Executive Committee
The AAHP Executive Committee (EC) is comprised of advisory board members who counsel the Department of Health and Human Services in its implementation and evaluation of the program. Members include representatives from local community organizations and professionals from various fields, including grant writing, healthcare, law, marketing, IT, events planning, politics and finance.
The EC, which meets on a regular basis in Silver Spring, MD, is charged with the following responsibilities:
- Advise the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on the physical and mental health disparities of the Black population in Montgomery County, as well as, the effect that social determinants of health have on the health of this population.
- Promote and support the mission, programmatic needs, and services of the African American Health Program (AAHP).
- Advise and establish priorities for the strategic direction of AAHP.
- Guide the development of the AAHP strategic plan and monitor the implementation.
- Ensure that AAHP’s health and wellness focus incorporates primary and secondary prevention approaches.
- Work closely with AAHP to ensure desired outcomes are achieved for our target population utilizing data and other measures needed to support decisions.
- Advocate for resources (including financial and people) for AAHP.
- Meet monthly with DHHS Program Manager and key AAHP staff, as well as, develop and maintain regular communications with DHHS via monthly and special meetings, as well as, through other means as necessary.
- Make recommendations and assist in health planning, budget requests, and program development to eliminate the many health disparities that plague the Black community.
- Establish and oversee mechanisms (including the AAHP Executive Subcommittees and Executive Coalition) that promote coordination of efforts with respect to AAHP’s mission and each of its priority health areas.
- Propose actions to remedy indirect contributing factors to health disparities, remove associated barriers to such remedies, and assist with obtaining resources that can contribute to the remedies.
- Serve as a governance mechanism through which all members of the Executive Committee, community, and other interested parties can reach agreement on a direction that will result in desired outcomes as it relates to health disparities for the target population.
- Provide a forum whereby members of the Executive Committee, community, and other interested parties can raise issues and request an adjustment in the direction, resources, or timing of AAHP.
- Provide representation to the County’s Healthy Montgomery Task Force and partner with the County’s Commission on Health, FIMR, and other County boards, commissions, committees, and advisory groups.
- Identify and establish partnerships with hospitals, public health organizations, community-based organizations, academia, providers, community representatives, and other interested parties that can further the mission, vision and programmatic needs of AAHP.
- Provide input to the County’s Community Assessment health plan that addresses the status of health disparities, including health problems identification, problem analysis incorporating the identification of risk factors, direct contributing factors, and indirect contributing factors.
Jacquelyn Williams, Co-Chair, MPH, BS
Beatrice Miller, Past Co-Chair, MS RN OCN PAHM CCM
Dr. Patricia Grant, Past Chair, DSocSci, MS, BS
AAHP Executive Committee Members
Cassandra Allen, MLS
Doniele Ayres, MBA, BS
Mr. Lansana Bangura, M.Ed., MS
Gail N. Copeland
Venice Mundle Harvey
Dr. Deborah Parham Hopson
LaDonna Howell, Retired Commander
Habibah Jackson, MS, BS
LaTanya Johnson, MA in Ministry, MA in Communications, BS
Reverend Kenneth Nelson
Gayle Rankine, BS, MS, PMP, DASM
Willa Watson, MOAM, MSW, BS
Arthur Williams, MS, BS
Liaison
Pat Grant (Liaison to Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee)
Reverend Kenneth Nelson, Religious Affairs Committee (Liaison to the Black Ministers Conf)
James Stowe, Aging Subcommittee (Dir. Human Rights, Montgomery County)
Arthur Williams, Aging Subcommittee
Jacquelyn Williams (Liaison to Healthy Montgomery)
Founders:
Alma Williams, Arthur Williams, Arva Jackson, Lizzy James, Pat Horton, Tina Clark.
Former Members
Kim Allen (’24)
Dr. Martha Awoke (’25)
Donna Cawley (’23)
Crystal DeVance-Wilson (‘19)
Dr. Marilyn Gaston (’20)
Yvonne Harrison (’24)
Teresa King (’22)
Stacy Magnum (’22)
Diane Smith Syharkey (’24)
Debra Wile(’19)
