CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
POWER ALUMNI
Today, Maria is external communications manager for Magellan Health and the founder and CEO of MDJ Media Company, a boutique strategic communications firm. At Magellan, Maria was recognized for her media relations work that led to a drastic increase in media coverage for the company. Maria is an active member of her community as well. Her professional memberships include the Public Relations Society of America, National Association of Black Journalists and ACES Society for Copy Editing. Maria has also become a rising star politically in Prince George’s County, Maryland where she serves as a moderator for candidate’s forums on both city and county-government level. She is also a faithful member of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, MD, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, the Prince George’s County Women’s Bureau Toastmasters Club, the Junior League of Prince George’s County and maintains membership in both the VUU National Alumni Association and VUU’s Maryland Alumni Chapter. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Union University and a Master of Science in strategic public relations from Virginia Commonwealth University, both in Richmond, VA.
MARIA D. JAMES
M aria D. James was born and raised in the historic neighborhood of Seatack, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She grew up living next door to her family’s church and as a preacher’s daughter in the Church of God in Christ. That legacy of strength, perseverance, faith, a focus on impactful leadership and strong desire for community service was deeply rooted into her at a young age. After graduating from Ocean Lakes High School with academic honors and advanced studies diploma, Maria received an academic scholarship to study mass communications at Virginia Union University (VUU). On campus she served as Panther News editor for the campus newspaper, The VUU Informer, and as a woodwinds section leader for the marching and pep bands. Upon graduating from VUU in 2004, she began her journalism career working for The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC. In 2009, she completed a master’s degree in strategic public relations from Virginia Commonwealth University, and relocated to Washington, DC for a six-month internship with global research + analytics consultancy, Edelman Intelligence where she worked on client accounts for brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and Whirlpool. Over the years she has developed a strong reputation as a reliable and savvy communicator with a specialty in partnership development, media relations, integrated marketing and events management. Her work has received industry-recognized PR awards, including the PRNews Platinum award, the PRSA Thoth award and the PRSA Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation.
Notable Recognitions
In 2007, she was selected by the VUU National Alumni Association as Youth Alumni of the Year for outstanding commitment and distinguished service to the university. At the time, she was the youngest alumna to receive this honor. In 2016, Maria became the first African American managing editor for the award-winning local community newspaper, The Hyattsville Life & Times where she served as the longest managing editor in the history of the publication. She is recognized for spearheading the creation of the first community newspaper in College Park, MD entitled, College Park Here & Now. In 2018, Maria was honored for her 10 years of dedication to re-instating the band program on campus with the rare designation of honorary membership to Tau Beta Sigma National Band Sorority by VUU’s Eta Psi chapter. In 2019, Maria advocated for efforts to establish a food pantry on campus of Virginia Union University to serve the food insecurity issues of the student and campus community. The Panther Pantry was officially opened on campus in 2021, during the height of the pandemic.
5 3 | HBCU TIMES SPRING ISSUE 2024
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