The Presidents’ RoundTable Trailblazer Award Recipients

2016

Thomas A. Moorehead

Valencia McClure

Rupert R. Warner, Jr.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

2016 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Thomas A. Moorehead

Thomas Allen Moorehead’s remarkable career has consistently supported his life-long vision: assisting others to realize their own dreams. A visionary business professional, Moorehead is a revered mentor to hundreds of African Americans interested in careers in the automobile industry. As a generous philanthropist, he has funded numerous scholarships for college students and supported charities targeting underserved communities.

The early years of Moorehead’s stellar career were spent at the Mobile and Chrysler Corporations. In 1972, in alignment with his vision, he shifted the focus of his career and accepted a position as Director of Community Service at the University of Michigan. In that capacity, he was responsible for programs that promoted civic participation, built community capacity and enhanced the education process. In 1985, Moorehead was selected for the prestigious General Motors Dealer Training Program. In his continuing dedication to excellence, he spent the next three years at a dealership to acquire the skills necessary for success. Finally, he knew he was ready to launch his own dealership: Moorehead Buick/BMW/Isuzu in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1995, he sold the Omaha store and opened Moorehead Buick-GMC Trucks in Decatur, Illinois, where he developed a national sales campaign and entered into contracts with two national rental car agencies. This revenue-increasing move ushered the dealership into an elite status among African American automobile dealers.

By 1998, Moorehead, strategically planned his next acquisition: the number one foreign luxury car, BMW brand; his timing was impeccable. At that time, The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) was looking for new dealership sites and minority dealer candidates for BMW; Moorehead was awarded one of just three sites identified in the NAMAD report. Despite expansion challenges, he met and conquered each obstacle with the persistence instilled in him at an early age. Moorehead built a 38,500 square foot, state of the art facility with two separate showrooms to showcase the BMW, as well as the Mini Cooper brands.

In 2004, The Joyce and Thomas Moorehead Foundation was established and has provided more than $400,000 in scholarships for mentoring youth entering and matriculating from college. The Foundation has also assisted working families and non-profit organizations in the region.

Always future and service oriented, Moorehead took on an additional business challenge: the hospitality industry. In 2007, Moorhead was the only local minority investor/owner in the Marriott Residence Inn at the National Harbor Resort and Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Since 2007, his innovative portfolio has grown to include more than 45 properties.

In 2012, Moorehead expanded his operation by building an 83,000 square foot facility, exclusively for the BMW brand, across the street from the main facility which continued to spotlight. the Mini brand. In December 2013, Moorehead became the first African American awarded a full-service Rolls- Royce franchise. In May of 2014, he expanded his high-end offerings to the public and purchased Harley- Davidson of Washington, D.C. In August of 2016 Moorehead became the first African American owner to acquire both the exotic high end brands of Lamborghini and McLaren.

Moorehead earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from Grambling University in 1966. In 1971, he earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan, where he pursued additional graduate study. Thomas A. Moorehead was 12 hours away from earning a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan when he was accepted into General Motor’s prestigious General Dealer Training Program.

2016 PRT Corporate Executive Trailblazer Awards

Valencia McClure

Valencia McClure is the vice president of Governmental and External Affairs for BGE, an Exelon Company. McClure is responsible for building key stakeholder relationships and developing strategic initiatives that enhance the company’s reputation. She leads government affairs, corporate relations, marketing and large customer services for the company’s 1.2 million electric customers and 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. Prior to assuming this role in April 2016, McClure was BGE’s director of communications and corporate relations. McClure also held communications roles with Exelon Power, responsible for cultivating collaborative relationships regionally and nationally.

Education

McClure is a graduate of the Leadership Maryland and Leadership Dallas programs. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Professional History

McClure has more than 20 years of proven communications, community affairs and public relations experience.

