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Working alongside his wife, Dawn, Richard established The 2Lt Richard W. Collins III Foundation (the Foundation) to honor their son, Richard III, who was brutally murdered in May, 2017.
Professionally, Richard W. Collins Jr. is a Senior Specialist in the field of Emergency Management with primary expertise in policy development and review providing oversight of emergency preparedness and response guidance governing state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions in communities with commercial nuclear power facilities. Richard is a subject matter expert in advancing public understanding of the significance of creating, deploying, and maintaining a robust capability to effectively execute response and recovery operations in the aftermath of man-made and natural disasters. Richard has helped to lead a collaborative team of emergency management professionals in the revision and modernization of radiological guidance, policy, and regulations that govern oversight of the level of preparedness required to ensure that communities operating nuclear power facilities are able to demonstrate effective emergency response capabilities.
Over the span of more than 36 years of combined public service in the military and federal government, has been a staunch advocate for improving the conditions that advance public health and safety. Richard has had the opportunity to develop a diverse skillset working with highly trained teams directing the movements of high-value aviation assets as a military air traffic controller, and to lead the facilitation of disaster recovery efforts supporting response to major events such as Hurricane Sandy and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility accident in Japan. Among the highlights of his experience includes briefing the Japanese government delegation on best practices in community engagement in responding to the uncontrolled release of radiological contaminants into the environment.
During his 20-year career in the United States Navy, Richard’s service included deployments aboard 6 aircraft carriers and a 2-year tour of duty overseas in Rota, Spain as an Air Traffic Controller. His service spanned foreign conflicts and humanitarian missions that ranged from Southeast Asia in Viet Nam, to Eastern Africa in Somalia. It is through such a diverse, humbling, and gratifying experience of service and sacrifice that inspires Richard to strive to improve the lives of others and the communities where they reside.
Since 2017, when her son, 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III, was violently murdered in an unprovoked attack on the University of Maryland, College Park campus, Mrs. Dawn Collins has been a leader in the fight against hate crimes.
Mrs. Collins and her husband, Richard Collins Jr., established The 2Lt Richard W. Collins III Foundation (the Foundation) to honor their son. The Foundation goals are twofold: 1) to provide ROTC scholarships to students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the State of Maryland along with the executive development programs and resources required for their long-term success 2) work within the education system to deploy programs – at every level – that develop mutual understanding, encourage respectful dialogue, and root out the scourge of hate.
The act of hatred and bigotry that devastated the Collins family propelled them to action. Through their commitment to find justice for their son, the Collins led the fight to enact an effective hate crime law in the State of Maryland. On October 1, 2020, the Richard W. Collins Hate Crime Law went into effect.
Dawn has served as a state inspector and federal consumer safety officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over 35 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health at East Carolina University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University. Dawn also serves on the board of the Calvert County Maryland League of Women Voters.
Gordon B. Johnson was appointed special agent in charge of the Baltimore Field Office in October 2016. In this position, he is responsible for FBI operations within Maryland and Delaware. A 20-year FBI veteran, Mr. Johnson has worked and supervised a variety of investigative programs to include counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber.
Mr. Johnson, a Frederick County, Maryland native, began his career as an FBI special agent in 1995 at the New York Field Office, where he investigated national security matters.
In 2000, Mr. Johnson was selected as a supervisory special agent and program manager in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Two years later, he was promoted again to unit chief in the Counterintelligence Division.
In December 2004, Mr. Johnson was selected to serve as a supervisory special agent in the Baltimore Field Office and was later promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Baltimore Field Office’s National Security Branch.
From January 2013 to May 2014, Mr. Johnson was appointed to serve as the FBI’s senior representative to the United States Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. In June 2014, Mr. Johnson returned to FBI Headquarters as the special assistant to the FBI’s associate deputy director. In this capacity, Mr. Johnson served as the senior proxy and counsel to the associate deputy director, providing oversight of the FBI’s budget, human resources, administration, and information technology.
