Women Leaders Share Their Career Journeys at Busta Business Forum 2025

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BALTIMORE, Md. – A distinguished panel of women leaders will share their path to success in philanthropy and community engagement careers at Notre Dame of Maryland University’s annual Charles J. Busta III Business Forum on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. in Doyle Formal.

Valencia Hike, Diana Liz-Cabrera ’18, M’20, and Natalia Mistichelli ’94 are the event’s featured speakers. Each will discuss their professional journeys to their respective leadership roles, while celebrating their successes and highlighting challenges they overcame. Student leader Nisttha Ray ’26 will moderate the discussion. This year’s theme, “The Business of Doing Good,” highlights careers and professional opportunities that focus on service to the community. This year’s Busta Business Forum includes complimentary lunch for in-person attendees, and a livestream is available. The event is free and open to the public.

Hike is the director of community engagement for the Baltimore Orioles, where she leads impactful initiatives that benefit communities across Baltimore. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, she moved to Baltimore with her young children to pursue higher education, showing the resilience and determination that continue to shape her professional path. She earned a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications from the University of Baltimore and continued her graduate studies in contemporary communications at the College of Notre Dame. Her career includes roles such as Director of Operations and Interim Executive Director at ShareBaby, as well as Community Education Program Manager at Park Heights Renaissance. She remains deeply involved in volunteer service, holding leadership roles with the Baltimore Road Runners Club, Black Girls Run Baltimore, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Metropolitan Baltimore. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Marian House and the Teach for America board.

Liz-Cabrera is a dedicated fundraiser serving as the Development Manager at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maryland. She is deeply committed to the organization’s mission of providing a home away from home for families with critically ill children, offering them a supportive and nurturing environment so they can focus on what matters most – being together and supporting their child's healing journey. She began her fundraising career at her alma mater, NDMU, where she earned both her undergraduate degree in business with minors in economics and French, as well as a master’s degree in leadership and management. At NDMU, she was actively involved as a student ambassador and Bonner Leader, while also serving as a graduate assistant for the Office of Campus Ministry and Service.

Mistichelli received a bachelor’s degree in international studies from NDMU in 1994 and worked for the University’s Admissions team for several years after graduation. Since 2007 she has served as a member of the Development team at Catholic Charities of Baltimore where she began as the director of special events and currently is the director of strategic partnerships. In addition to overseeing all major events at Catholic Charities, she has also managed the Stewardship Program and Corporate, Individual and Planned Giving. She was a member of the Agency’s Greater Promise Capital Campaign Committee that successfully raised $112 million in 2022. Among her recent honors, she was awarded the NDMU Service to Society Award in 2022.

The annual Charles J. Busta III Business Forum is designed to showcase the thoughts and experiences of business leaders, especially women, to encourage creativity and personal growth. The speaker series was created in memory of Charles J. “CB” Busta, a Notre Dame trustee and marketing executive who died in 1999. Charles' wife, Bonnie Busta ’04, graduated with a master's degree in teaching.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.