(BALTIMORE – February 13, 2023) –The SB7 Coalition, a nonprofit community organization representing six South Baltimore communities and the Baltimore Peninsula Development team, today announced Michael Middleton as the Coalition’s first Executive Director. Mr. Middleton had previously served as the inaugural Chair and President of the SB7 Coalition for nearly six years, and also acted as Executive Director of the Cherry Hill Development Corporation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Cherry Hill residents through community building and economic development initiatives.
As President and Chair, Middleton brought together the six South Baltimore communities to reach unanimous agreements and spearheaded its initiatives through the pandemic’s difficult years. During his tenure as Chair, he presided over the awarding and distribution of more than $2.5 million in grants to support resident-identified priorities including equitable transportation, permanently affordable housing, public safety, zero waste, economic development, and capacity-building for South Baltimore’s six communities and local organizations
“The SB7 Coalition has made great progress in South Baltimore’s social and economic development since its recent inception, and while we have many exciting projects in the works, there is much more that we’re excited to do,” said Mike Middleton. “As Executive Director, I look forward to continuing to strengthen the Coalition and build on our partnership with the Baltimore Peninsula Development team.”
“SB7 is showing that when community members have the opportunity to get organized and make decisions about funding, we prioritize the things that impact us every day,” said Carlos Sanchez.
“In the Quality of Life and Zero Waste Committee, my voice mattered in deciding to put resources toward local
youth and worker-owned businesses, like Baltimore Compost Collective, Baltimore Broken Glass, and the Black Yield Institute that are actually taking on the challenge of breaking our reliance on the trash incinerator that pollutes the air and makes it harder for people like me, who have had asthma, to breathe. 40% of what’s burned at the incinerator, near where I live in Lakeland, is organics and by funding community-led businesses that make healthy soil and grow healthy food, we are creating the alternatives we need to survive.”
“Looking back, if we had a strong cross-community coalition back in the 1980s, then we would have had a chance to prevent the total displacement of three entire communities (Fairfield, Wagner’s, and Hawkin’s Point) at the hands of rampant environmental injustice,” said Tiffany Thompson, Curtis Bay resident. “Imagine, we could be SB10 right now! Looking forward, we need the SB7 Coalition to be an unyielding force for environmental, economic, and social justice through community led-development that lifts up all
and pushes nobody out.”
“City of Refuge, Grow Home, and Action Baybrook formed a collaboration called BWorks and with the help of a SB7 Economic Development Grant in 2022 BWorks trained 301 people (109 were youth), gathered over 100 employers’ job opportunities, hosted 4 job fairs and helped with 69 job placements!”,
said Pastor Billy Humphrey.
“Given the challenges we face and the scale of what we are trying to achieve, we need someone who knows how to research and will always view the people of South Baltimore as the primary source,” said Pam Oliver of Lakeland. “Michael Middleton didn’t just look out for his community of Cherry Hill but instead helped bring all of us together. He believes in us and we believe in him.”
“As a lifelong resident of Mount Winans, I observed many politicians, consultants, and developers seeking votes or support by promising to do things for our community only to be disappointed year after year with empty promises, excuses, and negative results.” Said Angela Smothers, Vice President of the SB7 Coalition. “However the Coalition we’ve made with SB7 has provided residents with opportunities to make breakthroughs on community development goals that have been neglected for decades. We are providing direct financial support, technical assistance and most importantly building deep connections across our communities with similar causes, cares, and concerns.”
“The appointment of Mike Middleton as Executive Director of SB7 is a huge moment for the Coalition. His
passionate leadership, perspective, and experience will be incredibly valuable to the work SB7 is spearheading,” said MaryAnne Gilmartin, Founder and CEO of MAG Partners, and Victor MacFarlane, Chairman and CEO of MacFarlane Partners. “Mr. Middleton’s dedication to South Baltimore, unwavering pursuit to uplift underserved communities, and advocacy for equity and accessibility among Baltimoreans who have historically been disadvantaged undoubtedly make for an exceptional leader of SB7.”
