Staff
Norine Haas
Executive Director
For a number of years, Norine Haas administered the Mental Health Association in Frederick County, a nonprofit organization, bringing a number of new programs into being to serve the mental health needs of Frederick County. Prior to that work, she was executive assistant for a regional office of the United Church of Christ, providing administrative support in the management of the activities and clergy search processes of 72 churches.
She has brought her years of administrative experience to the Ausherman Family Trust to assist in the organization and implementation of the capacity building grants program and to support other philanthropic work of the Foundation.
In addition to her professional career, Norine has served as chair of several community mental health and nonprofit coalitions, as founding Chair of the Jefferson School Advisory Board, as past Chair of the Board of Episcopal Ministries to the Aging, as a past President of the Frederick Rotary Club, as past president and program chair of the Frederick Torch Club as well as serving in a leadership capacity in many other organizations. She holds a degree in Nursing from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rebecca Southers
Grants Coordinator
Rebecca Southers came to Frederick County as a Hood College student in 1995 and fell in love with the community. As a Hood College Bonner Scholar, she volunteered with the United Way of Frederick County, helping to begin the SummerServe youth service programs. After graduation she went on to coordinate a 21st Century Community Learning Center for Carroll County Public Schools, working to build community partnerships and strengthen the academic success of struggling students. Rebecca later returned to Frederick County when she accepted a position as the Youth Service Director of Volunteer Frederick—managing the programs she helped begin as a college volunteer. She also taught English at Walkersville High School for two years before returning to her true passion in community development.
As the Grants Coordinator of the Ausherman Family Foundation, Rebecca is supporting targeted nonprofits, helping to build capacity by improving their grant writing and reporting process.
Rebecca serves as an advisor to the Service Learning Advisory Board, a network of high school students who develop leadership skills as they perform service learning projects for Frederick County nonprofits.
Renee Lopez, CPA
Controller
Renee Lopez is the Controller of Ausherman Development Corporation. She is a native of Hanover, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Management from Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania in 1989. She started her career in public accounting working for Deloitte & Touche and received her CPA license in 1993.
Since public accounting, Renee worked in private industry for two telecommunications companies in the Northern Virginia area, taught college level accounting classes at an American military base in Okinawa, Japan, and took a few years off to raise her children. She and her family moved to Frederick in 2001. Renee joined Ausherman Development Corporation in 2004.
She resides in Walkersville with her husband and their three children. She is a member of the St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Libertytown Maryland.