Early Years: Light up the Stage!
Growing up in Hampden in northern Baltimore, Hope's stage presence became obvious at a young age. She sang with her church choir, school choirs, and in school musicals. She even took home the $50 grand prize during a middle school talent show! Her courage to perform for large audiences drove her to audition and win acceptance into the All-County and All-State Choirs, and she even performed at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. No stage fright here!
What we know about Hope:
Hiking her way to EBS
In the summer, we most often find Hope with her Chocolate Lab fur-baby, Kona, playing at the dog park, hiking mountain trails, or swimming at the beach. Hope says, "I am a summer girl, so you'll find me outside in the warm sun, any chance I get." She certainly loves to enjoy the outdoors, but now that she has hiked her way to EBS, Hope's a ray of sunshine for our team as well!
Hitting it outta the park: I performed at Oriole Park while singing the National Anthem with the Perry Hall High School Chamber Choir.
This one time, at band camp? I was the Pom Captain for my high school marching band's pom squad, and during practice I was attacked by wild geese.
Rap it out: I can rap every word to Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."
The Mad Food Scientist: I will eat soup and crabs all year round - soup even in 100-degree weather, and crabs for Christmas. I also like odd food mixtures such as burnt popcorn and ketchup. (No judgement until you try it!)
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The Early Years: Truly German at Heart
Born and raised in a small town in the Black Forest region of Germany, Tammy was 19 years old before moving to the United States. She later graduated from Towson University, and now lives in Baltimore with her husband, their three kids, and the family's German Shepherd, Mauser.
What we know about Tammy: Loving the Great Outdoors
Tammy and her family love any activities they can do outside. We've seen them go on camping and hiking trips, and on the weekends Tammy loves going for motorcycle rides with her husband. They're also frequent boaters, and whenever the weather is nice, they'll be out fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.
Creative cooking: I love experimenting in the kitchen. I can't follow a recipe to save my life because I always have to put my own spin on everything.
Glue sticks rule the world! I'm super crafty and obsessed with DIY projects. Pinterest is my best friend, but also my worst enemy.
"Prost!" I would do just about anything for a German beer, sausage, and soft pretzel.
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Early Years: Leading like a boss.
When Janet was six years old, she emigrated from Taiwan with her family to California. In high school, Janet became highly involved in extracurricular activities. She was the clarinet section leader in her school marching band overseeing 50 clarinets, vice president of band council, in the wind ensemble, on the tennis team, a Girls State delegate, and the regional Southern California president of Future Business Leaders of America. Unsurprisingly, her sisters gave Janet the loving - but apt - nickname, Bossy Pants.
What we know about Janet: Always embracing the unexpected.
After graduating from University of California, Berkeley with a double major in history and art history, Janet began traveling the globe. An avid explorer, she's often fortunate to be in the wrong place at the right time. Once, she landed backstage at the San Francisco tree lighting ceremony where she met the mayor and the cast of RENT! Always looking for something new, Janet searched for an energetic and dynamic team, and it brought her right to us.
Game night! I love games. For my 30th birthday, my husband set up a San Diego-wide scavenger hunt for all the partygoers.
Treat yourself: Though I won't turn down dessert, I cannot stand bread pudding.
Where magic begins: I am a huge Disney fan. I love touristy attractions like Disney World, but I also enjoy finding the nearby gems off the beaten path.
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Early Years: Tricky pets.
Born in North Carolina, Chloe grew up with a younger sister and a kitten, named Humphrey, and she has always loved animals. Today, she has a corgi puppy, named Charlie, who is incredibly outgoing and social. So much so that after hurting his paw at the dog park, he moped and had to be carried around until Chloe took him to the vet. As soon as they arrived, he bounded out of the car with excitement. The vet tech informed Chloe that Charlie had tricked her into bringing him for a visit so he could see his friends at the vet's office.
What we know about Chloe: The great outdoors.
Chloe earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Lynchburg, majoring in English with minors in creative writing and secondary education. While in school, Chloe was awarded the Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior Award and the Laura Jeter Parker English Academic Award. We appreciate having such a dedicated worker on our team, but when she isn't in the office with us, we know she's probably somewhere outdoors - be it on a tennis court, hitting the hiking trails or exploring Virginia's beautiful vineyards.
Stargazing: I have a star named after me.
Not quite a pebble in your shoe: I've had a pebble lodged in my right knee for more than 20 years.
Expresso yourself: I simply love coffee!
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The Early Years: Small Town Girl
Kinsey grew up in Smithsburg, a small Maryland town where everybody knows everybody. Her father was a wrestler at West Virginia University and her parents were high school sweethearts. Her younger brother attends James Madison University. During her high school years, Kinsey loved to hang out in Virginia Beach and she travelled often with her family to and from softball tournaments.
