February 25, 2003 (Potomac, MD) -- Cheryl Kagan has been named as the first Executive Director of The Carl M. Freeman Foundation, a family Foundation based in Potomac, MD. The Foundation will continue to be led by Chairman, Joshua M. Freeman. Kagan will oversee the day to day operations of the Foundation, will serve as the liaison to the Board of Directors and will act as the primary contact for beneficiary organizations.

"We are thrilled to have Cheryl as the first Executive Director and look forward to raising the profile and awareness of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation in the coming months and years," said Joshua M. Freeman, Chairman of the Foundation established by his father in 1968.

"Over the years, our Foundation has served and supported hundreds of organizations in the greater Washington, DC area and in the Delmarva region and we will continue to fund and support causes that fit within our vision and mission," Freeman added. "Cheryl will be key to helping us determine the best future for the Foundation both as an organization and related to the causes we support."

Kagan will spend the first 90 days of her tenure recruiting new board members and developing a structured giving cycle for the Foundation. "This is a perfect extension of my previous public and community service activities and I look forward to all the Foundation can accomplish," said Kagan.

Kagan, a native of Montgomery County, has worked for political, legislative and social change since 1980. She served in the Maryland House of Delegates for eight years, representing Maryland's 17th Legislative District. She also served as the Executive Director of Independent Action to elect progressive Democrats and was the sole representative of the House of Delegates to the Maryland State Arts Council which distributes more than $10 million annually to almost 300 artists and arts organizations across the state. She has spent time working with groups such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. She also serves on the Board of the American Jewish Committee.

A 2002 graduate of Leadership Montgomery, Kagan has been recognized by The Greater Washington Board of Trade and was named as a "Rising Star" by the Baltimore Sun in May of 1996. A product of the Montgomery County public schools, she received a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College.