Prior to joining Exelon, McClure was owner of McClure Communications Inc., a full-service public relations firm. McClure has also worked with local and cable news outlets including WFAA-TV Channel 8, The Dallas Morning News, TCI Cablevision and Diageo. She served as executive producer for the award-winning public affairs shows for WFAA-TV; Metro and La Vida. In addition, while at WFAA-TV, McClure served as community services director and managed the production of all station sponsored public service announcements and community partnerships.

Civic Involvement

McClure is actively involved in civic and charitable organizations. She currently serves as president of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Baltimore Chapter. She serves on the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland School of Medicine and on the board of directors for Leadership Maryland, Bowie State University, the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland and Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communications. McClure was the recipient of the Outstanding African American Alumni Award from the University of Texas at Arlington. She previously served on the board of directors for several Dallas-area nonprofit organizations including the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, Dallas Children’s Theater and Southern Methodist University’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs committee.

2016 PRT Corporate Executive Trailblazer Awards

Rupert R. Warner, Jr.

In his position as Purchasing and Supply Management Specialist, Program Manager Supplier Diversity, Mr. Warner is responsible for managing programs that promote Supplier Diversity through the nine–elements of the U.S. Postal Service Supplier Diversity Corporate Plan – Management Involvement, Communication and Outreach, Sourcing Considerations, Innovation and Sustainability, Subcontract Management, Training and Development, Tracking Progress, Performance Indicators, and Recognition. He conducts projects for the design, development, implementation, evaluation, monitoring, administration, and improvement of national programs that promote advancement opportunities for diverse business groups.

Mr. Warner’s successful projects and contributions to increasing diversity at the U.S. Postal Service and the Federal government have been featured in publications, including; “DiversityBusiness.com”, “Savoy Professionals”, “DiversityPlus”, “Black Professionals”, “Minority Enterprise Advocate”, and Minority Business News. Articles focused on achievements in integrating supplier diversity and supply chain management.

Mr. Warner is a graduate of National-Louis University of Chicago, where he obtained both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in business management. He also holds Master’s Certificates in Government Contracting and Project Management from George Washington University, and is a graduate of the United States Postal Service Advanced Leadership Program.

2016 PRT Special Recognition Award

The Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Mayor, City of Baltimore

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was sworn in as Baltimore’s 49th mayor on February 4, 2010. In November 2011, she was elected to her first full term as Mayor, receiving 87% percent of the vote in the mayoral general election. Mayor Rawlings-Blake has focused her administration on growing Baltimore’s population by 10,000 families over the next decade by improving public safety and public education and by strengthening city neighborhoods.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake became the 73rd President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in June 2015, and serves on the USCM Board of Trustees and in key leadership positions such as the Mayor’s Water Council, and the Criminal and Social Justice Standing Committee. In December 2015, Mayor Rawlings-Blake led a USCM delegation to the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP 21, in Paris and called attention to how American mayors have been leading the fight against climate change in their cities. Mayor Rawlings-Blake was also elected to a top leadership position in the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to serve as Secretary, following the historic reelection of President Barack Obama.

In 2013, Mayor Rawlings-Blake presented, Change to Grow: A Ten-Year Financial Plan for Baltimore, the City’s first long-range financial plan. The plan includes a bold set of major reforms that amount to the most significant changes to the way the City does business in generations. The plan would help achieve the mayor’s goal to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families by eliminating a nine-year $750 Million structural budget deficit; allowing new investments in neighborhood infrastructure—including repairing roads and City facilities and rebuilding ten recreation centers; and providing a funding surge for the demolition of more than 4,000 vacant homes; all while reducing homeowner property taxes by more than 20% over the next ten years.

In 2012, Mayor Rawlings-Blake worked with state leaders to pass the Civil Marriage Protection Act and subsequent state ballot initiative, allowing same-sex couples to obtain a civil marriage license in Maryland. When the new law took effect on January 1, 2013, Mayor Rawlings-Blake presided over the first same-sex marriages in Maryland’s history at a midnight ceremony at Baltimore’s City Hall.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake has also worked to make Baltimore a welcoming city for immigrants. She signed a landmark executive order to protect new Americans from discrimination and increase access to public safety resources and City services for foreign-born city residents. In addition, Mayor Rawlings-Blake fought for a successful state-wide ballot initiative, known as the Dream Act, to provide in-state tuition rates and higher education opportunities for undocumented immigrant students that attended Maryland high schools.