What we know about Kinsey: Well Counseled
Kinsey received a scholarship from UMBC to play softball and graduated from the University with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. Previously, she was an Assistant Teacher for a child with autism at Ivymount School. Someday, she'd like to receive her master's in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. But most of all, this woman is a huge sports fan. You might spot her at an Orioles or Redskins game if you're lucky!
The ball is in her court: "Although most of my time was filled with softball I also played basketball and volleyball in high school."
She's a great catch: "My sophomore year of college I counted the number of bullpens I caught, and the total turned out to be 130!"
Burn Notice: "One time while on vacation in Miami, I got so burnt that I could not leave my hotel room or move my body for a complete 24 hours."
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Early Years: Family time
Matt grew up in Annapolis, Maryland with his sister, Allie. Over the years, they've traveled with their mom, Denise, and Matt's wife, Liz, to many historic areas and lots of beach towns. When they're all home together, the family likes going out to eat at new restaurants or playing Wii bowling and tennis together after having a cookout on Denise's back deck.
What we know about Matt: Great food brings people together
In college, Matt attended St. Mary's College of Maryland, majoring in economics and minoring in environmental studies. He captained his college lacrosse team and was awarded the Athletic Director's Award in 2006. Before coming to EBS, Matt was looking for a work environment with a sense of belonging, and we're excited he brought his positive attitude to EBS - plus we know we can always count on Matt for great restaurant and brewery recommendations!
Hello! My name is: My nickname is Silver Fox.
That college life: I took North American Folk Music and SCUBA diving classes in college - for credits.
So many happily ever after's: One year, between my wife and I, we attended or were part of 15 weddings.
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Early Years: The strength of sisterhood.
Emily grew up in Newburgh, NY as the youngest of three. With Emily's only sister being five years older and having to share a room with her "annoying little sister," the girls didn't get along very well as children. Luckily, they're extremely close today and both live nearby in Baltimore.
What we know about Emily: Chasing adventure.
After earning her bachelor's degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo and completing her Master's program at Catholic University of America, Emily made herself a promise to travel to a new place every year. So far, she's been to Italy, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, multiple countries in southeast Asia, and took a 40-day road trip with her husband to national parks across the U.S. Her family are also avid skiers and try to take annual family ski trips.
Professional bookworm: I love to read! Last year, I surpassed my Goodreads book challenge by reading 59 books!
Experimental cooking: I have a hard time following a recipe without adding my own twist or ingredient to it.
Take a hike: I'm an avid hiker but terrified of snakes, so I've had quite a few run-ins that ended in slight panic attacks.
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Early Years: A Mid-Atlantic Girl
Born in Arlington, Sarah's family moved to Laurel before settling in Shrewsbury, PA when she was 10. Except for a brief stint in Cockeysville from 2009-2012, "I've lived in PA ever since. I had not even flown on a plane until my honeymoon to Orlando!" Since then, she's traveled to Florida, Maine, Nevada and Mexico. Although a clarinet, soccer, gymnastics and color guard member in high school, she happily prefers books and numbers. "My youth was spent studying." No wonder she graduated with a 4.2 GPA (4 out of 250 in her class!). Sarah earned her BS in Economics from Penn State.
What we know about Sarah: Being smart has its benefits
After ten years helping her clients get the most out of their benefits - two with Crawford Advisors and eight years with The Warner Companies - EBS swooped Sarah up. "I have a passion for manipulating numbers and data to create solutions for our clients," she admits. She's also addicted to Red Bull (a great start to any morning)! But the great love of her life is daughter, Zoe (7 months at the time of this writing). There is simply not enough storage in her cell phone to store the photos!
Sarah earned her Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation and is presently studying for her Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) certificate.
Pizza Queen. My husband and I ate so much pizza in 2011 that Papa John's sent us a free copy of Madden NFL 12 for the PS3.
Her Life is Magical. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. My house is Slytherin and my Patronus is a King COBRA.
Film Geek. Huge cinephiles, my husband and I recite quotes from our favorite movies to each other.
No Achy Breaky . . . Anything! I've never broken a bone and I still have all four of my wisdom teeth.
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Early Years: Crabsolutely clawsome.
Lucia was born in Hong Kong as the youngest of six. With four sisters and a brother, they were a close-knit family. So much so, Lucia's older sister and her future husband took the three younger sisters on some of their dates, embarking on many fun adventures together. Lucia's family also loves to vacation and eat crabs. When they get started eating crabs, the meal could literally take half a day!
What we know about Lucia:
A cultural connoisseur.
