Gloria Lawlah, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging, named President
For Immediate Release September 27, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC – ADvancing States is pleased to announce the newly-elected Executive Officers to ADvancing States' Board of Directors. Incoming President Gloria Lawlah, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging, will lead the Executive Board.
Joining Secretary Lawlah on the Executive Board is Vice President James Bulot, Director of the Georgia Division of Aging Services; Secretary Lora Connolly, Director of the California Department on Aging; and Treasurer Gary Jessee, Deputy Director of Program Operations-Medicaid/CHIP, Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Secretary Lawlah's predecessor, Lance Robertson, Director of the Oklahoma Aging Services Division, remains on ADvancing States' Executive Board as the Association's Immediate Past President.
The Board of Directors is also comprised of ten Regional Representatives, who serve to represent the views of the states in their regions and to keep the general membership informed of ADvancing States activities.
Welcoming Secretary Lawlah to her new role, ADvancing States Executive Director Martha Roherty said, "Gloria has dedicated her career to public service, and to improving the lives of those around her. We look forward to the visionary leadership and strategic guidance she will bring to the Association as its President."
Throughout her 20 years of dedicated service in the Maryland State Senate and as a Member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Secretary Lawlah held many leadership positions and effectuated remarkable legislative change in the state. In 2007, Secretary Lawlah was appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging by Governor Martin O'Malley.
A graduate of Hampton University and Trinity College, Secretary Lawlah began her career in public service as a teacher in the Washington, DC public school system. During her 30 year tenure, she rose to the rank of Administrator with the D.C. Public Schools Central Office.
In recognition of her many accomplishments, Secretary Lawlah was inducted into the Prince George's County Women's Hall of Fame in 1991, and was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women by the Daily Record. In 2010, she was named a Maryland Power Player by The Gazette of Politics and Business.
She has also received numerous awards, including the Edgemeade Honor for Outstanding Service to Maryland Youth and Families, the Citizen of the Year Award from Prince George's County Board of Trade, Legislator of the Year from the Health Facilities Association of Maryland, the Leadership and Advocacy Award from the American Institute for Urban Psychological Studies, and the Titanium Award for Leadership in the field of Aging from Grayshore. In 2002, she was appointed to the Maryland Commission on Aging.
In addition to her leadership role at ADvancing States, Secretary Lawlah has served with distinction on several local, state, and national boards, including as Vice Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, President of the Women Legislators of Maryland, Chairperson of the Statewide Empowerment Zones for Seniors Commissions, and as Secretary and Treasurer of the Women Legislators of Maryland Foundation.
Secretary Lawlah is married to John, her husband for 50 years, and is the mother of three and the grandmother of six.