January 23, 2012 — Shirley D. Collier, CEO of Optemax, LLC, has been re-appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Horizon Foundation, a philanthropy that seeks to improve the health and wellness of people living and working in Howard County.  Collier was co-founder and CEO of Paragon Computer Services, Inc. for 15 years. She is the past chair the Board of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, and is a founding member and past President of the International Alliance of Technology Integrators. She formerly served on the Boards of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, and the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County and FCNB which was acquired by BB&T. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Horizon Foundation. Collier has served on numerous commissions and committees including the County Executive and County Council's Compensation Committee, the Columbia Town Center Rotary annual fundraisers, The Heart Ball, the EDA's Incubator Committee, the Superintendent's Advisory Council, the Center for Women in Technology, the Technology Leadership Consortium, and the Howard Community College's Commission on the Future. Collier has also received countless awards from organizations, such as: Business Women's Network of Howard County, The Daily Record, Arthritis Foundation, Howard County Women's Commission, YWCA, Northeast Economic Developer's Association, and the Better Business Bureau of Greater Baltimore. Optemax, LLC, based in Columbia, develops wireless optical airborne network communications technologies.