While attending school at University of Maryland College Park, Lucia studied speech communication and business. Since graduating, she's furthered her career while traveling the globe to places like Sweden, Italy and Suriname, and she's hoping to visit Taiwan and Australia. Lucia enjoys discovering other cultures, trying new restaurants, and cooking different cuisines at home. She says our fun vibe and culture brought her to EBS, and we're glad it did.
Code Switching: I speak Chinese, both Cantonese and Mandarin dialects.
Four Peas in a Pod: I have four sons. During one of my pregnancies, I didn't know I was carrying twins until I had an ultrasound at 20 weeks. I only gained seven pounds, and the twins were five-and-a-half pounds each!
Better Than Music! I have recorded a few podcasts and YouTube videos.
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Early Years: A great team player
Cara grew up in Annapolis, Maryland as the youngest of five girls. Their parents encouraged the girls to play team sports and coached all of their children's recreational sports teams. As a kid and throughout high school, Cara played soccer, field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She even went on to play lacrosse in college.
What we know about Cara: Always giving back
After studying at St. Andrews College and Anne Arundel Community College, Cara transferred to University of Maryland College Park to earn a bachelor's in kinesiology and a Masters of Education. She taught K-8 health and physical education for seven years, also coaching CrossFit, girls field hockey and girls lacrosse. In all of her spare time, she likes to work out, and do DIY projects for her home and fundraisers for MS.
Mom of the year: I am a mom of two: a boy and a girl!
Hit the links! I worked in Phoenix, Arizona on an LPGA tour for six months.
Reruns on repeat: I've seen every episode of Friends and New Girl more than 100 times (probably more and still counting)!
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Early years
The Baby of the Family
Born and raised in Hyattsville, Maryland, Ana (aka Bird) was the youngest of three. She is best friends with her sister, though they are six years apart, and she and her brother are considered Irish Twins. Ana was a dedicated student and rowed crew in high school, but she also had a wild side. Ana pierced her nose over six times during school. Since piercings were against school rules, she had to take it out whenever she got caught. What a rebel!
What we know about Ana
The Perfect Work-Life Balance
Before starting her new career at EBS, Ana worked as a breastfeeding counselor at Women Infant Children (WIC), a non-profit, community-based healthcare agency and then took on a role at a cemetery (Parklawn Memorial Park). She now shares her time with our team at EBS and her 8-year-old daughter Ava Rose. Ava loves to play in the park and always keeps Ana on her toes.
My Feline Best-Friend: I have a cat named Squeeky, who is 23 years old and still going strong!
Confessions of a Shopaholic: I will let you in on a little secret - I often shop for clothes for my already-full closet, and you can frequently catch me buying home décor for my future home.
My Baby Bird: After 32 hours of labor, I named my baby girl, Ava. My family nickname has always been Bird, and Ava means bird in Latin. Ironically, the name is also a 3-letter palindrome, like mine!
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Early years
A Triple Threat
While growing up in Howard County, Maryland, with her parents and two younger brothers, Alexa attended the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore City. During high school, she was a 3-sport athlete as a member of the cheerleading squad, a lacrosse player, and a volleyball star. She even joined a competitive jump rope team - as if she was not busy enough!
What we know about Alexa
The Campus Tour Guide
While pursuing her degree, Alexa embarked on the All-Maryland College Tour. She started off at Frostburg University, then transferred to Salisbury University where she met her husband, before ultimately graduating from UMBC with a degree in Sociology. After getting married in April of 2018, Alexa and her husband moved to Catonsville, and they are now the cutest family of three with their English Bulldog, Cali.
Work that Side Hustle! When I am not working with the team EBS, I am an assistant Wedding Planner with Social Graces Events
Gourmet Cupcakes Anyone? I love to bake and consider myself a cupcake connoisseur! I have visited over 50 cupcake shops with my mom, and we are still eager for more.
Believe in Serendipity: Right before a trip to North Carolina for a family vacation, my flight was abruptly cancelled. In the airport, I met a woman scheduled to take the same flight to embark on her own family vacation. We ended up driving from the airport to North Carolina together that same night, and we remain friends to this day.
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Early Years: The Heartbeat of America
Taylor was born in southern Maryland and grew up in Hyattsville. In high school, she was on the field hockey and lacrosse teams and also played violin in the school orchestra. Taylor's parents instilled in her an appreciation of classic cars, and they love going to car shows together. Her parents own a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS, a 1964 Pontiac LeMans and a 1953 Ford F-100 truck that belonged to her grandfather.
What we know about Taylor: It's okay, she's with the band.
Living in College Park, Maryland, Taylor and her boyfriend have two snakes, Noodle and Nash, a bluetick coon hound, Goose, and a Chesapeake Bay retriever, Paisley. Taylor is obsessed with her dogs and takes them everywhere. When they're not out hiking with the pups, we can count on Taylor and her boyfriend to be at a concert. Taylor has the best luck at winning concert tickets, and in 2020, she won tickets to four different concerts and got to meet the artists! She met Hardy, Michael Ray, Adam Doleac and her favorite group, Midland.
