The Maryland Commission for Women is pleased to announce Commissioner Lee Bachu as its newly elected Chairperson, and Commissioner A. Diane Williams as the Vice Chairperson. Having been elected in 2014, Commissioner Wandra Ashley-Williams will continue to serve as Secretary of the Commission. Along with the willingness to perform their elected duties, each of these individuals bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the Commission.
Mythili (Lee) Bachu
holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is the founder and president of MGA Consultants, Inc. She has worked with Employer Retirement Plans since 1985 and has extensive experience in both small and large pension plans.She is a member of both ASPPA (American Society Pension Professionals and Actuaries) and NIPA (National Institute for Pension Actuaries) and serves on the Government Affairs Committee at ASPPA. Ms. Bachu is Chair of the Council of Hindu Temples of North America (CHTNA) an association of Hindu Temples on this continent. CHTNA’s goal is to promote Hindu religious and cultural activities on the North American continent towards the management and development of Hindu Temples. Mythili Bachu served on the board of Sri Siva Vishnu Temple (SSVT) one of the largest Hindu Temples in Washington, DC from 2006 through 2012 as Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and President. SSVT is. Ms. Bachu serves on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Conference in Washington, D.C. and was first appointed to the Commission for Women in December 2012 where she served as Vice Chair for the past year.
Diane Williams
is a retired Contracting Officer who is currently a Contracting Consultant for the Federal Government. She is also an Entrepreneur. Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Cum Laude from Columbia Union College, she is also a Certified in Contract and Procurement Management from the University of Virginia. A noted advocate for women and women’s issues, Ms. Williams is a member of various women focused organizations. She served as President of the Women’s Action Coalition of Prince George’s County from 2006 through 2009. Ms. Williams served as Chair of the Public Relations, Legislative & Community Awareness Committee for the Prince George’s County Commission for Women and also served on the Board of Directors of the Family Crisis Center Prince George’s County and Executive Board
of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Prince George’s Chapter. In 2009, she was appointed to the Maryland Commission for Women and served as Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee from 2010 through 2012. In 2013, she Co-Chaired the Women’s Hall of Fame. In honor of her outstanding and invaluable service to the community, Ms. Williams received the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives in honor of her outstanding and invaluable service to the community and was appointed in 2014 to the Governor’s Commission on the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution and serves as Chair of its Coordination Committee.
Wandra Ashley-Williams
is a senior management executive, community activist and former elected official. She is the President/CEO of WLA Associates, LLC – a consulting company that specializes in business management, event/conference planning and public speaking. Ms. Ashley-Williams is Vice President of the Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches and was recently elected to the NAACP National Board of Directors. In January 2013, she was appointed to serve on the Maryland Commission for Women. Her professional and political achievements include Special Assistant to the Director of the D.C. Department of Corrections; Deputy Mayor (President of the City Council), Somerset, NJ; Account Manager, Turner Construction Company (Somerset, NJ); and Program Director, St. John Baptist Church Mentoring Program (Columbia, MD). Affiliations include: the NAACP Region VII Chairperson; Howard County NAACP Executive Committee; D.C. Fugitive Safe Surrender Planning Committee; Washington, D.C. Council on the Homeless; American Heart Association, New Jersey Affiliates; New Jersey State League of Municipalities Legislative Committee; and Verizon NJ Executive Community Advisory Panel (ECAP).
The Maryland Commission for Women was established in 1965 and set in state law in 1971. Operating under the auspices of the Department of Human Resources, the Commission is comprised of a 25-member advisory board whose duties outlined in its enabling legislation include: study the status of women in our state, recommend methods of overcoming discrimination, recognize women’s accomplishments and contributions, and provide informed advice to the executive and legislative branches of government on the issues concerning the women of our state. Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor with confirmation by the Maryland State Senate, and serve without compensation. With leadership now in place, the Commission will hold its annual planning meeting in September to set the agenda for the upcoming fiscal year.