Rawlings-Blake served as City Council President from January 2007 to February 2010. She was first elected to the City Council in 1995, at the age of 25—the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council. She represented the council’s 5th District from 1995 to 2004 and the 6th District from 2004 to 2007, serving communities throughout West and Northwest Baltimore. As Council President, she chaired the City’s Board of Estimates, which supervises all purchasing by the City. From 1998 to 2006, Rawlings-Blake was an attorney with the Baltimore Office of the Public Defender.

Rawlings-Blake has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions. In 2013, she was awarded the First Citizen Award by the Maryland State Senate, a top honor for dedicated and effective participants in the process of making government work for the benefit of all. She was selected by The Daily Record as one of “Maryland’s Top 100 Women” in 2007 and 2011. The National Congress of Black Women named her a Shirley Chisholm Memorial Award Trailblazer. The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs named her one of Baltimore’s “Young Women on the Move.”

Rawlings-Blake is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Omega Chapter and member of the The Links, Inc., Baltimore City Chapter. She has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Baltimore Convention and Tourism Board; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the National Aquarium in Baltimore; Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, Inc.; Living Classrooms Foundation; the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore; and Parks and People Foundation.

Born on March 17, 1970, Rawlings-Blake is a 1988 graduate of Baltimore’s Western High School, and in 1992 she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1995. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. Rawlings-Blake is a member of Douglas Memorial Community Church. She lives in Baltimore’s Coldspring neighborhood with her husband Kent Blake and their young daughter Sophia.

2015

2015 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Joseph Haskins, Jr.

The Harbor Bank of Maryland

Mr. Joseph Haskins, Jr. is the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Harbor Bankshares Corporation. Harbor Bank offers a diverse spectrum of retail and commercial banking services as well as investment services. It is also known as one of the top African American owned and operated financial institutions in the United States, according to Black Enterprise Magazine.

Mr. Haskins has received a plethora of awards and honors including Entrepreneur of the Year by international accounting powerhouse Ernst & Young. In various capacities, he has advised three Maryland Governors, four Baltimore Mayors, and the Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury.

He currently holds a B.A. in Economics from Morgan State University, a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University, and a Masters of Liberal Arts with a concentration in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Advanced banking studies were successfully completed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

2015 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Judy Smith

Judy A. Smith is the founder and President of Smith & Company, a leading strategic and crisis communications firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Over the last 25 years, Ms. Smith has brought her unique combination of communication skills, media savvy, legal and political acumen to clients facing a wide array of issues and challenges throughout the United States and abroad.

Ms. Smith honed her skills through her experiences with some of the most historic and sensational events of our time, including the Iran Contra investigation, the prosecution of former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, the 1991 Gulf War, the Los Angeles riots, the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas, the President Clinton scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, the congressional inquiry of Enron, the General Petraeus CIA scandal, the Sony Corporation hacking crisis, and the United Nations Foundation and World Health Organization response to the SARS epidemic.

Perhaps best known in media circles for her expertise as a crisis management advisor, Ms. Smith has served as a consultant for a host of high profile, celebrity and entertainment clients over the course of her career including, but not limited to, Monica Lewinsky, Senator Craig from Idaho, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., actor Wesley Snipes, NFL quarterback Michael Vick, celebrity chef Paula Deen and the family of Chandra Levy.

Ms. Smith’s portfolio of work also contains an impressive number of high profile engagements involving prominent figures from the world of professional sports. Over the last decade, Ms. Smith has been involved in legal matters concerning NBA players; Kobe Bryant, Chris Webber and Juwan Howard; NFL player Donte Stallworth; MLB’s Gary Sheffield. Smith was a key strategist in the successful defense of former New Jersey Nets Jayson Williams.

