Prince George’s County Cabinet For Children And Youth Formed

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The Prince George’s County Cabinet for Children and Youth has officially been formed as part of the county’s Youth Engagement Week. The Cabinet for Children and Youth will work to address and respond to the issues facing the county’s children and youth ages 25 years and younger to include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for children and youth in the County.

“The formation of this cabinet is yet another important investment we are making in our children and youth,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. “We are working to ensure that Prince George’s County remains a healthy and safe place for children to grow and thrive for generations to come. This cabinet will allow us to address the needs of youth in an impactful way while improving their quality of life.”

The first introductory meeting for the Cabinet for Children and Youth was held in January and meetings will be held quarterly. The cabinet is comprised of representatives from various county government agencies, Prince George’s County Public Schools, community and faith-based organizations, county residents and youth.

Cabinet members were selected by the Office of the County Executive to ensure that members reflect the diverse nature of the community, offer a wide range of perspectives and can make decisions that will help improve the overall quality of life for county youth, Alsobrooks said. The Cabinet for Children and Youth will issue a preliminary report with recommendations for improving coordination of services across different levels of government and community-based organizations by Dec. 1, 2022.

The members of the Cabinet for Children and Youth are:

Co-Chairs:

Angela Alsobrooks, County Executive

Dr. George Askew, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Health, Human Services, & Education

Staff:

Carla I. Plaza, Strategic Advisor for Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Health, Human Services, & Education

Youth Members:

Alvaro Ceron-Ruiz, Prince George’s School Board Youth Representative

DaeJanae Day, Youth Action Board

Traviss Thomas, Peer Counselor, Santé Group

Sakinah Rollins, 10th Grader, Past Participant, Office of Human Rights’ Youth Leadership Academy

Government and Non-Government Members:

Rev. Peter Blue, St. Matthews Baptist Church

Elana Belon-Butler, Director, Prince George’s County Department of Family Services

Gloria Brown Burnett, Director, Prince George’s County Department of Social Services

Dr. Ernest L. Carter, Health Officer, Prince George’s County Health Department

Lynn Celestin-Antonin, Assistant State’s Attorney, Youth Services Division, State’s Attorney’s Office

Dr. Beth Crawford, Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Family Resource Center

Ann Marie Foley Binsner, Executive Director, CASA Prince George’s County Inc.

Dr. Monica Goldson, Chief Executive Officer, Prince George’s County Public Schools

Dr. Yolandra Hancock, Advisor, Prince George’s County Board of Health

Diedra Henry-Spires, Community Member and Consultant to Early Childhood Working Group

Jennifer Iverson, Executive Director, Prince George’s Child Resource Center, Inc., Chair, Early Childhood Working Group

Samuel Iwu, Director, Prince George’s County Office of Multicultural Affairs

Dr. Kurt Newman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Children’s National Hospital

Stephen Makle, Youth Coordinator, M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County

Roberta Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

Lupi Quinteros-Grady, President & CEO, Latin American Youth Center

Patricia Strong, Interim Executive Director, One World Center for Autism, Inc.

Eva Sumano, Education Manager, CASA de Maryland

Tonia Wellons, President and CEO, Greater Washington Community Foundation

Aspasia Xypolia, Director, Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development

Sharon Zalewski, Executive Director, Regional Primary Care Coalition