Dr. Aquila Mitchell
Dr. Aquila Mitchell is an educator, researcher, and National Board Certified licensed clinical professional counselor, and leader with over 15 years of experience in higher education. She is a committed advocate for the promotion of higher education and mental health and wellness among minority populations. She has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Art degree in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University. She received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology from Howard University. She serves as the Director of Counseling Services in the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Bowie State University. In this capacity, she provides leadership, supervision, training as well as personal, social, academic and career counseling to students. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor teaching in the Department of Psychology at Bowie State.
Dr. Mitchell previously completed Research Fellowships and Internships for the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. These experiences placed her at the National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Office of Minority Health.
Dr. Mitchell holds memberships with the American Education Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA). Dr. Mitchell’s research focus has been on achievement motivation, college student mental health, STEM, and faculty-student interaction at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Anna M. Bell
Anna Maria Bell is a graduate of The Catholic University of America Master’s Program in Social Work with a concentration in Gerontology, a graduate of Capella University with a Master’s Degree in Public Service Leadership, and a graduate of Walden University with a Master’s Degree in Philosophy. She is currently ABD at Walden University where she is pursuing a PhD in Human Services. She is Clinically Licensed to Practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the State of Ohio. She has worked in a variety of Social Work Settings and provided counseling to various populations including couples, children and adolescents, women, men, and geriatric populations. Up until August 2022, after serving twenty-eight years in government public service, Mrs. Bell retired from the District of Columbia Child Welfare Agency where she had worked in various areas mainly Training, Policy, program administration and Clinical Case Management. Anna joined the Hemophilia Foundation of America consultancy staff in 2015 as a facilitator/speaker, conducting training, seminars, and curriculum development. Anna conducts life/professional coaching sessions as well as various workshops throughout the Washington DC Metropolitan Area through her company Bell-ievable, Inc., where she focuses on Development of Leadership, Self Esteem and Self Determination, through group processes and facilitation. Anna is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
Dr. Mercedes Terrell
Dr. Mercedes Terrell is a board-certified internal medicine physician in Mississippi, whom manages acute and chronic medical conditions, as well as provides preventative health care services. She currently mentors high school students interested in the medical field and pre-med college students. Teaching is of great importance to her, thus she serves as clinical preceptor to Nurse Practitioner students. Providing compassionate and patient-centered care is what she strives to do and instill in her students. Dr. Terrell graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Honors Program with a Bachelor of Science. Subsequently, she matriculated to the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at Franklin Square Hospital Center in Baltimore, MD, during which time she was awarded Resident of the Year for excellence in primary care. In 2009, Dr. Terrell accepted her first position with Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, where she served as a primary care doctor for almost six years to over 2000 patients and a clinical preceptor to JHU medical students. After which she joined the Veteran Affairs Maryland Health Care System as a primary care doctor within a Patient Aligned Care Team. She considered it an honor to care for those who sacrificed and served our county. Volunteering at her church to provide medical care to her brothers and sisters in Christ brings her joy. She is a member of the American College of Physicians and Mississippi State Medical Association. She is happily married for over 10 years and cherishes spending time with her family.
Sharron Lipford
Sharron Lipford is a lifelong Prince George’s County, Maryland, resident and a native of Upper Marlboro. Since childhood, she has been drawn to serving the community by participating in multiple volunteer endeavors and non-profit opportunities. Those non-profits include the P.I.T.S. (Positive Innovations to Succeed in Sports, Inc.) foundation and the Mistaken Identity non-profit as the Director of Corporate Outreach. Ms. Lipford is a graduate of Largo High School, and she received her higher education at Virginia State University with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sport Management. From graduating with her master’s degree in 2012, Ms. Lipford gained two and a half years of experience as a manager of a nationally incorporated fitness franchise. Ms. Lipford served as the Director of Public Engagement for the City of Seat Pleasant from 2016 through July 2022, bridging the gap in resource services provided between the residents and the city government. Within that time, she led the role out of the Smart City initiative, which led to her co-creating an app, a new website and producing many events that educated residents, cities, and political leaders about the initiative. Ms. Lipford received the Directors Award in 2022, highlighting her dedication towards the Smart City initiative and citizen engagement. She is now the CEO and President of her company, Creative Digital Solutions, LLC., a digital management and consulting service that enhances brand recognition and provides creative and innovative digital solutions for small businesses. She is now a Project Manager for a marketing and communications firm primarily for transportation organizations such as MDOT and WMATA. Her public service interest also stems from being a board member of the Health Empowerment Network of Maryland, Inc.
Mr. Lawrence McComie
Lawrence McComie serves as a Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of the Financial Services Group at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, also known as PIDC. He has over 12 years’ experience at PIDC and 33 years of overall commercial lending and real estate finance experience. Mr. McComie currently manages 15 staff members responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting, closing, and asset managing all PIDC’s financial services loan products comprising a $427 million portfolio of loans and investments.
Previously employed at Wells Fargo Bank for 21 years, Mr. McComie underwrote a variety of commercial real estate and business loans focused on affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development. Many of these projects required multi-layered capital structures, including federal, state, and local government subsidies, private equity, subordinated debt financing, and the Bank’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Equity, Historic Tax Credit Equity or New Markets Tax Credit financing.
Mr. McComie also served on the Boards of the Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation in Camden, NJ (2000 to 2005), Philadelphia Urban Finance Corporation in Philadelphia, PA (2010 to 2012), FINANTA (MBE CDFI) in Philadelphia, PA (2012 to 2020), and Community First Fund (MBE CDFI/CDE) in Lancaster, PA (2020 to Present). Member of the Philadelphia Accelerator Fund Loan Committee (2022 to Present)
Meishia Hunter, Esq.
Meishia Hunter has an extraordinary record of advancing and championing issues of equity and inclusion for all and a deep commitment to the eradication of discrimination in the workplace. For over a decade, she has served as a civil rights attorney at various federal agencies, including the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), providing advice in the interpretation, intent and applicability of federal laws, statutes, regulations, executive orders, and policies concerning equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws. Currently employed as an attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Meishia provides expert legal advice and guidance on a myriad of employment, equal employment opportunity (EEO) and civil rights issues. She is also responsible for promoting and supporting workplace EEO initiatives and collaborating with Bureau leadership to continuously assess diversity and inclusion needs and opportunities.
Motivated to assist the disadvantaged and provide access to justice for those who could not otherwise afford it, Meishia also continues to transform lives through her pro bono work in the DC Metropolitan Area.
Meishia graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A&T University and earned her Juris Doctor from Texas Southern University. During law school, Meishia interned in the labor and employment division of the City of Houston Legal Department and studied abroad at City, University of London.