Council Liaison
- Gateway Community Development Corp. (Gateway CDC)
- Recreation Committee
- Community Garden
During the daytime, Valerie is the Interim Executive Director at the College Park City-University Partnership, a local non-profit community development organization in College Park, MD. Some of her work includes managing a successful Homeownership Program, working with stakeholders to improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, expanding access to early childhood education and quality school options, and placemaking through a collaborative outdoor performance series, murals, sustainability events, and more.
Valerie has lived on 30th Street in Mount Rainier with her husband, Timothy, since 2011. In 2012 they adopted their dog, Buster Brooks Woodall Meyer, and now their two children, Sienna and Dean, both attend Mount Rainier Elementary School - one of the two local public elementary schools. As a parent volunteer, she has been engaged in the school community as the PTO Grounds Committee chair - implementing parts of a 53-page toolkit developed by the Neighborhood Design Center. Some of the changes: murals like the footprints on the sidewalk that kids jump from, benches, gazebo gardens, and outdoor classrooms. This work has been a collaborative effort with many parents and neighbors pitching in. To support this work, she leveraged grant funds from the Prince George's County Redevelopment Authority, City of Mount Rainier's Recreation Committee, the Whole Kids Foundation, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Valerie has coached soccer since 2006, starting with Sports on the Hill in Washington, D.C. She currently coaches and assists with the administration of the Prince George's Soccer Initiative (PGSI) HMB League. In addition to volunteering with the PTO and PGSI, has attended and participated in the City Green Team and Tree Commission meetings and events over the years, and worked with the City to advocate for crosswalks along Bunker Hill Road, more public trash bins around the city for dog-walkers, and more.
She is focused on supporting Mount Rainier as a place where everyone can thrive, where art and innovation are celebrated and supported, and where there are successful businesses, good jobs, and opportunities for growth. She loves having access to many park options - and supports active parks, healthy biodiversity for pollinators, and a healthy walkable, and bikeable neighborhood. She believes Mount Rainier has good schools and would like to make sure they are safe to get to and sought after. She is fiercely committed to smart public policy and systems that work, strong ethics, and public trust in government. Valerie brings her energy and experience in community building, collaboration, visioning, and program management to Mount Rainier's City Council.
Valerie was born in Brooklyn, NY, grew up in Goshen, NY, and went to college at the Post Campus of the Long Island University.