Kimberley Flowers
Acting Director
Department of Parks and Recreation
Kimberley Flowers joins the District government from the City of Baltimore,
where she has served as the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks
since 2002. As Director, Ms. Flowers is responsible for administering an annual budget of approximately $26 million and managing a full-time staff of
600 employees. She oversees the management of Baltimore 's park system, which includes
400 parks, 46 recreation centers, more than 100 outdoor basketball courts and
tennis courts, and 21 pools.
During Ms. Flower's tenure, Baltimore opened its first new recreation center in nearly 30 years and constructed or renovated 96
playgrounds across the city. Ms. Flowers created an Office of Partnerships,
which has engaged 22 official partners and raised more than $520,000 to help
improve the quality of Baltimore parks. Among the new programs implemented since 2002 area the Urban Weed
Warriors Program, where volunteers help manage weeds throughout the park districts, and the Wisdom Walkers Program, which encourages seniors to walk for
exercise.
Ms. Flowers also worked an Operations Analyst in the City of Baltimore's
Mayor's Office for two years. In this role she coordinated data collection from various city agencies for Baltimore's
CitiStat program, which tracks a wide variety of neighborhood problems and
seeks to coordinate the city's responses, and advised decision makers of opportunities to improve the quality and effectiveness of city services.
Prior to working for the City of Baltimore , Ms. Flowers was an Urban Planning Associate for Hammer, Siler, George Associates, where she
developed economic development strategies for urban neighborhoods and communities. In addition, Ms. Flowers was a Secondary English and Language
Arts teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools for four years.
Ms. Flowers is a co-founder of the Greater Baltimore Leadership Association, and she received the 2003 Rising Star
Award from the Greater Baltimore Urban League. She actively participates in an
array of public service organizations, including the National Coalition of 100
Black Women, the Seton Hill Neighborhood Association, and Our Daily Bread. Ms.
Flowers holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from James Madison
University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and a Master of Urban Planning from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York
University in New York, New York.
Back to top of page
Patricia Elwood
Protocol Officer
Office of the Secretary
Patricia Elwood brings more than 40 years of professional experience to the District. She spent 31 years in the Prince George's
County Public School System, where she worked as a curriculum writer, specialist and teacher for students with learning and hearing problems. She
taught summer school at Trinity College in Washington, DC; was a teacher/trainer, helped establish
public kindergarten programs and directed a Head Start program in the Boston , Massachusetts
area; and taught and supervised educational programs in the Richmond California
Unified School District . She also served as a consultant for the Pan American World Health organization in selected islands of the Caribbean, training personnel to implement a health
education program.
In addition to her professional experience as a teacher, author and advocate for children, Dr. Elwood has been
a leader in the Washington community for years. She has served four successive terms on the National
Capital Planning Commission, since 1987, and currently serves as Vice Chair.
She regularly meets with delegations from foreign countries, has been chair of
the task force on Foreign Missions, and has represented the Commission on several projects, including testimony before Congress, and the presentation of
the Legacy Plan, the planning document for the Nation's Capital for this Century, to President Clinton at the White House.
Dr. Elwood has also served on the Board of Directors of a variety of local organizations, including the City Lights
School, Washington Hearing and Speech Society, National Child Research Center ,
YMCA Partner for Youth Campaign, D.C. Lung Association, and the Anacostia Coordinating Council. She chaired the inaugural ceremony of Mayor Anthony
Williams in January 1999, and has organized numerous embassy receptions, speaker series, and other benefits for local private schools, her college
alumni group, local sports and District youth. She is an active volunteer for
The Hospitality and Information Service (THIS) for diplomats, the People to
People Organization, and the Capital Cities Alliance.
Dr. Elwood has been elected in city-wide elections as an at-large and ward representative to the Democratic State
Committee every election since 1984 and has served two terms as the Vice-Chair
of the State |