Dr. Monica Goldson is the retired Chief Executive Officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) after 32 years of service. She began her career as a high school mathematics teacher with plans to become an actuary. Within her first few weeks on the job, she realized that education was her true calling. She steadily moved up the administrative ranks, serving in such roles as principal, associate superintendent, deputy superintendent and chief operating officer, just to name a few, prior to her appointment as CEO.
During her tenure at PGCPS, Dr. Goldson leveraged a full-scope alternative financing model to design, build, finance and maintain the internationally-recognized Blueprint Schools construction program to build six new middle schools in two years—the very first U.S. public school system to use a public-private partnership (P3) for construction. Using a traditional and non-traditional construction program model, Dr. Goldson ushered in 17 new schools that will be built in five years. Prior to her departure, she was encouraged by the school district’s progress in working to reverse pandemic-related learning interruptions. The 2023 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) results revealed that PGCPS students outperformed those in four other school districts across the state in English assessments for grades 3-8, English 10, and Algebra 1. Notably, 26 out of the 50 schools with the most significant improvements in literacy statewide belong to PGCPS.
Dr. Goldson holds three degrees from HBCUs – a bachelor’s in Mathematics from Florida A&M University, a master’s in Elementary and Secondary School Administration from Bowie State University, and a doctorate in Educational Administration and Policy from Howard University. She serves on President Biden’s HBCU Advisory Panel and was recently appointed by Governor Wes Moore to serve on the Maryland State Board of Education where she currently serves as Vice President. Beyond the schoolhouse, Dr. Goldson is the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
Gregory “Steve” Proctor, Jr. is the President and CEO of G.S. Proctor &Associates, Inc., one of the most highly respected government and privatesector advocacy organizations in Maryland, with offices located in UpperMarlboro and Annapolis.
Since its founding in 1995, Steve and his associates have provided legislative and administrative lobbying representation to a broad spectrum of clients; including institutions of higher learning, non-profit organizations, local and multinational businesses, and local and international governmental bodies on the county, state and federal levels. For the last 10 years, G.S. Proctor has been consistently ranked among the Top Ten lobbying firms in the State of Maryland.
Steve and his wife, Dianne, reside in Upper Marlboro, MD where they have raised their four adult sons, Aaron, Brian, Trey and Troy. After matriculating from Towson University, he received his B.A. in Political Science from his alma mater, George Washington University. Always the entrepreneur, he owns and operates several ventures throughout Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland. Always with a spirit of philanthropy, he is an extremely active member of the community, holding multiple terms and meaningful relationships with seats on boards for several organizations including United Way of the National Capital Area, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, and Prince George’s Community College Foundation.
When Steve is not helping others, he serves on several leadership positions on professional boards as well, including sitting on the Board of Directors at Old Line Bank, MedStar Health, Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, and the Greater Washington Board of Trade.
Steve regularly supports many organizations with their community initiatives and scholarship events through direct service and financial donations. He strongly believes in the value of a good education and relishes the opportunity to give back to the community, so much that he and Dianne created the Executive Corporate Partnership Committee at Bishop McNamara High School. Our goal is to help Bishop McNamara bring their vision to life for the new La Reine Science & Innovation Center, which will exponentially further the educational goals of our future leaders.
Darrell Lanier is the founder and President of Lanier Electronics Group, Inc. of Upper Marlboro, Md.
Lanier Electronics Group, Inc. has been a full service electrical/electronic enterprise providing voice, video and data network infrastructure, structured cabling, security, DAS, and audio-visual solutions in Prince George’s County and surrounding areas since 1992.
Recently, the company’s focus has been on wireless networks.
Gracelyn A. McDermott, Executive Director of Account Management at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is an innovative and diverse executive with over 20 years’ experience in Project, Program and Account Management. Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans.
In her role at Kaiser Permanente, Gracelyn is responsible for retention and growth of commercial accounts in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Gracelyn’s overall professional career includes sales, operations and information technology leadership in the health care environment.
Prior to joining KP, Ms. McDermott served as Vice President of Accrediting & Client Services at URAC, an independent health care accrediting organization. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of the accreditation process from applicant preparation and submission through to the
independent accreditation decision. Ms. McDermott also served as the Director, Specimen Administration for Ameritox, LLC, formerly a leader in pain medication monitoring, offering laboratory services and practice management tools to help clinicians coordinate and optimize the care of chronic pain patients. In this capacity, she built a new department within the organization, providing management oversight of over 350 Specimen Processors and 50 Third Party Collection sites.
