SHIP is managed by a staff of committed and passionate professionals who live and work in Frederick County. This team takes the initiative – to do what’s right, take care of these children’s immediate needs, and to do it right now. SHIP works in cooperation with Frederick County Public Schools, human relief agencies, government, and other organizations to create positive outcomes in the lives of homeless youth here in our Frederick County community.
It takes a village and ours is unmatched.
Meet Our Village:
Melissa Muntz
Executive Director
As our fearless leader, Melissa wears many hats within the organization and our local community in general. With an impressive professional history in legislative work, advocacy, and tourism, she is able to draw from knowledge and experience to help set our students up for success. When asked what she loves most about leading the organization she says, “I love leaving work every day feeling like I made a difference in the lives of young people in the Frederick community. Seeing the success of our students is incredibly rewarding and worth every ounce of effort we put into our programming.”
Melissa also shares a quote that she is reminded of through her work here with SHIP – As the great Leslie Knope said, “Sometimes you have to make the hardest climb to see the most beautiful sunrises.”
Laurie Robb
Development and Marketing Manager
Laurie is joining SHIP with almost 10 years of experience of marketing ranging from social media to Community Liaison work within the community. She has lived in Maryland for 6 years and says that she can’t express enough how much she loves Frederick! “I’m a big fan of the amazing restaurants and atmosphere, the vibe downtown is so unique that it doesn’t compare to other cities.” She emphasizes that she loves to support local businesses and shop little vendor markets at breweries.
Her favorite activities include watching movies, going wine tasting or breweries, and enjoying time with her husband, son, and wonderfully weird dog.
Monica
Ellen Ruby Santos
Program Administrator – Thrive Housing Network
Amber Ugorji
Administrative Assistant and Resource Coordinator
Brendan Dierman
Case Manager – New Horizons Program
Laura Lores
Case Manager – New Horizons Program
It’s a privilege to work at SHIP and bear witness to students’ stories, especially those they may not have had the chance to tell before. Helping students realize that life’s challenges are not meant to paralyze them, but rather to help them discover who they are, what they can rise from, and how they can still thrive. SHIP has deepened my passion for serving many of our most vulnerable students in the Frederick area, creating a space of belonging and hope for them to pursue diverse and equitable higher education opportunities.
As Mother Teresa said, “We sometimes think that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling with my family, indulging in diverse and delicious foods, spending time at the beach, and watching movies with my husband.
Kiyah Palmer
Case Manager – New Horizons Program
Kiyah joins our team after recently graduating college in 2023! When she is outside of the office, she enjoys reading, especially loves a good thriller or romance novel. She also loves the colors pink, blue and orange as well as enjoys traveling!
When asking Kiyah her favorite quote, she shared, “It’s not where you come from, its where you belong”. This quote is significant to her because our students come from many different backgrounds and it emphasizes that their current or past circumstances do not define their worth or limit their potential.
Fun fact, Kiyah graduated high school at 16 years old, graduated college at 20 years old, and will have two degrees before she’s 22 years old!
Wanda Butts
Case Manager – New Horizons Program
Wanda joins our team motivated to make a difference in our students lives. After striving and struggling to finish nursing school, she took her first job at a Hospice and became their staffing coordinator. After 20 years, Wanda decided it was time to change her path and joined the staff at FCPS where she worked in specialized programs for the last 10 years before joining the SHIP team. When asking Wanda an important quote, she responded, “no matter how bad things get you can succeed, and I’m proof of that.” She thinks Rita Pearson said it best when she said, “Every child deserves a champion-an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.