Thursday, July 24, 2008

Youth Investment Trust Names President

Millicent Williams has been named president and chief executive of the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp., the board announced last week. Williams began work July 14 and replaces Greg Roberts, who after seven years has accepted a position as president of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

Williams, who was selected by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to lead the trust, had served as the executive director of Serve D.C., the District government agency that promotes volunteer and community service activities.

At a news conference, the mayor also named Amy Ward as Williams's replacement at Serve D.C. Ward had been chief of staff at the District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. She previously served as director of the D.C. Citizen Corps for Serve D.C.

Melody Ford, a resident of Northeast and a junior aerospace engineering student at Capitol College in Laurel, has been named a scholarship recipient by the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Program.

The SMART Program was established by the U.S. Department of Defense to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at Defense laboratories. The program is managed by the Naval Postgraduate School on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Ford will receive full tuition reimbursement for her final year at Capitol, book allowances and health insurance. Following graduation, she is guaranteed a one-year paid internship at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where she will conduct research and work on space vehicles.

In 2007, Ford was inducted into Alpha Chi, a national honor society. She has also received a number of scholarships at Capitol, including the Richard A. Heiman Scholarship and the William A. Hearst Endowed Scholarship.

Founded in 1927, Capitol College is the only independent college in Maryland dedicated to engineering, computer science, information technology and business. The college aims to prepare students for a range of challenging and competitive career through its partnerships with businesses and government agencies, such as the NASA-supported Space Operations Institute and the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

-- Compiled by JILLIAN S. SOWAH