The Horizon Foundation has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees: Louis Hutt III, chief operating officer at The Hutt Company, LLC, and Scott Rose, chief of business development for community services at Sheppard Pratt. Each will serve a four-year term on the board of the Horizon Foundation, the largest independent health philanthropy in Maryland. The Foundation works side-by-side with community to build power, advocate for policy change and dismantle structural racism to achieve better health for everyone in Howard County and greater Maryland.
“We’re pleased to welcome our two newest Horizon Foundation board members,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, president and CEO of the Horizon Foundation. “Throughout their careers, Louis and Scott have made valuable contributions to the health and mental health of their communities, using their time and expertise to promote equity and well-being. We look forward to working together to make Howard County free from systemic inequities, where all people live abundant and healthy lives.”
Christopher Fortune will ascend to the role of board chair, and Lisa M. Pearson will serve as vice chair. Gopi Suri will continue as secretary and Mark Cissell as treasurer. Sharon Hoover is a departing member of the Board of Trustees.
“I also want to thank Sharon for her many years of service to the Foundation and to Howard County,” added Vernick. “Her passion for youth mental health and her leadership on the Board, particularly in the development of our new strategic plan, was invaluable to our work.”
The new trustees began their terms on January 1. Their bios are below.
Louis Hutt III
Chief Operating Officer, The Hutt Company, LLC
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Neighbor Ride Inc.
Louis Hutt III is The Hutt Company’s chief operating officer. In this role, he heads up the company’s professional practice group, providing executive management and offering tax and financial advisory services to individuals, small businesses and small business enterprises. He works with a wide range of clients, from entertainers and athletes to tech firms and real estate ventures. As part of the company’s subsidiary, Mega Success Partners, LLC, he uses his expertise for business acquisition guidance, financial management training, enterprise risk practices and business turnaround solutions. He also serves as treasurer on the Board of Directors at Neighbor Ride Inc., a volunteer-based transportation service for Howard County seniors.
Hutt graduated from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. He enjoys working alongside his father, uncle and sister at The Hutt Company and is a proud parent.
Scott Rose
Chief of Business Development for Community Services, Sheppard Pratt
Pro bono attorney, Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services
Scott Rose is currently Sheppard Pratt’s chief of business development for community services. In this role, he oversees major program development projects and assists with key government relations activities. He began working with Sheppard Pratt Health System in 1988 as the administrator and general counsel of their subsidiary Way Station, Inc., and then moved to the role of chief of rehabilitation and recovery services in 2019. In that position, he oversaw community-based mental health programs across 11 jurisdictions in the state, serving 5,000 people. Prior to his work for Sheppard Pratt, he worked as an attorney and counselor.
Rose holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and a B.A. in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. In his free time, he works as a pro bono attorney with Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services to represent undocumented, unaccompanied Central American immigrant children with trauma disorders.