Previous responsibilities include oversight of program and account management for The McConnell Group, Inc., a biodefense, biomedical and health science company, providing a comprehensive selection of professional and technical services to the government sector. She also held a series of roles with progressive program management responsibility, culminating as Vice President of Scientific Services for ICON Development Solutions, a contract research organization. In this role, Ms. McDermott managed a department of about 250 staff comprised of Project Management, Biostatistics, Data Management, SAS Programming, Clinical Operations, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Modeling and Simulation – all in support of Clinical Trial Management.
Ms. McDermott holds a M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of Leadership Maryland, Class of 2018. She is currently serving as Vice Chair for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for her undergraduate alma mater, Mount Saint Mary’s University. She is also a Board Member for the non-profit organization, Vehicles for Change.
She resides in Mount Airy, MD with her husband and two daughters.
Gary Michael is the President of NAI Michael. For over 30 years, Mr. Michael has worked in all fields of commercial real estate, including sales, leasing, property management, and development.
Mr. Michael has broad experience in the Washington DC commercial real estate market. The many thousands of transactions and projects he has participated in have given him unique market knowledge developed from years of experience
and successes.
Mr. Michael has been very active in civic and business organizations and serves
in administrative and advisory capacities to many.
Dr. Beatrice P. Tignor was born in Brandywine, MD and graduated from the Prince George’s County Public Schools. She graduated from Bowie State University with a BS Degree, and earned a Masters, Education Specialist, and Doctor of Education from George Washington University, while being a single mother to daughter Patricia and working in the education sector of Prince George’s County.
Dr. Tignor worked as a public school teacher, Reading Specialist, and Assistant Superintendent in the Prince George’s County Public Schools. She also taught English and Reading at the Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) and served as a Department Chairman. During her tenure at PGCC, she created one of the first community college Learning Laboratory for Developmental Students, implemented a new grading system, developed a reading and math clinic for school age children, initiated a certification program for teachers in coordination with the Maryland Department of Education and chaired departmental accreditation committees.
Dr. Tignor was also elected to the Maryland House of Delegates where she served on the Ways and Means Committee. She later served as a Senator and was named to the Budget and Taxation Committee. She received awards as Delegate of the Year for her work with the disabled and as Senator of the Year for her achievements in education. She was also named Legislator of the Year.
Dr. Tignor served as Chair of the Prince George’s County Board of Education from 2002-2006. Under her leadership, with a cooperative Board, she worked to eliminate a $24 million dollar deficit, increased test scores and number of certified teachers from 38% to 62%, increased retention rates of teachers and administrators, increased graduation rates to 92 percent and graduated the highest number of African Americans in the nation. In addition, during her tenure all schools were equipped with air conditioned classrooms and she implemented an energy savings program. She left a $60 million surplus in the school system budget.
As Director of Procurement for Montgomery County, Dr. Tignor led the second largest procurement office in local government in the Country with a budget of $700 million. Under her leadership the County won a National Award from Harvard School of Government for an innovative electronic procurement system. She also implemented a procurement violation system, and an on-line auction system, and increased minority participation from $37 million to $100 million.
Among Dr. Tignor’s other accomplishments, appointments, and awards, include the National President of the Bowie State University Alumni, Bowie State Foundation, and Council of National Alumni Associations. She was also appointed to the Prince George’s Community College Board of Trustees, Democratic National Committeewoman, and American Red Cross. Dr. Tignor has been named to Maryland’s Women of Achievement and has been honored as Prince Georgian of the Year.
Lorenzo Bellamy, Esq., founder and managing partner of Bellamy Genn Group, LLC, is a powerhouse in Maryland’s legislative arena. With over 27 years of government relations experience, Lorenzo has become a go-to lobbyist in Annapolis, skillfully navigating the intricacies of the Maryland General Assembly.
As former Director and Legislative Counsel at a prominent Maryland law firm, Lorenzo built a reputation for securing millions in bond financing for clients across the state. His deep understanding of Maryland’s legislative process has led to significant policy wins in sectors ranging from energy and environment to health and transportation.