Prior to founding Smith & Company, Ms. Smith was a partner at several Washington D.C.- based public relations firms. Before that, Ms. Smith served as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Communications at NBC where she reported directly to the President and CEO and was responsible for the network’s strategic global communications strategy. Additionally, she served as NBC’s chief spokesperson for domestic and international programming and business ventures, and also helped with the groundbreaking launch of one of the nation’s first cable news stations, MSNBC.

In 1991, Ms. Smith joined the White House with her appointment as Special Assistant and Deputy Press Secretary to President George H. W. Bush. During her tenure she provided the President and his Cabinet with communications advice on a wide range of foreign and domestic issues.

Prior to joining the White House, Ms. Smith served as an Assistant United States Attorney and was Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia, where she oversaw legal and communications work on a number of high profile criminal and civil cases.

Ms. Smith served as Associate Counsel and Deputy Director of Public Information in the Office of the Independent Counsel, Lawrence E. Walsh from 1987 to 1989. There she managed legal, as well as national and international public information for the Iran Contra prosecution of Oliver North, John Poindexter and several other defendants.

Prior to her legal career, Ms. Smith worked as a writer and public affairs specialist for several publications and private organizations headquartered in Washington, D.C. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from Boston University and graduated from the American University Washington College of Law where she was the first African American woman to serve as Executive Editor of the Law Review.

As a result of her wide ranging and ground breaking career, Shonda Rhimes, creator of ABC’s hit television dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, developed a television drama about the world of crisis management inspired by Ms. Smith. The series entitled, Scandal, revolves around the life and work of a professional fixer. Ms. Smith serves as Co- Executive Producer of the project and provides insight and technical expertise on crisis management issues.

Ms. Smith is the author of the book, Good Self, Bad Self, published by Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. She has received numerous communications and leadership awards and is active in community service.

2015 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Warren M. Thompson

Warren M. Thompson is the President and Chairman of Thompson Hospitality Corporation, the largest minority owned food and facilities management services company in the country, with 4,000 associates and revenues of more than 500 million dollars in 2014. The company now operates in 45 states and six foreign countries, providing a wide range of services.

Thompson Hospitality was founded in 1992, when Thompson completed a leveraged buyout of 31 Bob’s Big Boy restaurants. He proceeded to convert the stores to Shoney’s restaurants and several other proprietary restaurant concepts. He expanded the company’s interests into the contract food service arena, and in 1997 created Thompson Hospitality Services, LLC by forging a strategic partnership with Compass Group, the world’s largest food service company. Through this alliance, Thompson Hospitality currently serves more than 30 of the Fortune 100 companies, large colleges and universities and urban school districts, and major hospital centers. Additionally, Thompson Hospitality has developed a specialty niche in providing food service to many of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HBCUs”).

2015 PRT Corporate Executive Trailblazer Awards

Donna Cooper

Donna Cooper is President, Pepco Region. Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), provides safe and reliable electric service to more than 800,000 customers in the District of Columbia as well as Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland.

Dr. Cooper has been with Pepco for more than seven years. For three years, she served as region vice president, District of Columbia, responsible for managing relationships with the District of Columbia government, business organizations and community leaders; developing and implementing strategies for legislative and regulatory policy and testifying before the Council of the District of Columbia.

Dr. Cooper is the primary executive responsible for engaging in stakeholder relations with state and local officials, community leaders, and business, consumer and nonprofit organizations within the Pepco region. In that capacity, she plays a critical role in shaping policy and managing issues to deliver value to our customers and key stakeholders. Dr. Cooper also serves as the public face of Pepco and as its primary spokesperson.

Prior to serving as region vice president, Cooper advanced through a series of positions including senior public affairs manager, Pepco; policy director to the Council of the District of Columbia; clerk/director of the Committee on Government Operations, Council of the District of Columbia; executive director, National Organization of Black County Officials Inc.; and assistant professor, South Carolina State University. She was also an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina and Charleston Southern University.

