We are always looking for additional talent to join our Board! Please email Erica at ad@mdodyssey.org with your interest.

Erica first started competing in Odyssey of the Mind in 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina. In her seven years as a team member, she competed in the Technical, Classics, and Performance Problems. Her team went to World Finals thrice and competed in six problems total, placing second at WF in the Performance Problem in 2015. Since then, Erica has stayed active as a judge in several associations and at World Finals. She moved to DC in 2019 and joined the Maryland Board, serving in a number of roles over the course of her tenure. Erica graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019 and currently works in public health.

Starting in fourth grade, Val spent 9 years competing in OM primarily in the Classics problem, but would also in the Technical and Performance problems. Val’s team made it to World Finals three times. After graduating high school, he spent 2 years coaching a division 3 team in the Technical problem, making it to Worlds both times. Since 2016, he has judged for various associations and regions in almost every problem and division, including judging at World Finals. In the fall of 2020, Val joined the MD-DC board, first as the Spontaneous Problem Captain, and then as Membership Director and Problem 2 Problem Captain, and most recently, as Training Director. Since moving to Anne Arundel County, Val spends free time outside of OM exploring the area and trying to figure out why Maryland is so obsessed with Crabs.

Jessica’s Odyssey of the Mind journey began in 2016 when her daughter’s coach unexpectedly had to leave the program. Jessica stepped in alongside another parent to help finish out the season and quickly got hooked.  What started as a last-minute rescue turned into years of coaching, creativity, and World Finals adventures. Jessica coached her daughter’s team through 2019, traveling with them to World Finals twice. When her son joined his first Odyssey team in the 2018/2019 season, Jessica decided that coaching one team wasn’t quite enough and took on both her daughter’s and son’s teams that year. She continued coaching her son’s team through 2023, including another trip to World Finals, and then coached her youngest daughter’s team beginning in 2024. Getting to coach all three of her kids has been one of Jessica’s favorite adventures as a parent. She has loved watching them turn completely unexpected ideas into creative solutions, figure out how to work together when things didn’t go according to plan, and discover just how much they could accomplish when they were given the freedom to think outside the box. Now that all three of her children have officially moved on from Odyssey, Jessica is excited to continue supporting the program in a new way as a member of the Maryland/DC Odyssey of the Mind board, helping others discover what made Odyssey such a rewarding experience for her family. Outside of Odyssey, Jessica works as a strategic consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. When she’s not working or doing Odyssey, you can usually find her baking something, reading, travelling, playing a board game, seeing a Broadway musical, or trying to escape from an escape room.

Please email Erica at ad@mdodyssey.org if you’re interested in filling this role!

Bryan is a seasoned supporter of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) competitions, with a long history with the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) program, starting even before it was officially named “Odyssey.”  He recently reconnected with the MD/DC Association, initially serving as a Problem Judge, and has since taken on the role of Assistant Tournament Director.

He holds an Engineering Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and several Project Management certifications.

Please email Erica at ad@mdodyssey.org if you’re interested in filling this role!

Joy first competed in Odyssey in 2002, where her team came in dead last. Over the next 10 years she competed in Vehicle, Technical, Classics, and Performance problems in Divisions II, III, and IV. She represented her home state of Delaware at World Finals six times, and returned to the University of Delaware with trophies in 2010 and 2012. Joy started volunteering as an official in 2009 and joined the World Finals Score Room team in 2014. Over the past decade, Joy has been Maryland’s Problem Captain for Primary, Classics, and Performance. She currently serves as the Score Room Problem Captain.

Scott Mohnkern is an author, educator, technologist, musician, and lifelong creative adventurer who has rarely followed the straightest path from one idea to the next. His journey through the arts, technology, law, and education has been fueled by curiosity, a love of new challenges, and a willingness to explore beyond the familiar. Scott believes the best adventures often begin with an unexpected question and that young people should have the freedom to follow their imaginations wherever they lead. He is proud to support Odyssey of the Mind and the next generation of explorers, dreamers, and creative problem-solvers.

Kyle’s Odyssey of the Mind journey began in 2011, when he was a 7^th grader in Dacula, Georgia. He competed in the Vehicle and Technical problems for four years, reaching World Finals each year. His team won 1^st place in 2013 and the Ranatra Fusca in 2015 at WF. Kyle got reinvolved in the program by judging at the Maryland State tournament in 2026 and then joined the Maryland Board as assistant problem captain. He is currently a 4^th-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University. 

Joshua Mullins is an architect and Odyssey of the Mind alumni who still practices creative problem solving every day. He is proud to be part of making a space for the next generation to express themselves.

Beth has been involved with Odyssey of the Mind since 2002. She started as a competitor but has since judged, coached, been a Regional Director, and is the current Problem 3 Problem Captain for Maryland Odyssey of the Mind. When Beth is not thinking about Maryland Odyssey, you can find her in Philadelphia trying new restaurants, playing ultimate frisbee, and rock climbing.

Please email Erica at ad@mdodyssey.org if you’re interested in filling this role!

Ryan began competing in Odyssey of the Mind in 1996 in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In his 9 years as a team member, he competed in numerous problems, including three trips to World Finals. In 2005, Ryan’s Division 4 team came home to Shippensburg University with three trophies, including two world championships. Shortly after graduating, Ryan began volunteering as a regional problem captain in Pennsylvania. He has been a regional/state Problem Captain since 2008, judging at World Finals for over a decade including recent stints as a WF Head Judge for Problem 5. He moved to Virginia in 2014 and has been judging up and down the East Coast, joining the Maryland Board in 2022. Ryan works in Financial Planning, and looks forward to his two daughters becoming OMers.