Lorenzo’s expertise extends beyond traditional lobbying. He’s a master of Maryland’s procurement system, helping clients secure over $600 million in state contracts. His combined approach of government relations and legal strategy has been particularly effective in navigating Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise program.
Consistently recognized as a Maryland Super Lawyer in Government Relations, Lorenzo’s influence in Annapolis is undeniable. He’s been instrumental in shaping legislation that benefits his clients while contributing to Maryland’s economic growth.
Lorenzo brings a global perspective to his work, informed by years living in Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. This international experience allows him to approach state issues with innovative solutions, often drawing from best practices observed worldwide.
When he’s not championing causes in Annapolis, Lorenzo can be found on the soccer field. An avid player since age eight, he was a former manager and captain of a local team in Montgomery County, MD, and now enjoys playing recreational games in an adult league and with his two adult daughters. Fluent in French, Lorenzo lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Cherie, blending his passion for politics with his love for family and sport.
Christian Rhodes has been a trusted advisor to education leaders across the country for the past 15 years. Christian served as Senior Advisor to the U.S Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona. Rhodes also served as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, leading the department’s efforts to increase the access and availability of summer learning and enrichment programs, and establishing a practitioner-focused repository of district and state responses to safely reopening America’s schools. Prior to his appointment, Rhodes served as Chief of Staff for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. The district serves 132,000 students across 210 schools. Currently, Rhodes serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the William Julius Wilson Institute at the Harlem Children’s Zone working with communities across America to get 1 million young people on the pathway to social and economic mobility.
Eben Smith is President of Three|E Consulting Group with two decades of business management experience in both the public and private sectors with a key emphasis on supplier diversity, strategic sourcing, economic development, community engagement, and contracting and procurement. Over the last 20 years, he has worked closely with other regional, state, and local leaders to create jobs, grow the economy, and create capacity in the minority business community. His firm has provided consulting services on some of the most significant projects in the Washington metropolitan region, including MGM National Harbor, The Clean Water Partnership P3, PSEG Keys Energy Center, Prince George’s County P3 for School Construction, and the I-495 & I-270 P3 Program.
Willie K. Goode serves as the President and CEO of Goode Companies, Inc., which stands as one of the largest privately owned waste/recycling collection processing firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. This year marks a significant milestone for Goode Companies, as it celebrates over three decades—a testament to a dream fulfilled and a journey of success. Mr. Goode hails from Southeast Washington, D.C., where he attended District of Columbia Public Schools. His robust work ethic was cultivated during his teenage years, when he worked alongside his father and uncles in their small waste collection business, assisting with trash collection six days a week from the back of a garbage truck. This early exposure ignited Mr. Goode’s passion for trucks and provided him with an initial insight into the opportunities available within the waste management industry. Following his graduation, Mr. Goode obtained his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and began his career by driving for two independent trucking companies.
When Mr. Goode’s employer sold to Waste Management, Inc. in 1991, he was presented with a decision: either work for Waste Management or lease a vehicle and establish his own business. Goode Trash, Inc. (now Goode Companies, Inc.) was formed with one truck, self-confidence, entrepreneurship, and a vision of three trucks. The Goode Companies, under the leadership of Mr. Goode, have experienced significant growth, establishing multiple locations across a wide area that stretches from Baltimore, Maryland, to Palm Beach County, Florida. The company operates up to 15 locations in total. Additionally, Mr. Goode has expanded operations into the Atlanta, Georgia, and Halifax, North Carolina regions. Over the course of three decades, the day-to-day business now encompasses over 400 collection routes, four transfer stations, one landfill, and one recycling operation. While The Nationals Stadium, the Baltimore Washington International Airport, Maryland Stadiums, MGM National Harbor, and Six Flags America are among the flagship commercial customers.
Goode Companies is recognized as a certified minority business operating within the City of Baltimore, Prince George’s County, and various other jurisdictions, accredited by the Capitol Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC). The company mentors under the SBA’s 8(a) Mentor-Protégé Program. Mr. Goode has established several additional waste-related small businesses that have collectively generated millions in revenue, demonstrating his commitment to nurturing the growth of minority-owned enterprises and advancing diversity and inclusion within the workforce. Since its founding, Goode Companies has offered returning citizens valuable career opportunities through its Second Chance Employment Program, contributing positively to community development.
