2025 UNCF Masked Ball – Baltimore

White House Correspondent April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House – a position she has held for over 28 years, since the Clinton era.  She is now the longest-serving Black member of the press corps.  Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her unusual insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation’s past presidents.

April is the Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for Black Press USA. She has been featured in Essence, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle Magazines to name a few.  April Ryan has served on the board of the prestigious White House Correspondents Association. She is one of only four African Americans in the Association’s over 100-year history to serve on its board.  She is also an esteemed member of the National Press Club and the Gridiron Club. In 2015, Ms. Ryan was nominated for an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Literary Work-Debut Author) for her first book. 2016 National Council of Negro Women, Mary McCloud Bethune Trailblazer. In 2017 April was the Journalist of the Year for the  National Association of Black Journalists.

In 2019 April Ryan became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and was recognized as the  2019 Freedom of the Press Award Winner by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.  April was nominated in 2021 for the NAACP Image Award for Social Justice Impact. April is a Baltimore native and Morgan State University graduate, and she gives back to this community by serving as a mentor to aspiring journalists and assisting with developing  “up and coming” broadcasters. April considers her greatest life’s work raising her two daughters, Ryan and Grace- who are phenomenal young women.

​April Ryan is the author of the award-winning book, The Presidency in Black and White, and At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White (December 2016), where she looks at race relations through the lessons and wisdom that mothers have given their children. April is also the author of Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House. Her latest book, Black Women Will Save the World, celebrates Black women’s resilience and unheralded strength, reflects on “The Year That Changed Everything” — 2020 — and discusses African-American women’s unprecedented role in upholding democracy.

David L. Heiber, Ed.D., is Chief Executive Officer of Redemption Social Solutions and Founder of Concentric Holdings Incorporated, the parent company of Baltimore-based Concentric Educational Solutions, Concentric Wholeness Solutions, and Concentric Ed Tech. Since 2010, he has built Concentric into a nationally recognized leader in student support, partnering with over 250 schools, 100 districts, and 15 states to transform education through mentoring, tutoring, mental health services, and more than 150,000 home visits. Under his leadership, Concentric secured a $10 million Series A investment from New Markets Venture Partners to scale its impact in student engagement, achievement, and Ed Tech innovation.

Dr. Heiber’s strategic vision has positioned Concentric as a trusted partner for urban districts nationwide and an innovator in real-time services to students. Recognized by Forbes, The New Yorker, and as a 2024 “Black Marylander to Watch,” he is currently writing his memoir, From Prisoner to Principal: Only God Can Judge Me, and is a proud father of five.

Otis Rolley is a nationally recognized leader in economic development, urban planning, and philanthropy with more than 25 years of executive experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. As the first African American man to serve as President and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation, Rolley brings a unique combination of deep Baltimore roots and national experience and networks to leading the city’s economic development agenda.

BALTIMORE ROOTS AND RESIDENCE

A proud Baltimore resident who lives in the Otterbein neighborhood with his partner, Jason Cooper, Rolley’s connection to the city runs deep. He is the father of three children, including a freshman at the Baltimore School of the Arts.

Rolley’s career began and was shaped in Baltimore, where he held several key leadership positions in city government. He served as the Director of Planning for Baltimore from 2003-2006, where he led the creation of the city’s first Comprehensive Master Plan in 39 years and the first in the City’s history to be approved by both the Planning Commission and City Council.

As Chief of Staff to the Mayor from 2006-2007, Rolley was Baltimore’s de facto city administrator, responsible for designing, managing, and improving systems that delivered core municipal services through the City’s then $2.89 billion annual budget and 14,500 full-time employees.

Additional Baltimore experience includes serving as the First Deputy Housing Commissioner for Baltimore Housing, the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Housing and Community Development, and a Planning Commissioner. He has served on numerous Baltimore boards, including, but not limited to, Park Heights Renaissance, the Sandtown Winchester Community Building in Partnership, Pen Lucy Action Network, and OSI-Baltimore.

NATIONAL EXPERTISE AND NETWORKS

While maintaining his Baltimore residence, Rolley built an impressive national career that has equipped him with extensive networks and expertise, which he is now bringing back to benefit his hometown.

Most recently, he served as Social Impact Advisor for David Steward at Kingdom Capital, advising Mr. Steward on developing and executing philanthropic strategy to secure capital for investments and deploying significant philanthropic resources to advance the firm’s mission.

Previously, Rolley made history as the first African American to head the Wells Fargo Foundation, where he directed all policies, objectives, and initiatives regarding the Foundation’s philanthropic investments of $300 million annually across 17 nations with 125+ employees. Under his leadership, the Foundation leveraged its philanthropic investment 3:1 in private and public social impact investments, focusing on housing access and affordability, small business growth, financial health, and community climate resilience.

At The Rockefeller Foundation, Rolley served as Senior Vice President of the U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, directing operations and grant-making throughout the United States. His team deployed over $100 million between 2019-2022, supporting economic policy and innovation for low-wage workers in 8 states and place-based economic development programs in 13 cities.

Rolley also served as a North American Managing Director for 100 Resilient Cities, a major project of The Rockefeller Foundation. He provided urban resilience technical assistance and portfolio management for 29 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. He facilitated the development of 18 urban resilience strategies that advanced equity agendas and resulted in $500 million in leveraged investments.

EDUCATION & AFFILIATIONS

Rolley holds a Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a concentration in housing, community, and economic development and a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University’s School of Arts & Sciences Honors Program. He was also a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at Princeton University.

His affiliations include serving as a national board member of the Stonewall Community Foundation, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and as an advisory board member for Black Girls Vote. Additionally, he serves on various Baltimore boards, including but not limited to the Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund, the Downtown Partnership, LIVE Baltimore, and the West North Avenue Development Authority.

RECOGNITION

Throughout his career, Rolley has received numerous recognitions, including being named one of Baltimore Magazine’s “Top 50 Powerful People Who Run Baltimore” (2007), “40 Under 40: Rising Stars” (2008), and listed among the “Top 50 Black Urbanists” (2018). Rutgers University African American Alumni Hall of Fame inductee (2021). MIT Department of Urban Studies Commencement Speaker (2022). He received the HomeFree USA Corporate Philanthropist of the Year Award (2022) and the National Urban Technology Center Community Impact Award (2023).