Joseph L. Askew, Jr. joined Verizon Washington, DC in 1999. He holds the position of Vice President, Mid-Atlantic State Government Affairs where he is responsible for working with Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia legislative and executive officials on policy matters (technology, labor, infrastructure, privacy, and tax) that impact innovation, investment, and the company’s ability to meet customer demands and compete in a competitive market place. In his region, he is also responsible for overseeing Verizon’s monitoring of political activities and the development and execution of political strategies to manage, foster and build solid relationship with current and future elected state and local leaders.
Prior to joining Verizon, Joseph worked as a; commercial lending officer for Bank of America where he manage a portfolio of businesses generating $100K to $100M , legislative clerk for the Committee on Public Works and the Environment for the Council of the District of Columbia where he worked on transportation and environmental matters, legislative aid for Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey (D-6th-CA) where he worked on social and health welfare matters, and a commissioned officer in the United States Army, Military Police Corp providing protection and security services.
Joseph graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a minor in Public Administration. He holds a juris doctorate from the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law. While at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law he served as the Student Bar Association President and is credited along with other student leaders as having contributed to the law school’s then continued existence with its grant of provisional accreditation under the University of the District of Columbia. He was a recipient of the: UDCSL Merit Scholarship, Jack Olender Service Scholarship, Dean’s Cup, Outstanding Clinical Performance Award, Black Law Student Association President’s Award, Student Bar Association Meritorious Award; Delta Mu Delta Honor Society honorarium. Subsequently, he has been admitted to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court Bar.
Joseph was elected to the University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees where he served two terms as the Chairman of the Board and a term as the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee. During his Board tenure the University’s School of Law, School of Business, Student Center, Community College (Van Ness, North Capitol St and South Dakoda), Soccer Field, Henderson Gymnasium and Dennard Plaza were all renovated or constructed. Additionally, during such time the University’s and Community College academic programs were overhauled to align and reflect the interest and needs of students and the current and future business market place. All of such academic programs were subsequently accredited by Middle States. Because of his service and commitment to the University and students Joseph has also been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the University and the University of the District of Columbia Student and Alumni Association.
Joseph is serving or has served on numerous other Boards such as; Federal City Council, DC Chamber of Commerce (Committee Chair), DC Economic Partnership (Treasurer), VA Chamber of Commerce, WV Chamber of Commerce, MD Chamber of Commerce, MD Tech Council, MD and DC Utilities Association (Chair), Greater Baltimore Committee, DC ARC (Vice Chair), 100 Black Men, Street Law, and Hannah House (Treasurer). Further, he is a graduate of; Leadership Greater Washington, DC, Board of Trade Greater Washington Leadership Program, Leadership Montgomery County, MD and Leadership Fayetteville, NC.
is a visionary leader, lawyer, and advocate whose career has been defined by groundbreaking service at the intersections of law, human rights, and community advancement. A native Floridian, she has devoted her life to creating equitable systems that expand opportunities and improve the quality of life for underserved communities.
Ms. Raiford was the founding Director and architect of the New York City Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit. There, she created the highly acclaimed “Innovations in Delivering Effective Law Enforcement Services of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Family Interpersonal Violence” program. As the highest-ranking civilian in the operations arm of the department, she established an international model for improving law enforcement’s response to crimes of interpersonal and intra-family violence.
She also served as Special Counsel to the NYC Transit Police advising on policy. Her expertise was also recognized on a national and international level when she served as a lecturer with the FBI’s Behavioral Services Unit, sharing strategies to improve police and legislative responses in response to human need.
After relocating to Miami, Ms. Raiford was appointed Director of the Office of Human Rights and Fair Employment Practice for Miami-Dade County where she implement policies to advance equity in the workplace and public accommodations in Miami-Dade County. She later served as Director of the County’s Community Action and Human Services Department, overseeing the largest provider of support and resource services in the Southeastern United States. In this role, she directed critical programs that addressed housing, health, and economic stability for thousands of families across the region and increased community access to public programs and services.
Currently, Ms. Raiford is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Carrie Meek Foundation (CMF), where she advances the legacy of Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek by championing education, housing, health, and economic development in historically underserved communities throughout South Florida. Under her leadership, the Foundation continues to expand its impact with a multi-million-dollar partnership with Amazon bringing a distribution center to the Carrie Meek Industrial Park, and empowering the Foundation to provide funding and program support to non-profit organizations across the County. Under her leadership, the Carrie Meek Foundation managed and distributed $7.4 million dollars in Miami Dade County funds to 82 diverse, small and grassroots organizations to support their work to diminish the scourge of gun violence in their communities.
Raised in Miami, Ms. Raiford is a proud graduate of Bennett College and earned her Juris Doctor from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She is deeply committed to civic engagement and women’s leadership, as exemplified through her membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Incorporated. She has also generously shared her time and expertise as a board member with The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade and numerous other organizations dedicated to equity and empowerment.
Through her pioneering leadership, tireless advocacy, and unwavering commitment to service, Lucia Davis Raiford has advanced justice and opportunity for countless individuals and families. Her career reflects both the legacy of her Miami roots and her lifelong dedication to building a more equitable society—one that continues to inspire future generations of changemakers.
Sunny Eaton graduated from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in 2006, where she was awarded the Dean’s Cup for Outstanding Service. She spent 14 years as a criminal defense attorney, first with the Nashville Public Defender’s Office and later in private practice, before joining the Nashville District Attorney’s Office in 2020 as the Director of the Conviction Review Unit.
Since then, she has led efforts that have exonerated six wrongfully convicted people. Her work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The New York Times Magazine, and she has appeared as a legal commentator on Good Morning America and CNN.
Sunny is also a mental health advocate, serving on the boards of several community-based organizations including the Oasis Center, an emergency shelter for teens where she was once a resident, Healing in the Margins, and the Onsite Foundation. She teaches trial advocacy at Vanderbilt University Law School, and beyond her legal work, she co-founded a company leading women’s adventure travel. She is an author, speaker, and thought leader dedicated to justice, equity, and the power of redemption.
Mr. Smith has spent more than 40 years practicing civil rights and anti-poverty law. He currently serves as the Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the Maryland Attorney General. Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General, Mr. Smith served for seven years as the Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Before the Lawyers’ Committee he was Associate Dean for Clinical and Experiential Learning at the UDC David A. Clark School of Law.
Mr. Smith was the Chief of the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2010 to 2015. During his tenure at the DOJ he participated in investigations of law enforcement agencies, prisons and jails, juvenile justice systems, and mental health care facilities. Among the cases he worked on included the Seattle, New Orleans, and Ferguson Police Departments, the use of solitary confinement in the Pennsylvania prison system; the Shelby County, Tennessee juvenile court; and the Delaware and New Hampshire psychiatric hospitals.
Prior to his government service, he served as the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, the Public Justice Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and the D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project. In each of these positions, in addition to providing program leadership, he handled individual, class action, and impact litigation and engaged in legislative advocacy and in institutional reform efforts. He started his career in the Alexandria, Viginia civil rights firm of Victor Glasberg and Associates.
Mr. Smith served as an expert consultant on policing matters, including leading an investigation into the death of Elijah McClain for the City of Auroa, Colorado and assisting to negotiate the State consent decrees to reform the Minneapolis and Chicago Police Departments. He has published academic and opinion articles on prisoners’ rights, criminal legal system reform, access to justice, and poverty.
Mr. Smith received a JD from the Antioch School of Law in 1984 and a BA in philosophy from the University of Maine in 1980.