The MPT Foundation, Inc. has elected Debbie Driesman, vice president of the Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman foundation; Henry Stansbury, founder of Agency Services Inc. and Agency insurance Co.; and retired film and TV executive Michael Styer to each serve three-year terms on its volunteer board of directors.
The MPT Foundation, Inc. is the 501(c)(3) fundraising affiliate of Maryland Public Television (MPT). Incorporated in 1981 as the Maryland Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc., the foundation today comprises more than two dozen members drawn from Maryland business, civic, and cultural communities to assist MPT in securing private contributions and foundation grants.
Debbie Driesman is a retired computer engineer who volunteers for nonprofits and community operations while supporting MPT’s Leadership Society.
She worked as a computer engineer in NASA’s Communication Division at Goddard Space Flight Center until she retired in 1999. She and her husband Frank Islam now reside in the home she helped construct in Potomac, Md. Driesman has been involved in the Potomac Area Newcomers Group since 2002. She is the vice president of the Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation.
Driesman has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Halcyon Foundation, Washington Performing Arts, Folger Shakespeare Library and the National Council of the White House Historical Association. She and her husband Frank Islam served as members of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts, the Abraham Lincoln National Council at Ford’s Theater, the Wilson Center National Cabinet, Meridian International’s Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council, the Monticello Cabinet, the Global Leadership Council of the UN Foundation, the Washington Cabinet at Mount Vernon and the Madison Council at the Library of Congress.
Henry Stansbury is founder and former CEO of Agency Services Inc. and Agency Insurance Co. Currently he is a community and nonprofit volunteer.
Beyond his career building two successful businesses in the insurance industry, Stansbury is passionate about Maryland’s history, art, and culture, and proud of his family’s deep connection to the state, which spans more than 10 generations. Commonly called upon for his subject matter expertise, Stansbury has 30 years of experience collecting waterfowl and oystering memorabilia in the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay region. He has also written two books and numerous articles on waterfowl decoy carvers and heritage.
At MPT, in addition to being a Leadership Society member, Stansbury made a generous gift to help fund the program Chesapeake Decoys: The Nature of Waterfowl Art, an Emmy® Award-winning documentary that debuted during Chesapeake Bay Week® 2022.
In his retirement, Stansbury has devoted himself to nonprofits in Maryland, including board service with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art.
Michael Styer served as executive director of the Maryland Film Office and senior vice president and executive producer at MPT. Currently, he is an MPT volunteer archivist, Leadership Society and Legacy Society member, and supporter of the statewide public TV network’s historic preservation projects.
Styer spent 20 years at MPT developing award-winning productions including the network’s only national Primetime Emmy® Award-winning program, Wolf Trap Presents The Kirov: Swan Lake. The last 10 years of his professional career were spent bringing Hollywood film and TV productions to Maryland as the executive director of the Maryland Film Office. Homicide: Life on the Streets and Runaway Bride are just two of many noteworthy titles he helped get produced in the state.
In his retirement, Styer focuses on philanthropy, theater, and preserving MPT’s history as a volunteer archivist, where he works closely with the network’s Office of the President and the Special Collections and University Archives unit of the University of Maryland’s Hornbake Library. He resides in Baltimore.
About Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, offering entertaining, informative, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates and distributes local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® Awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and Thinkport.org.
