District 9

The Honorable Marilynn M. Bland Prince George’s County Council District 9, Democrat 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive County Council 2nd Floor Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 Tel: (301) 952-3820 Fax: (301) 952-5275 mmbland@co.pg.md.us

Constituent area includes: Accokeek, Andrews Air Force Base, Aquasco, Baden, Brandywine, Camp Springs, Cheltenham, Clinton, Croom, Eagle Harbor, Fort Washington, Piscataway and Upper Marlboro.

Marilynn M. Bland, a resident of Clinton, Maryland, is serving her second term as the representative for District Nine to the Prince George’s County Council. She was first elected to the County Council in 2002. On December 2, 2008, Ms. Bland was elected by her colleagues to serve as Council Chairperson for Legislative Year 2009.

Rising from her appointment as Legislative Aide to the late Honorable Isaac J. Gourdine, Council Member of District Eight and her subsequent election to the District 9 Council seat, Chairperson Bland has served in several legislative leadership capacities. Most recently she served as Council Vice-Chairperson in Legislative Year 2008; Chair, Health, Education and Human Services Committee, Legislative Year 2007; Member, Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee; Chairperson of the Prince George’s County Domestic Violence Task Force Law and Enforcement Sub Committee; Vice-Chairperson of the Agricultural Preservation Task Force; appointed Council representative to the Council of Government Aviation Policy Committee, the Prince George’s County Conference and Visitor’s Bureau and the Health Advisory Committee. She is currently Chairperson of the Rules and General Assembly Committee; member, Planning, Zoning and Economic Development and Public Safety and Fiscal Management Committees, Council of Governments, Board of Directors, Liaison to Board of Education and Health Advisory Committee.

Chairperson Bland counts as one of her greatest achievements to date, passage of legislation she introduced in 2006 to establish the Prince George’s County Youth Commission. The Youth Commission was established to provide the youth of Prince George’s County with a vehicle to learn about government, participate in the process, represent and articulate the needs of the youth in the county, and advise the County Executive and County Council on matters pertaining to the youth and teen population especially as it relates to County programs.

Chairperson Bland is a longtime advocate for education, especially enhancing the quality of education for all students in the Prince George’s County Public School System. She was elected to serve on the Prince George’s County Board of Education in 1996 and re-elected to the Board in 2000. She served in several leadership capacities during her tenure on the Board of Education as well: Vice-Chairperson, Board of Education; Chairperson, Pupil Services Committee; Active Member, Superintendent’s Evaluation Committee; Legislative Committee; Policy Review Committee; Budget and Administration Oversight Committee; Superintendent’s Review and Search Committee; and the Budget and Administration (Audit, Transfer Tax Rate Task Force) Committee. Additionally, she spearheaded the effort to ensure that each student was provided with his/her own textbooks in all core disciplines. Chairperson Bland’s established reputation for dedication and commitment to education merited her acclaim in William J. Bennett's National Bestseller The Educated Child.

Affectionately known as “The Council Member Who Cares,” Chairperson Bland’s civic and community involvement is far reaching, as she volunteers her time and service to the community and provides many philanthropic services to County residents. Motivated by her concern for the elderly, Chairperson Bland provides transportation services for the residents of Branchwood Towers and Clinton Manor Apartments. Further, as an advocate for fair housing, and smart growth within the County, she requires that contractors meet certain standards of quality. Her efforts were recently acknowledged by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Freedom Fund, which honored her as one of the Prince George’s County “Women Who Are Making a Difference.”

Chairperson Bland holds memberships in the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the Association of University Women.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and Chairperson Bland was recently conferred a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Springfield Christian College and Theological Seminary.

From 1983 to 1986 she served this Country as a Commissioned Officer with the United States Air Force (Nurse Corps). She was also a Staff Nurse at Greater South East Community Hospital, Southern Maryland Hospital Center and Providence Hospital.

Chairperson Bland has two children: Justin, a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, is currently a student in the graduate program at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and Tonya, a junior at the University of Maryland at College Park. Chairperson Bland and her family are members of Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland.

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