The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) held its annual dinner on June 12, and DSFederal was present in force. With government leaders (including Maryland’s senior Senator Benjamin Cardin, Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland’s 8th Congressional district), political candidates, CEOs and college presidents in attendance, the event lived up to its “Constellation of Stars” billing.
Highlights of the evening includ
ed presentation of a substantial donation to a scholarship fund for students attending Montgomery College, accepted by MC’s President Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard; the Visionary of the Year Award, presented to University of Maryland President Dr. Wallace Loh; and the Chamber’s annual “Passing of the Torch” to its new Board of Directors and committee chairs. DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker was sworn in as a Vice Chairman, to serve as GovConNet Committee chair with co-chair David Nguyen, CEO of United Solutions.
Speakers and presenters emphasized partnerships (especially public-private partnerships) and the importance of advocacy. In the evening’s most moving speech, Business Advocate of the Year Award winner Bruce Lee of Lee Development Group paid emotional tribute to the lifesaving research work of the National Institutes of Health, sharing the story of his son Andrew’s battle with cancer. Andrew Lee and friends have raised over $500,000 for research, and Mr. Lee expressed his deep gratitude to NIH’s researchers and clinicians, receiving the night’s only standing ovation.
Sophia writes “I’m so proud to serve MCCC and to support its work. Although the Chamber advocates on behalf of businesses and employers, it also works to promote opportunity for our less-privileged residents by supporting the county’s public schools, its world-class community college, its healthcare system, and its recreational and cultural resources. Montgomery County, with its thriving business and tech community, its unmatched educational system, and its diverse and talented population, is living proof that the interests of a community’s citizens and the interests of its businesses need not be mutually exclusive. The Chamber works tirelessly to make Montgomery County the best place to live, work, raise a family, and run a successful business.”