her administrative role, Candace teaches courses in disability studies and rehabilitation counseling at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She also previously served on the Talbot County Board of Education and was the inaugural Managing Director of the Water’s Edge Museum, the county’s first accessible museum focused on Black history and culture.

Her contributions have earned recognition from Maryland Governors Larry Hogan and Wes Moore, and a Board of Regents Honorable Mention for exemplary service to students with disabilities.

Candace lives in Easton, Maryland with her husband Garnell and their two children, Gabrielle and Trey.

Thomas Deliberto, Esq.

Tom is a practicing attorney concentrating on Taxation, Estates and Trusts and Corporate law. He is a graduate of Fordham University and the University of Maryland, School of Law. He began his career as a CPA and before starting his own firm was a tax partner and director of tax operations for Deloitte LLP (formerly Touche Ross & Co.)

Tom lives in Kent County where he sits on the Betterton Planning and Zoning Commission and is an Associate member of the Betterton Volunteer Fire Company. In addition to the Board of Shore Legal Access he is a member of various corporate and non-profit boards covering a full range of charitable and business interests. Over the years he has volunteered his services to many non-profits for purposes of attaining and maintaining tax exempt status, constructing bylaws and structuring corporate organizations.

Tom joined SLA not only to give back to the community, which is a major part of his activity, but also to maintain a high standard of how the legal community is perceived by the public. He feels that, through volunteer efforts, his profession can broaden its appeal by providing services to the entire community and not just those who can afford them.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tanisha Armstrong

Arlette Bright, Esq.

Ruth Thomas

Rebecca Burner

Anthony Rodriguez, Esq.

Doncella Wilson, LMSW

Tim Abeska, Esq.

Holland Brownley, Esq.

Jenifer Goolie, Esq.

Mike Starling

Angel Perez

Kathleen Smith

Candace Henry

Thomas Deliberto

Discover how you can get involved below

Volunteer as an attorney

Provide additional volunteer services

Intern with us

Partner with us

Make a gift

CORE VALUES

Integrity

Service Oriented

Compassion

Professionalism

Respect

Collaboration

Dignity

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access Goal

Tanisha Armstrong

Arlette Bright

Ruth Thomas

Rebecca Burner

Anthony Rodriguez

Doncella Wilson, LMSW

Tim Abeska

Holland Brownley, Esq.

Jenifer Goolie, Esq.

Mike Starling

Angel Perez

Candace Henry

Thomas Deliberto, Esq.