By Andrea StevensAFRO Workers Writerastevens@afro.com
As Ladies’s Historical past Month continues, Athena Ware Hernandez and Geri Byrd shine as beacons of management, making vital strides as chiefs of employees within the higher echelons of Maryland authorities. The 2 ladies exhibit excellence and resilience of their subject, serving as testomony to the facility of girls in decision-making roles and the lasting impression of feminine management throughout industries.
Maryland’s first girl Daybreak Flythe Moore champions psychological well being, navy households, the humanities and ladies’s empowerment. She hosts an annual ladies’s empowerment occasion and opens Authorities Home for applications supporting these causes, together with a latest psychological well being consciousness occasion. Her chief of employees, Athena Ware Hernandez, helps drive these initiatives utilizing her experience to create lasting impression.
“I apply my talent units to some very significant initiatives for the primary girl and for the state and I’m proud to have the ability to try this,” Hernandez stated.
With a background in communications and management, Hernandez beforehand held key positions in organizations just like the Congressional Black Caucus Basis. She has constructed a profession centered on public service, advocacy and coverage development, all of which replicate her dedication to neighborhood empowerment.
“Public service is without doubt one of the highest callings that any of us may ever get—working in service to the higher good, impacting so many areas of individuals’s lives,” she stated. “How we present up for one another helps us take the steps we wish to take, each in our skilled and private lives.”
Hernandez can be devoted to mentoring younger ladies, serving to bridge the hole for the following era.
“I delight myself on all the time reaching again to younger ladies, mentoring them, giving the identical that was given to me and attempting to do it tenfold,” she stated. “There’s a super quantity of assist accessible to younger Black ladies that permits them to dream huge as a result of there may be a lot extra that’s attainable than not.”
She additionally shared her perspective on dealing with challenges and the way she addresses them.
“We select how we tackle our challenges—whether or not we method them with the attitude of a constructive final result or with the assumption that they are going to be tough,” Hernandez stated. “I favor to method challenges realizing that I can get a constructive final result as a result of my method to them can be constructive. Anytime one thing challenges how you’re employed or the work that you simply do, I believe there’s a chance for development.”
Geri Royale Byrd serves as chief of employees for the Workplace of the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, bringing over 30 years of expertise in each the private and non-private sectors. A Baltimore native, Byrd’s profession is marked by a steadfast dedication to public service and neighborhood engagement.
Byrd started her public service journey below the Obama administration as a correspondence analyst for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner within the Workplace of Monetary Stability. She later served within the Baltimore Metropolis Mayor’s Workplace as director of logistics and particular assistant to the mayor, finally rising to the place of deputy chief of employees.
Byrd’s intensive expertise and dedication to service proceed to drive constructive change and improved outcomes for Marylanders. In her present position, she helps Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller in advancing key coverage areas, together with transportation, psychological well being and STEM fairness. She additionally performs a pivotal position within the Council on Interfaith Outreach, aiming to foster spiritual tolerance and serve various communities throughout Maryland.
Byrd’s management is outlined by a dedication to progress, collaboration and significant change. By means of her work with the lieutenant governor, she continues to champion initiatives that strengthen communities and improve the well-being of Maryland’s residents.
The impression of leaders like Hernandez and Byrd extends past their places of work. Their dedication to excellence, advocacy and innovation exemplifies the facility of girls in management. As extra ladies rise to positions of affect, their success serves as a beacon of inspiration for future generations.
Throughout Ladies’s Historical past Month, Hernandez and Byrd are celebrated for breaking boundaries, redefining management and creating pathways for others. As Hernandez stated, “Your profession ought to assist who you might be, not outline who you might be.” Their tales spotlight that when ladies lead, industries remodel, communities thrive and the longer term turns into brighter for all.