In December 2015, Mr. Johnson was appointed to serve as the deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division, Operations Branch II, where he managed efforts to defeat foreign intelligence services and eliminate the capabilities of foreign-sponsored adversaries.
In August 2016, FBI Director James B. Comey appointed Mr. Johnson to serve as the acting special agent in charge of the Norfolk Field Office.
Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and, prior to the FBI, he served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. Mr. Johnson also has a Masters of Arts in political science from Rutgers-Newark.
Dr. Rashawn Ray is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Previously, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley/University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ray’s research addresses the mechanisms that manufacture and maintain racial and social inequality. His work also speaks to ways that inequality may be attenuated through racial uplift activism and social policy.
Currently, Dr. Ray is working on three projects centered on the intersections of race, class, and gender. The first project examines racial differences in barriers and incentives to physical activity among the middle class as well as the health consequences of aging single. The second project investigates how perceived body size shapes race and class differences in the mental, physical, and sexual health of girls and young women. The third project explores the impact school gardens have on academic achievement, nutritional knowledge, and civic engagement among children in 90 elementary schools in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Ray is the editor of Race and Ethnic Relations in the Twenty-First Century: History, Theory, Institutions, and Policy. His work has appeared in Ethnic and Racial Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Journal of Higher Education, and Journal of African American Studies. He has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Ford Foundation. Dr. Ray has taught at Indiana University and the University of Mannheim-Germany. He has also served on the 50th Anniversary March on Washington planning committee, currently serves on the Commission for Racial Justice for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. He received a doctoral degree in sociology from Indiana University.
Dr. Delecia Reed Eller is a Higher Education Advocate with over a decade of successful experience in the design, implementation and support of unique education marketing initiatives. She has extensive experience and expertise in the area of educational partnership management, and partnership development, including initiatives at the local, regional, and national levels.
Dr. Eller has been a featured speaker at the National Association of Black School Educators Conference (NABSE), and the NFL Players Association, “Training Camp for Life” seminar Series.
RADM Denise Hinton is FDA’s Chief Scientist. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading and coordinating FDA’s cross-cutting scientific and public health efforts.
The Office of the Chief Scientist works closely with FDA’s product centers, providing strategic leadership and support for FDA’s regulatory science and innovation initiatives, including the Advancing Regulatory Science Initiative, the Critical Path Initiative, health informatics, scientific professional development, scientific integrity, and the Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi).
RADM Hinton previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of Medical Policy (OMP) in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where she concurrently served as Acting OMP Director from 2014 to 2016. There, she led the development, coordination, and implementation of medical policy programs and strategic initiatives, including the efficient integration of rapidly evolving science and new technologies into the drug development and regulatory review processes. RADM Hinton’s work involved close collaboration with other CDER program areas, FDA product centers, and a broad variety of stakeholders.
RADM Hinton joined FDA in 2002 in CDER’s Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products and, later, served in the center’s former Division of Training and Development. Before coming to FDA, she was an officer in the U.S. Air Force. RADM Hinton earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida State University and her Master of Science degree from Boston University.
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Eartha M. Govan is a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina. She enlisted in the Army in 1987. She graduated from South Carolina State University (SCSU) Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG). Lieutenant Colonel Govan received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps in 1992. Lieutenant Colonel Govan received a Masters in Business Administration from Webster University
Her military schools include Basic Training at Fort Jackson, Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Quartermaster Officer Basic Course and Advanced Course; Combined Arms and Services Staff College; Petroleum Officer’s Course, Command and General Staff College; Army Officer’s Logistics Course, and a graduate of the Advanced Logistics and Technology Course (LOGTECH).
Lieutenant Colonel Govan has served in a myriad of staff and leadership positions throughout her career to include: Platoon Leader and Executive Officer, Kilo Company, 159th Aviation Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, Supply Platoon Leader, Battalion S1/Adjutant, 227th Maintenance Battalion, Yongsan Korea; Materiel Control Officer, 2nd Support Center, 1st Corps Support Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Commander, Headquarters Company, 10th Area Support Group (ASG), S2/3 Training Officer, Okinawa Japan; Training With Industry (TWI) Philadelphia, PA; Group S1/Adjutant, 24th Corps Support Group; S2/3 Training Officer, Executive Officer, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division; Support Operations Officer, 2nd Infantry Division; Assistant Professor of Military Science (APMS) College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA; G5 Plans Officer, 1st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Camp Arifjan , Kuwait; Logistics Integrator Clothing and Individual Equipment Division, G-4 Army Staff, Washington, D.C.; Professor of Military Science (PMS) Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Fort Belvoir, Virginia. LTC Govan retired in November 2016 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia after serving a total of over 29 years of Service to our Nation. Currently, LTC (Ret) Govan serves as a Logistics Management Specialist, G4 Plans and Operations for United States Army Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Her awards and decorations include: Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC); Army Achievement Medal (4OLC); Army Commendation Medal (1 OLC); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Staff Badge.
Director of Marketing and Electronic Media for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland. Retired.
Kim Brooks Godfrey earned her Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) at the University of Maryland and is a Presidential Management Fellows Program Nominee. She has over a decade of experience in financial management and keeps abreast of best practices within the field.
Kim is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Michael Godfrey Fine Art (MGFA). She has held this office for over 20 years and at her helm, the business has seen great success. At her direction, Kim has expanded MGFA from a local business to one that is internationally recognized by the likes of Forbes, The Rockefeller Estate, and the State Department Art in Embassy.
Allison Jaslow is an Iraq War Veteran, a dedicated public servant, and an advocate for the views and experiences of combat veterans and their families.
Nationally, Jaslow is recognized as a leading voice on the impact of the military-civilian divide on our political system and as an authority on the unique challenges faced by women in the military. A former Army Captain, Jaslow is also a seasoned political and communications strategist, serving on the staff of several Members of Congress, as a White House communications aide. She’s a former Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and currently an Adjunct Professor at Duke University.
In her role as Executive Director of IAVA, Jaslow led a national campaign to increase recognition of, and support for, women veterans. The “She Who Borne the Battle” campaign boldy targeted the Department of Veterans Affairs’ gender exclusive motto and put the needs of women veterans on the map – and in the headlines. Jaslow also oversaw the organization’s successful campaigns to block over $4 billion in cuts to veteran education benefits, and to reverse the Defense Department’s efforts to claw back bonuses paid to California National Guardsman. Jaslow was instrumental in orchestrating the first-ever “Commander in Chief Forum” in partnership with NBC, ensuring issues important to the military community remained front and center during the 2016 presidential campaign. The forum drew over 15 million viewers.
Prior to joining IAVA, Jaslow built a reputation as a leader, trusted advisor and innovative political strategist in Washington and on campaigns across the country. She served as Chief of Staff to Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, after leading Bustos’ successful campaign to unseat an incumbent Member of Congress in what has since become a bellwether region for the success of both political parties. Jaslow also served as a communications aide in the White House, as Press Secretary for former Virginia Senator and decorated Vietnam veteran Jim Webb and in leadership roles for various other Members of Congress.
Jaslow has twice testified before Congress and is a regular on national news programs including NBC’s Today Show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, and the CBS Evening News, where she speaks on issues ranging from national politics to our national security and the military-civilian divide. She has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN Opinion and Marie Claire in addition to other national publications. Jaslow also works closely with the entertainment industry, leading impact partnerships with several noteworthy films including Warner Brothers’ Dunkirk, Netflix’s War Machine, and Blood Stripe, an independent film which depicts a woman Marine’s transition from combat to civilian life.
Jaslow graduated from the University of Central Missouri, which she attended on ROTC scholarship, before entering active duty in the United States Army. She is on the Board of Trustees for Wentworth Military Academy, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was named both an Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Scholar and Aspen Security Forum Scholar. For her military service, Jaslow’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster.
A native of Virginia, Jaslow currently lives in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.