Cooper’s organizational affiliations include the Sustainable Energy Utility Advisory Board (Mayoral Appointment); WorkSource Montgomery, Inc.; Imagination Stage; Leadership Greater Washington; District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce; Washington, DC Economic Partnership; Prince George’s Business Roundtable; District of Columbia Building Industry Association; District of Columbia Downtown Building Improvement District and the District of Columbia Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Cooper received her bachelor’s degree in political science from South Carolina State University, a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate of philosophy in political science from Howard University, where she majored in public administration and American government.

2015 PRT Corporate Executive Trailblazer Awards

Melissa Y. Sherrod

Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Exelon Corporation

Melissa Sherrod is Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Exelon Corporation. Ms. Sherrod leads the day-to-day outreach in Washington, D.C. for the proposed merger between Exelon & Pepco Holdings Incorporated. The responsibilities include outreach to the District of Columbia Mayor, Councilmembers, businesses, non-profit community and other key constituents. Before taking the role as vice president of corporate affairs, Ms. Sherrod oversaw regulatory-related activities for ComEd, a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. As Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy, Ms. Sherrod was responsible for managing ComEd’s relationships with the Illinois Commerce Commission and its staff, as well as other regulatory bodies. Additionally, Melissa was responsible for managing retail rates, revenue policy, ComEd’s ICC dockets, development and implementation of ComEd’s pricing policy, and analysis of strategic policy options for ComEd’s distribution business.

Prior to becoming a member of ComEd’s regulatory team in 2003, she was the Director of Investor Relations for Exelon. In that role, she was responsible for developing compelling messaging to convey Exelon’s value proposition, strategies, financial results and current and future financial, operational and regulatory performance drivers to the financial community. Melissa communicated with investors and members of the financial community on a regular basis regarding current issues and events that impacted Exelon and its subsidiaries, as well as the broader industry. Previous roles included: Tax Manager, ComEd and Exelon Generation and Chief of Staff to Exelon’s Executive Vice President of Finance and Legal.

Prior to joining Exelon, Melissa was a manager in Deloitte & Touche’s Comprehensive Tax Solution Consulting practice. Melissa also spent several years at Arthur Andersen providing tax consultation services to clients in various industries including, manufacturing, transportation, pharmaceutical, consumer products and financial services.

Ms. Sherrod is a board member for Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC) and Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC). She is the Executive Sponsor of the Developing Young Professionals Chicagoland, an Exelon Employee Resource Group.

Ms. Sherrod has a M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from Lewis University.

2014

Eddie C. Brown

JoAnn H. Price

Christopher J. Williams

Calvin G. Butler, Jr.

2014 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Eddie C. Brown

Brown Capital Management

In 1983, Eddie Brown founded Brown Capital Management, one of the country’s oldest African American owned investment management firms. Steeped in integrity, Brown Capital is considered the “right choice” by savvy investors who entrust them to manage and grow their assets. The firm seeks to provide the right management teams, exceptional investment returns and superior customer service.

Prior to establishing Brown Capital, Mr. Brown served as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price Associates. For 25 years, he was also a regular panelist on the nationally televised Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street and was inducted into the Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser Hall of Fame. Mr. Brown, being a dedicated citizen of Baltimore through his civic and philanthropic contributions, served on the Employment Retirement Income Security Act Advisory Council, the Maryland Economic Development Commission, and the Board of the East Baltimore Development Corporation. Along with his family, Mr. Brown founded “Turning the Corner Achievement Program” to support the city’s middle school youth. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Open Society Institute (OSI) – Baltimore and joined the Woodrow Wilson National Cabinet as a founding member and serves on the Investment Committee.

As a business leader, public servant and active philanthropist, Mr. Brown has received numerous awards and accolades including Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, an honorary doctorate in public service from Morgan State University and an honorary doctor of humane letters for Johns Hopkins University, along with an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Maryland Institute of Art (MICA).

