MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
October 10, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 102 of the Racial Equity Achieves Results
(REACH) Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021 (D.C. Law 23-181; D.C. Official Code
§ 2-1471.02), I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Vivian Lowery Derryck
Oregon Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20015
(Ward 4)
for reappointment as a member of the Racial Equity Advisory Board, for a term to end December 17,
2026.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Mayor 1
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A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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Chairman Phil Mendelson
at the request
of the Mayor
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To confirm the reappointment of Vivian Lowery Derryck to the Racial Equity Advisory Board.
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RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
18 resolution may be cited as the "Racial Equity Advisory Board Vivian Lowery Derryck
19 Confirmation Resolution of 2024".
20 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
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22 Vivian Lowery Derryck
23 Oregon A venue, NW
24 Washington, DC 20015
25 (Ward 4)
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as a member of the Racial Equity Advisory Board, established by section 102 of the Racial
28 Equity Achieves Results (REACH) Amendment Act of 2020, effective March 16, 2021 (D.C.
29 Law 23-181; D.C. Official Code§ 2-1471.02), for a term to end December
17, 2026.
30 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
31 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
32 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. AWARDS Guggenheim Humanitarian Award; the National Council of Negro Women
Martin Luther King Service Award; the UNICEF Achievement Award; the
African Union African Women of Excellence Award; the 2019 UN National
Capital Area Human Rights Award. She has been named a Knight of the
National Order of Mali by the Malian government; named a Purpose Prize
Fellow; and awarded an honorary doctorate. Two endowed Fellowships in
Sustainable Development established in her name at Howard University.
Vivian Lowery
Derryck
Fo The
Bridges Institute
XXXXXXX // Washington, DC // XXX-XXX-XXXX // XXX@XXXX.XXX
PROFILE Bachelor of Arts in Political Science - Chatham College
Master of International Affairs - Columbia University
EXPERIENCE Founder and President Emerita of the Bridges Institute (Bridges), a
nonprofit that works to strengthen African governance and
democracy. Bridges’ programs bring together continental Africans
and the Diaspora to examine issues of governance, corruption, race,
equity, and women’s rights to develop strategies for strengthening
citizen engagement in building robust democracies.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity and
Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of State; the Senate-confirmed
Assistant Administrator for Africa at USAID where she managed a $1
billion portfolio; president of the African American Institute; executive vice president of the National Council of Negro Women
(NCNW); the first vice-president of the National Democratic
Institute; and senior vice-president of the former $850 million non-
profit, the Academy for Educational Development. Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvan ia Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Vivian Lowery Derryck
Ms. Vivian Lowery Derryck is the founder and President Emerita of the
Bridges Institute (Bridges), a nonprofit that works to strengthen African
governance and democracy. Bridges’ programs bring together
continental Africans and the Diaspora to examine issues of governance,
corruption, race, equity, and women’s rights to develop strategies for
strengthening citizen engagement in building robust democracies. In
2020, following George Floyd’s murder, Bridges launched a new
initiative, Concerned Citizens Defending Democracy, which focuses on
strengthening U.S. democracy, social justice, racial healing and
reconciliation. She is also a current member of the Racial Equity
Advisory Board.
The 2023, George Washington University-endowed Vivian Lowery Derryck/Bridges Institute
African Lecture and Meeting Series ensures annual dialogue on African democracy and
governance in perpetuity.
Ms. Derryck founded the Bridges Institute in 2009 when she was an Inaugural Fellow in Harvard’s
Advanced Leadership Initiative. Prior to Bridges, Ms. Derryck worked in and out of government
in more than 35 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. She served as the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of State;
the Senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator for Africa at USAID where she managed a $1 billion
portfolio; president of the African American Institute; executive vice president of the National
Council of Negro Women (NCNW); the first vice-president of the National Democratic Institute;
and senior vice-president of the former $850 million non-profit, the Academy for Educational
Development.
Ms. Derryck has received several accolades, including the Guggenheim Humanitarian Award; the
National Council of Negro Women Martin Luther King Service Award; the UNICEF Achievement
Award; the African Union African Women of Excellence Award; the 2019 UN National Capital
Area Human Rights Award. She has been named a Knight of the National Order of Mali by the
Malian government; named a Purpose Prize Fellow; and awarded an honorary doctorate. She also
has two endowed Fellowships in Sustainable Development established in her name at Howard
University.
A Ward 4 resident, Ms. Vivian Lowery Derryck earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
from Chatham College and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University. GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: September 16, 2024
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolutions nominating Shareefah Al’Uqdah, David
Coleman, Kelly Crawford, Kenya Hutton, Yolanda Lewis, Vivian Lowery
Derrick, Lamont Mitchell, and Gabrielle Parsons as members of the Racial Equity
Advisory Board
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced resolutions and
found them to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-
724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish