Our Mission
To educate the public about the importance of the honeybee to agriculture and life in general, to promote the benefits of eating locally produced honey, and to provide current information necessary to manage a colony of honeybees on a continuing basis.
President
Charles De Barber
Charles DeBarber is a dedicated urban beekeeper with over a decade of experience, nurturing thriving colonies in Baltimore City’s renowned Filbert Street Garden. A proud veteran and passionate advocate, Charles is committed to promoting awareness about the vital role of bees in urban ecosystems. His deep fascination with the history of beekeeping inspires his efforts to refurbish vintage beekeeping equipment, blending tradition with modern techniques. In his downtime, Charles enjoys immersing himself in the enchanting worlds of fantasy novels, finding inspiration in their tales of resilience and connection to nature.
Vice President
Osmar Rivera
Osmar Rivera is a longtime honey bee lover and advocate for conservation. His deep respect for nature and strong desire to make a difference make him a staunch ally in the fight to save the bees, our most precious and prevalent pollinators.
Osmar’s deep love and respect for bee conservation began as a child in his hometown of San Luis de la Rena, El Salvador. Growing up he witnessed and interacted with the sweet buzzing wonders of nature. These childhood memories followed Osmar when he left to make his way to America and they stayed with him until he returned home to visit some 21 years later. When he found numerous honey bee populations in ruins due to ignorance and fear, Osmar went into action planting fruit trees, pines and flowers and setting up a small apiary on his father’s land. Soon he was taking calls to rescue bee swarms and transferring them to safety. The overall success of this first “bee-venture” led him to pursue official training and conservation opportunities here in Maryland.
Beekeeping and apiary management are part of Osmar’s life-time passion to make a lasting change on his environment. He also values education and wants to inspire others to learn and get involved with conservation efforts that include holistic beekeeping, organic pesticide-free gardening, bee safety, swarm identification and relocation or removal options. Osmar is proud to volunteer his time and talents to CMBA as a manager of CMBA’s nuc yard.
Secretary
Jean Hessenauer
Jean, a long-term career law librarian, has been engaged in backyard beekeeping for five years. She enjoys tending to her honey bees, horses, cats, and dog, and volunteers in her local community, participating in many varied agricultural venues and events.
Jean stepped-up to the treasurer position in January 2024 and has dedicated countless hours to keeping CMBA on financial track.
Treasurer
Regina Andrew
About Regina Andrew: a lifetime member of Central Maryland Beekeepers Association, Regina has served on its Board since 2021, first as CMBA’s Librarian, and mostly recently serving two consecutive terms as CMBA’s President.
Regina is an avid hobbyist beekeeper, who started her beekeeping journey upon retirement as a lawyer with the U.S. Government. Since then, she has been enthusiastically participating in the beekeeping community. In addition to serving on CMBA’s Board, Regina also serves as her Second Vice President on the Board of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association.
Chairwoman | Membership Committee
Cindy Landefeld
Cindy Landefeld is an enthusiastic beekeeper who lives in Baltimore County. She has a passion for apis mellifera and is a proud member of the Central Maryland Beekeepers Association (CMBA).