Mr. Goode has established partnerships with Unity Disposal and Recycling, LLC (UDR) since 1996, WB Waste, LLC in 2012, and Unity of the Carolina’s LLC (UOC)2014. UDR is recognized as one of the largest solid waste collectors in Montgomery County, Maryland. Meanwhile, WB Waste, LLC ranks among the largest waste collectors in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region, which also encompasses Richmond Va.
Mr. Goode is a prominent figure in the waste management sector, known for his leadership and expertise. He is an enthusiastic reader and a devoted father of five. His professional affiliations include memberships in several key organizations: the National Solid Waste Management Association, the Young Black CEO Business Network, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), the Maryland Delaware Solid Waste Association (MDSWA), and the Detachable Container Association (DCA). Recently, he was appointed as a Board Member of the Baltimore County Solid Waste Work Group. In addition to his leadership roles, Mr. Goode has been featured on the Waste360 Podcast in Episode 81, titled “Leading (and Building) Companies with Heart.” He was also highlighted in the March 21, 2021 edition of Waste Today in an article named “A Goode Partnership,” which can be accessed at Waste Today Magazine.
Furthermore, Mr. Goode has garnered notable recognition by being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA). His contributions to the industry have also been highlighted in the Summer 2022 edition of WasteRecycling Magazine, which can be accessed at Waste Recycling. In addition to being featured in this publication, further details can be found at www.wasterecycling.org.
House comes to PGCPS from the Houston Independent School District. During his two-year tenure with the largest school district in Texas and the eighth largest in the country, he implemented HISD’s first comprehensive five-year strategic plan shaped and guided by community input. Under his leadership, the administration delivered on the plan by lifting 40 of 50 campuses off the state failing list, increasing teacher compensation by 11%, making a nurse, librarian, and counselor available on every campus, addressing a structural deficit, and making challenging high-quality instructional material accessible to all students.
At the end of his first year at HISD, Council of Great City Schools honored Superintendent House as a Green-Garner Award finalist for outstanding contributions to urban education. The Houston Area Urban League also recognized his contributions to the city’s children with a Black Excellence in Education award.
Previously, Superintendent House served as superintendent of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee for four years and in 2021 was named TN Mid-Cumberland Superintendent of the Year. Under his leadership, CMCSS produced steady academic gains across subject areas; expanded educational options for families; implemented an innovative Teacher Residency Program to prepare new teachers; ensured every student in kindergarten through 12th grade has technology to learn; and implemented a Foundational Literacy Skills Plan to support young children who are learning to read.
Superintendent House is a Tulsa, OK native who started his career as a physical education teacher and has more than 25 years of experience in education and the nonprofit sector. He previously served as chief operating officer of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and as deputy superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma.
Prior to joining the executive cabinet in Tulsa, he founded and led a college preparatory middle school in one of the city’s most economically underserved neighborhoods. Over four years, Superintendent House’s school became one of the highest-performing and most sought-after schools in the community. Before founding his school, Superintendent House was one of the nation’s youngest public-school administrators as he served as assistant principal for one year and principal for four years at Marian Anderson Elementary School in Tulsa at the age of 26.
During Superintendent House’s tenure, Anderson Elementary went from being designated one of the lowest performing schools in the state of Oklahoma to being one of the highest performing Title I schools in the state of Oklahoma.
In 2003, Superintendent House was voted Tulsa Public Schools’ Principal of the Year. He was the first African American educator to earn this honor. He also was named the Outstanding Administrator of the Year by the Tulsa Area Alliance of Black School Educators.
Superintendent House earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Montevallo, Alabama and his Master of Administration in School Administration from Northeastern State University, Oklahoma. He also graduated from the Fisher School Leadership Program at the Hass School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.
Superintendent House has served on several boards, including Tulsa Educare Board, Oklahoma Center for Community & Justice Board, Oklahoma Education Oversight Board, Southwestern Educational Development Laboratory Board, Harvey B. Gantt Museum Board, Charlotte Children’s Theater Board, Tennessee Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, Complete Tennessee Steering Committee, and the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce.