As newest Planning Board member, Patterson will bring negotiating skills to deliberations
SILVER SPRING, MD – On Thursday, July 28, Tina E. Patterson, a management consultant and former county Human Rights Commissioner, was sworn in as the newest member of the Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Patterson replaces Marye Wells-Harley who, on July 27, completed two, consecutive four-year terms, the maximum allowed, as a member and Vice Chair of the Planning Board. Planning Board member Norman Dreyfuss has been named the new Vice Chair.
Wells-Harley viewed her work on the Planning Board as part of her strong commitment to public service. Her career with the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation spanned nearly 43 years, with Wells-Harley serving as acting director starting in 1998 and then director from 2002 through her retirement in 2007.
“My tenure on the Montgomery County Planning Board has been extremely rewarding,” says Wells-Harley. “I have had the opportunity to work with dedicated staff in both the Park and Planning Departments and to serve with an amazing group of commissioners, dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Montgomery County residents. My work with Montgomery County Public Schools, initiating our co-location efforts that have grown to include all agencies, and my work on the activation of urban parks, the Park and Recreation Guidelines, the Zoning Ordinance rewrite and countless master plans has made for a fulfilling tenure for which I will be eternally grateful.”
In May 2017, the Montgomery County Council voted to appoint Patterson to replace Wells-Harley on the Planning Board. Patterson, who is unaffiliated with a political party, was chosen from a pool of 20 applicants and was one of four finalists interviewed by the Council for the Board position.
“I am looking forward to joining the Board and working with the Board members to address stakeholder needs and concerns,” says Patterson.
As an experienced professional in handling dispute resolutions for public agencies and private companies, Patterson will bring valuable negotiating skills to her work on the Planning Board. She will participate in her first Board meeting on September 7 after the August recess.
“We will miss the wisdom and enormous experience Commissioner Wells-Harley brought to the Planning Board and we thank her for her dedicated years of service,” says Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson. “We welcome Tina Patterson to the Planning Board and look forward to working with her on the many challenges and opportunities our community must plan to address over the coming years.”
About Marye Wells-Harley
Marye Wells-Harley served on the Montgomery County Planning Board from July 2009 through July 2017. A Silver Spring resident, Wells-Harley worked for the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation for close to 43 years. She was appointed Acting Director of the Department in 1998 and confirmed as Director in 2002. Before her retirement in 2007, Wells-Harley was instrumental in the agency receiving an unprecedented five top awards from the National Recreation and Parks Association for its programs. Her long tenure of public service brought her the distinction of being named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record newspaper in 2004. Wells-Harley holds a bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State University and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute and Leadership Washington.
About Tina E. Patterson
Tina E. Patterson is the owner of Jade Solutions, LLC, a management consulting firm headquartered in Germantown, and is an experienced alternative dispute resolution professional, handling dispute resolution for public agencies and private companies. Patterson served on the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission from 2008 to 2014 and has served on the board of trustees for the Black Rock Center for the Arts and Leadership Montgomery. She received a bachelor degree from Brown University, a graduate certificate in alternative dispute resolution from Southern Methodist University and is a graduate of Leadership America, Leadership Texas and Leadership Montgomery.