Katrina Leonard explored many unique professional fields before becoming an independent contractor at A Step Forward, Inc. (ASF), a spiritually based, nonprofit organization in Baltimore that provides support services to individuals recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Born and raised in Cleveland, Leonard began studying communications at The University of Akron in nearby Akron, Ohio. Around this time, she accepted a position as an account executive for a broadcast television network and then later as an account executive at a popular radio station in Philadelphia. Following a successful stint in the City of Brotherly Love, Leonard started working with a California-based bail bond insurance provider called American Surety in 1997. Roughly 23 years later, in April 2020, the entrepreneur began representing Bankers Surety, a Saint Petersburg, Florida-headquartered bail bond insurance provider. It was here that Leonard became Maryland’s first African-American woman to secure employment as a managing general agent. “Before becoming a managing general agent, I had already established a great friendship with A Step Forward’s founder, Dr. Lela Campbell, and her husband, Robert Campbell,” Leonard, who serves as the CEO at Greater Baltimore Bail Agencts Inc., said. “In fact, Robert is like a brother to me and he helped me become a managing general agent. Last year, Dr. Campbell and I flew to Florida and discussed a holistic approach to criminal reform and I asked if she’d partner her organization with my company to address mental wellness and substance abuse issues. I thought about our respective clients and realized that many of them, especially ones in Baltimore City, are repeat offenders because they suffer from substance abuse or mental wellness. Many of these people aren’t receiving the right diagnosis and they’re getting wrongly placed in criminal systems. So, Dr. Campbell and I kind of became partners, and things are really starting to gel.” Leonard takes great pride in her clients’ success stories. In fact, she marvels at some of the stunning transformations she has witnessed over the years.
-Katrina Leonard “I never want to stop learning.”
Keeps Taking A Step Forward atrina Leonard
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