Mercy Medical Center's Sister Helen Amos, RSM, to Receive William Donald Schaefer Award for Public Service

(Baltimore, MD) -- The University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy has announced that Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Executive Chair, Mercy Health Services Board of Trustees, will receive the 2020 William Donald Schaefer Award as part of virtual ceremonies to be held today, Tuesday, Nov. 2nd, 2021 (the late Mr. Schaefer’s 100th birthday).

Sister Helen was to have been recognized in April 2020 as part of the William Donald Schaefer Policy Conference and Award Ceremony at The University of Baltimore, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Honoring the 50-year public service legacy of Mr. Schaefer, the conference explores the traits of legendary, transformational leaders and discusses how these traits can be cultivated in public sector leaders today.

The William Donald Schaefer Award celebrates the contributions of the honoree to effective government and lifelong commitment and service to the well-being of the citizens of Maryland. Award recipients are chosen based on a variety of factors, including their efforts to better the community, aid the region’s most vulnerable populations, and taking steps to improve the lives of fellow Marylanders.

Previous honorees have included Congressman Elijah Cummings (2015); Dr. Nancy Grasmick (2016), former Maryland State Superintendent of Schools; The Honorable Carolyn Colvin (2017), former Acting Commissioner, Social Security Administration, and U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (2018).

“It is a great honor to be recognized with an award named for such a beloved Baltimore icon and masterful politician and public servant, William Donald Schaefer, who’s years of service spanned nearly three decades as Baltimore mayor, Maryland governor and state comptroller,” Sister Helen said.

Sister Helen Amos, RSM, has more than 35 years’ experience in the fields of education and health care administration. After working as a teacher in Georgia, Sister Helen arrived in Baltimore to take a position as Registrar for Mount Saint Agnes College where she had earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1962. Sister would later take on administrator duties with the Sisters of Mercy of the Union and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Before coming to Mercy, Sister Helen served as President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union in Silver Spring, Maryland from 1984 to 1991.

Sister Helen and the leadership team of Mercy Health Services are responsible for the development and implementation of numerous programs at Mercy, including the creation of The Center for Women’s Health & Medicine and its flagship programs in gynecologic oncology and breast cancer diagnosis and treatment; “The Woman’s Doctor” program on WBAL-TV; and Mercy’s network of specialty and primary care physicians.

Sister Helen serves on the board and is President of Mercy Ridge, a continuing care retirement community in Timonium, MD. She is currently a board member of Mercy Health Ministry, St. Louis, Missouri; the Downtown Partnership (past chair) and the Downtown Management District Authority of Baltimore City; Cristo Rey Jesuit High School; Mercy High School; and the Board of Financial Administration of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy was established in 1985 in honor of then-Mayor of Baltimore City William Donald Schaefer. The Center provides non-partisan applied research, technical assistance, and professional development services to government and nonprofit organizations.