Greater Baltimore Urban League's new Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2021

It is with great pleasure that we announce the selection and appointment of Greater Baltimore Urban League's new Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2021.
 
Our Board of Directors and Friend's of the League will receive our new chair in a small reception held in July (tba).  We thank you in advance for welcoming our new Chairman, Mr. Ricky D. Smith~ Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. 
 
We'd like to  "Humbly" Thank our current Interim Chairman, Mr. Gavin Watson who has served at great lengths for the past 11 years in any capacity requested.  Gavin will remain as our Vice Chair until he retires from our Board of Directors. 

​"The Urban League has been a source of inspiration for me since childhood. It is one of my greatest honors to serve an organization that I have revered for so long while serving the community most dear to my heart. I am humbled and inspired to serve as the new chair of the Greater Baltimore Urban League and hope to meet the leadership expectations of the board, Tiffany Majors and her team, and most importantly, the public that this great organization serves."

​Ricky Dorell Smith has been serving as the Executive Director/CEO of the  Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) since July 10, 2015. Ricky is  responsible for the management and operations of Baltimore/Washington  International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Marshall), Martin State  Airport, and regional aviation activities throughout the State of Maryland. 
Ricky is an over 30-year aviation and transportation professional. He  returned to Maryland after serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland  Airport System, which includes Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and  Burke Lakefront Airport. In addition, he was responsible for overseeing the  development and management of the City’s lakefront properties. 

Since returning to BWI Marshall, Mr. Smith has led the airport to five (5)  consecutive record-setting years for passengers including restoring BWI  Marshall as the busiest airport in the Washington-Baltimore region and being  recognized as the Airport Council International’s Best Airport in North  America for customer service. Establishing a culture of performance,  customer service, safety, and innovation, the airports have received several  national and regional awards for customer service, capital development, and  marketing including two Emmy Awards. Overseeing major facilities expansions of the airports, enhanced the terminal concessions program, and expanded domestic air service. In 2017, the LaunchPad program was started to enable minority-owned micro-businesses the opportunity to participate in BWI Marshall's thriving food and retail program without barriers to entry. In 2015, he launched the BWI Marshall Summer Youth Initiative aimed at introducing youth in Baltimore City to careers in aviation and transportation. 

To date, over 100 youth have participated in this program. These efforts led to BWI Marshall recently receiving the Airports Council International-North America Diversity Inclusion Award for Large Hub Airports. 
Prior to his service in Cleveland, Mr. Smith served as the Chief Operating Officer for the MAA, where he  helped lead BWI Marshall Airport through a $2 billion expansion program, increased air service  throughout the world, and the creation of a new food and retail program. Prior to returning to the MAA, after a two-year departure, Ricky served as the Deputy Administrator for the Maryland State Highway  Administration. In addition, he served in the private sector for several years with International Business  Machines, H&R Block Business Services, The May Company, and others.  
Ricky holds an Accounting degree from Howard University and an Executive MBA from Loyola  University in Maryland. He is a graduate of several leadership programs, including the Greater  Baltimore Committee and Leadership Cleveland. He is active on several national and local boards and  industry associations including the Airport Minority Advisory Council, American Association of Airport  Executives, the Washington Board of Trade, the BWI Business Partnership, World Trade Center  Institute, Greater Baltimore Urban League, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African  American History & Culture, and the Morgan State University School of Communications Board of  Advisors.
He has been recognized as the Leon C. Watkins Guardian Award recipient by Airports Council  International/ North America (2020), ‘The Honorable Ray LaHood Man of the Year’ by Women  Transportation Seminar (2019), ‘Power 10 CEO’ by the Baltimore Business Journal (2018), ‘People Who  Move America’ by the Boys Scouts of America (2018), ‘Thomas G. Newsome Founder’s Leadership  Award’ by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (2018), ‘Influential Marylander’ by The  Daily Record (2017), the Maryland Washington Minority Companies Association ‘Black History Hero’  award (2017), ‘Most Influential CEO in Northeast Ohio’ by Crain’s Magazine (2014, 2013), ‘National  Executive of the Year’ by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (2010), and ‘Congressional  Achievement Award’ from Congressman Elijah Cummings (2006).