Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

MURIEL BOWSER

    MAYOR

October 10, 2024

The Honorable Phil Mendelson

Chairman

Council of the District of Columbia

John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504

Washington, DC 20004

Dear Chairman Mendelson:

In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-

142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 102 of the Racial Equity Achieves Results

(REACH) Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021 (D.C. Law 23-181; D.C. Official Code

§ 2-1471.02), I am pleased to nominate the following individual:

                                      Vivian Lowery Derryck

                                       Oregon Avenue, NW

                                      Washington, DC 20015

                                             (Ward 4)

for reappointment as a member of the Racial Equity Advisory Board, for a term to end December 17,

2026.

Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned

nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.

I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please

do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and

Appointments, should the Council require additional information.

Sincerely,

Muriel Bowser

Mayor

 1                                                                        ~~~

 2                                                                       Chairman Phil Mendelson

 3                                                                       at the request of the Mayor

 4

 5

 6                                    A PROPOSED RESOLUTION

 7

 8

 9

10                      IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

11

12

13

14

15   To confirm the reappointment of Vivian Lowery Derryck to the Racial Equity Advisory Board.

16

17          RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this

18   resolution may be cited as the "Racial Equity Advisory Board Vivian Lowery Derryck

19   Confirmation Resolution of 2024".

20          Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:

21

22                                        Vivian Lowery Derryck

23                                        Oregon Avenue, NW

24                                        Washington, DC 20015

25                                              (Ward 4)

26

27   as a member of the Racial Equity Advisory Board, established by section 102 of the Racial

28   Equity Achieves Results (REACH) Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021 (D.C.

29   Law 23-181; D.C. Official Code§ 2-1471.02), for a term to end December 17, 2026.

30          Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,

31   upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.

32          Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

Vivian Lowery                                             Founder      and     President      Emerita   The

Derryck                                                                                  Bridges   Institute

XXXXXXX // Washington, DC // XXX-XXX-XXXX // XXX@XXXX.XXX

PROFILE                Bachelor of Arts in Political Science - Chatham College

                       Master of International Affairs - Columbia University

EXPERIENCE             Founder and President Emerita of the Bridges Institute (Bridges), a

                       nonprofit that works to strengthen African governance and

                       democracy. Bridges’ programs bring together continental Africans

                       and the Diaspora to examine issues of governance, corruption, race,

                       equity, and women’s rights to develop strategies for strengthening

                       citizen engagement in building robust democracies.

                       Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity and

                       Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of State; the Senate-confirmed

                       Assistant Administrator for Africa at USAID where she managed a $1

                       billion portfolio; president of the African American Institute;

                       executive vice president of the National Council of Negro Women

                       (NCNW); the first vice-president of the National Democratic

                       Institute; and senior vice-president of the former $850 million non-

                       profit, the Academy for Educational Development.

AWARDS             Guggenheim Humanitarian Award; the National Council of Negro Women

                   Martin Luther King Service Award; the UNICEF Achievement Award; the

                   African Union African Women of Excellence Award; the 2019 UN National

                   Capital Area Human Rights Award. She has been named a Knight of the

                   National Order of Mali by the Malian government; named a Purpose Prize

                   Fellow; and awarded an honorary doctorate. Two endowed Fellowships in

                   Sustainable Development established in her name at Howard University.

       Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments

  John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004

                                   Vivian Lowery Derryck

                         Ms. Vivian Lowery Derryck is the founder and President Emerita of the

                         Bridges Institute (Bridges), a nonprofit that works to strengthen African

                         governance and democracy. Bridges’ programs bring together

                         continental Africans and the Diaspora to examine issues of governance,

                         corruption, race, equity, and women’s rights to develop strategies for

                         strengthening citizen engagement in building robust democracies. In

                         2020, following George Floyd’s murder, Bridges launched a new

                         initiative, Concerned Citizens Defending Democracy, which focuses on

                         strengthening U.S. democracy, social justice, racial healing and

                         reconciliation. She is also a current member of the Racial Equity

                         Advisory Board.

The 2023, George Washington University-endowed Vivian Lowery Derryck/Bridges Institute

African Lecture and Meeting Series ensures annual dialogue on African democracy and

governance in perpetuity.

Ms. Derryck founded the Bridges Institute in 2009 when she was an Inaugural Fellow in Harvard’s

Advanced Leadership Initiative. Prior to Bridges, Ms. Derryck worked in and out of government

in more than 35 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. She served as the Deputy Assistant

Secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of State;

the Senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator for Africa at USAID where she managed a $1 billion

portfolio; president of the African American Institute; executive vice president of the National

Council of Negro Women (NCNW); the first vice-president of the National Democratic Institute;

and senior vice-president of the former $850 million non-profit, the Academy for Educational

Development.

Ms. Derryck has received several accolades, including the Guggenheim Humanitarian Award; the

National Council of Negro Women Martin Luther King Service Award; the UNICEF Achievement

Award; the African Union African Women of Excellence Award; the 2019 UN National Capital

Area Human Rights Award. She has been named a Knight of the National Order of Mali by the

Malian government; named a Purpose Prize Fellow; and awarded an honorary doctorate. She also

has two endowed Fellowships in Sustainable Development established in her name at Howard

University.

A Ward 4 resident, Ms. Vivian Lowery Derryck earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

from Chatham College and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.

                              GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                 Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser

Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor

To:                 Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker

From:               Betsy Cavendish

Date:               September 16, 2024

Subject:            Legal sufficiency review of Resolutions nominating Shareefah Al’Uqdah, David

                    Coleman, Kelly Crawford, Kenya Hutton, Yolanda Lewis, Vivian Lowery

                    Derrick, Lamont Mitchell, and Gabrielle Parsons as members of the Racial Equity

                    Advisory Board

This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced resolutions and

found them to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not

hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-

724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.

______________________________

Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish

______________________________________________________________________________

The John A. Wilson Building   • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW   •   Suite 300 •   Washington, D.C. 20004   • Office (202) 724-7681