Saxy and we know it: I know how to play four instruments. I play the piano, guitar and saxophone, but my favorite instrument is the violin.
House Party! I've danced with Sam Hunt!! My friend got VIP tickets to Sunday in the Country, and he came over and danced with us during his set!
#ALLCAPS all the time: I love hockey games, and I am a huge Washington Capitals fan. In 2018, I went to every playoff watch party and home game until they won the Stanley Cup! We even stopped in Nashville for a Capitals vs. Predators game while on a road trip from Texas to Maryland.
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Early Years: Layups, fast pitch and spikes, oh my.
Born in Baltimore, Amber grew up as one of four kids and has always been the baby of the family. In high school, she played varsity basketball, softball and volleyball, and she hit the road constantly to play in softball travel tournaments. She later attended Anne Arundel Community College where she was named an All-American shortstop for softball and an All-Region goalkeeper for soccer.
What we know about Amber: Nurses call the shots.
From Anne Arundel Community College, Amber transferred to Guilford College to study nursing and psychology. After graduation, Amber pursued a career as a nurse, which gave her a firsthand understanding of the health insurance industry. Now, she is very excited to be on the EBS team, approaching health insurance from a completely different angle.
Get your game on: As a sports fanatic, I am unsurprisingly very competitive. It's even a race to see who gets the mail first.
Hit or be hit: My husband and I love to play football in the yard with our 10-year-old twin boys. Our 5-year-old daughter especially loves to "tackle" her brothers.
Life's better at the beach: Our family has actually lived in six states in 10 years, but we are finally ready to settle down in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
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The Early Years: Note to Self
Keara is quick to catch on. Raised in Annapolis since age 2, she learned her first valuable life lesson in first grade - and it stuck. "My discipline card was flipped from green (good) to yellow (bad) for passing notes," she explains. "That's when I learned how not to get caught." She never got in trouble at school again.
Her quick reflexes and stealthy athleticism also paid off playing a little lacrosse and soccer year-round. While in high school at St. Mary's, she played volleyball. She also "did a lot of theater - always behind the scenes." Chop, chop, and Keara was off to East Carolina University, where she continued to play soccer, softball, and party- all recreationally. She also earned a greenbelt in Isshinryu karate (watch your step!) - all while graduating in three years with a BS in Communications.
What We Know About Keara: Behind the Talent
Keara's original plan was to work in video production, and she worked as summer intern in the Talent Casting and Voice Over department at Discovery Communications. "It was an amazing opportunity, but after experiencing the corporate world of TV and video production, I realized that it wasn't for me," she says. "Although I enjoy volunteering on smaller local films in my free time." Frankly, we find the fact that Keara has any free time amazing. While working with EBS full-time, she also works part-time as a licensed realtor.
Bright Lights. I have a credit on IMDB, the film site. Probably the smallest profiles on that site, but it still counts.
Dive Deep. I have my scuba certification and try to go diving at least once a year. My bucket list includes diving with sharks, but finding a dive buddy to go with me isn't easy!
"Spare" Time. I took a bowling class in college. I'm pretty sure I only passed because the teacher felt bad, so please don't ask me to join your bowling league.
Google It. Google my name. I'm either the most famous Keara Cleary or the only one.
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Early Years: A natural sports fan.
Carly was born and raised in Maryland with her younger sister Allie. Though Carly considers herself a NARP (non-athletic regular person), she's dabbled in most sports at one time or another. Luckily, Carly's minimal athleticism hasn't stopped her from enjoying sports. Growing up she went to Baltimore Ravens and Orioles games with her dad and grandfather. She even has an autograph from the Ravens' mascot, Poe!
What we know about Carly: Eat, drink and be rosemary.
After graduating from Towson University with a double major in health care management and business administration, Carly moved to Federal Hill in Baltimore. She spends her time walking around the city trying new restaurants, exploring local bars and shopping with friends. But if she's not out and about, she'll be home watering her many, many houseplants or snuggling her cock-a-tzu dog, Buster.
Fun Facts
Really relishes hotdogs: "When I visited Nashville, I ate a 12-inch-long hotdog served in a chipotle-sized bowl. Hotdogs are my favorite food, and if I could eat one every day, I would."
Happiness in a cup: "I need my caffeine fix every single day. I would even drink an iced coffee in a blizzard - nothing can hold me back from my coffee."
Stilettos anyone? "My first word was "shoe." When I was younger, I was obsessed with shoes - I would always put on everyone's shoes and strut around the house, even when the shoes were five times too big."
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