Mr. Brown earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Howard University, a M.S. in electrical engineering from New York University and a M.B.A. from Indiana University School of Business. He also earned two professional designations, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Chartered Investment Counselor (CIC).

Most recently, Mr. Brown added “Author” to his illustrious accomplishments with the release of his inspiring autobiography, Beating the Odds – Eddie Brown’s Investing and Life Strategies.

2014 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

JoAnn H. Price

A graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., JoAnn began her career as a legislative aide to Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, involving herself in public policy issues at the intersection of capital availability, and gender and ethnic diversity. She continued to pursue these issues during her 12 years of stewardship leading the National Association of Investment Companies, a trade association of diverse SBIC and private equity fund managers that to this day maintains her advocacy for capital accessibility.

It was in the early 1990s that JoAnn became the catalyst for significant change in the way institutional investors approached this kind of investment, through the formation of Fairview Capital Partners. Her vision, drive and perseverance assured success of the firm’s launch in 1994. In the intervening 18 years, along with co-founder Larry Morse, JoAnn has grown a fund-of-funds business entirely from scratch to one that today manages almost $3.5 Billion of investor commitments across multiple strategies, sectors and geographies. Her belief in possibilities has inspired others to follow in her footsteps, and she has been a willing mentor, counselor and friend to many in the private equity community.

JoAnn brings her well-known level of energy and enthusiasm to her philanthropic work in local and national organizations. She currently serves as a member of the Howard University Board of Visitors, a board member of the YMCA of Greater Hartford; the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Director on the Vantagepoint Funds Board, Hartford Communities that Care and the Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford. JoAnn also serves as vice chairman of the Apollo Theater Foundation in New York City, and she remains active with any number of other organizations that benefit from her gifts and experiences, including service as an ordained deacon of Union Baptist Church.

2014 Anthony Overton Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award

Christopher J. Williams

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Christopher J. Williams is Chairman, CEO and founder of The Williams Capital Group, L.P. and Williams Capital Management, LLC.
Mr. Williams began his career with Lehman Brothers in New York, where he was a Senior Vice President with responsibilities in debt capital markets, derivatives and fixed income securities trading. Upon leaving Lehman Brothers in 1992, Mr. Williams formed Williams Financial Markets, a division of Jefferies & Company, which specialized in structuring debt financings for investment grade corporate issuers. Mr. Williams has been published in two academic textbooks that outline the uses of financial derivatives in the capital markets.

In 1994, Mr. Williams founded The Williams Capital Group and has since directed the firm’s strategic effort in investment banking and its expansion into asset management. Both “Fortune” magazine and “Crain’s New York Business” selected Chris Williams as one of the most powerful minority business leaders in America.

The Williams Capital Group served as lead or co-manager on debt, agency, municipal and equity offerings. Thompson Financial has ranked the firm amongst the top 20 most active underwriters of U.S. taxable fixed income and equity transactions for the past 10 years. As a certified minority business enterprise, The Williams Capital Group continues to rank first among its peers in the underwriting of corporate debt and equity securities.

Mr. Williams serves on the Board of Directors for Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Cox Enterprises, Inc. He is Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College University, and serves on the Board of Trustees of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Teachers College at Columbia. Mr. Williams is also an active board member of Partnership for New York City and BritishAmerican Business.

Christopher Williams holds a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University.

2014 PRT Corporate Executive Trailblazer Awards

Calvin G. Butler Jr.

Chief Executive Officer
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)

Calvin G. Butler Jr. became chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) on March 1, 2014. Butler previously served as BGE’s senior vice president, regulatory and external affairs. In that role, he was responsible for executing the utility’s strategic direction and cultivating relationships with government, regulatory, community and other key stakeholders. Butler also served as Exelon’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and held other leadership positions within Exelon and BGE’s sister utility, ComEd. Butler played a critical role in helping to successfully navigate company and stakeholder relations during the merger between Exelon and Constellation Energy.