As the founding Executive Director, he will be responsible for overseeing SB7’s organizational leadership and administrative management, fundraising, and community organizing & strategic planning. In his new role, Middleton will leverage the support of the Board of Directors, the close partnership with the Baltimore Peninsula Development team, and community relationships, in order to advance the vision for South Baltimore’s revitalization and increase the capacity of all six member communities.
The SB7 Coalition was formed by six South Baltimore communities: Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Curtis Bay, Lakeland, Mt. Winans, and Westport. SB7’s mission is to inspire, enlighten, motivate, and empower its communities to maintain their greatness; to create a strong coalition to revitalize communities; and to enhance the quality of life through improvement of education, housing, public health, public safety, zero waste, and economic development. The SB7 Board of Directors is composed of community leaders from its six communities and members of the Baltimore Peninsula Development team. The SB7 Coalition was formed in 2016 when Baltimore Peninsula (formerly Port Covington) executed a historic Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the South Baltimore 6 (SB6) communities with a value in excess of $130MM. Following this, Baltimore Peninsula and the SB6 created the SB7 Coalition – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity with responsibility for administering the CBA.
Previously, Middleton served as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. He practiced poverty law with the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland where he served as a staff attorney, specializing in housing law, and as Chief Attorney and Deputy Director of the statewide program. He has also served as Chief Attorney of the Cherry Hill Neighborhood Law Center. Middleton received his B.A. in Social Science from Coppin State University and his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Baltimore Peninsula is expected to deliver robust community benefits, including more than $21 million already funded to support Baltimore City and South Baltimore communities. The distribution of the $2.5 million of capacity-building funds is part of Baltimore Peninsula’s community-led mission to produce long-term, measurable, positive changes throughout South Baltimore. To date, Baltimore Peninsula has committed more than $132 million in contracts to Baltimore City-certified Minority and Women Business Enterprise firms, exceeding its initial goals with 35 percent participation for MBEs and 13 percent for WBEs.
For more information on the SB7 Coalition, visit sb7coalition.org. For more information on Baltimore
Peninsula, visit baltimorepeninsula.com or visit on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
About SB7 Coalition
SB7 strives to harness the power of partnership to implement sustainable actions to achieve the fullest potential of our communities and future generations, preventing displacement while attracting new residents. The Coalition is comprised of representatives from: Corporation of Concerned Citizens for a Better Brooklyn, Cherry Hill Community Coalition, The Community of Curtis Bay Association, Inc., Lakeland Community Association Partnership, Mt. Winans Community Association, and Westport Neighborhood Association.
About Baltimore Peninsula
Baltimore Peninsula is a 235-acre redevelopment project located on Baltimore City’s prime waterfront,
featuring investments from Sagamore Ventures and the Urban Investment Group within Goldman Sachs
Asset Management. As one of the largest urban revitalization efforts in the United States, Baltimore
Peninsula will have a fundamental and far-reaching impact on Baltimore’s future. At completion, this
transformative project will include: up to 14 million square feet of new, mixed-use development; 2.5
miles of restored waterfront; and 40 acres of parks and green space. The Baltimore Peninsula
redevelopment is expected to generate fresh opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship for
Baltimore City residents and its local workforce.
About MAG Partners
MAG Partners is a woman-owned, urban real estate company with decades of experience developing
impactful, iconic, large-scale projects throughout New York City. Led by MaryAnne Gilmartin, together the
MAG Partners team has successfully designed, built and operated over 7 million square feet of office,
residential and mixed-use projects, including over 2,000 units of housing, with a total value of over $4.5
billion. The firm believes and has proven that principles of beauty, diversity and sustainability create
lasting value.
About MacFarlane Partners
MacFarlane Partners is a real estate investment and development firm that acquires, develops and
manages properties on behalf of some of the world’s largest pension plans and institutions as well as for
its own account. Founded in 1987, the firm pioneered the urban investment concept among institutional
real estate investment managers in the 1990s and today is a leading investor in and developer of
properties that promote smart growth, urban revitalization, sustainability and equitable development in
urban and high-density suburban areas nationwide. It is headquartered in San Francisco and operates a
regional office in Los Angeles.
