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About Unity

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Our Mission and Values

UNITY Youth Development, Inc’s mission is to provide an environment that seeks to develop and nurture well-rounded youth to reach goals and exceed expectations. It is our goal to help develop civic-minded, healthy, respectful young people and prepare them for life as well as athletics.

OUR APPROACH

With the athletic and recreational programs as a foundation, we seek to uniquely coach, guide and develop youth both within the sport they play and in society. This unique combination of coaching and mentoring is designed to help provide youth with a complete formula for life success.

OUR COMMUNITY

UNITY is a non-profit organization that is very involved in the community it serves. We serve children from the District of Columbia, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard and Anne Arundel counties. UNITY supports and provides opportunities for children in the following areas: Sports, Community Service, Academic Monitoring, Tutoring and Youth Coaching.

OUR PARTNERSHIPS

As a 501©3 non-profit organization, UNITY runs solely on the volunteer efforts of our board of directors, coaches, parents, and other community relationships. UNITY offers the opportunity for businesses to sponsor our programs and activities by making tax-deductible contributions to our organization.
UNITY embraces all organizations, businesses and educational institutions. We understand that it is important to have these partnerships so that we can provide our youth with more and better opportunities. Some of our partnerships include but are not limited to Maryland Park and Planning, Montgomery County Volunteer Center, and the Silver Spring Boys and Girls Club.

OUR HANDBOOK

Click here to read the UNITY policies and procedures.

OUR ELECTION PROCESS

Click here to read the UNITY election process.

If you are interested in filling a vacant position on the UNITY Board of Directors, please submit a resume, bio and a professional-looking headshot to the following email executivecouncil@unitythunder.org.
The Executive Council will review your documentation and let you know if you qualify for the position you are interested in.

OUR MEMBERSHIPS

UNITY is a member of the Mid-Maryland Youth Football and Cheer League (MMYFCL), Metro Sports Association, Youth Developmental Basketball League (YDBL), Rising Stars Basketball League and Prince George’s Youth Lacrosse League (PGYLL).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Julian McElveen, President

Julian McElveen was born and raised in Northeast Washington, DC and has southern Christian roots from his expansive family in Charleston, SC. A resident of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties since 1995, Julian has ties to the entire DMV working as a Contract Professional for 18 years at a number of companies and Government agencies. He has been a supportive parent to his son, Cristian, who has been a part of UNITY for 8 years. He has been a football and basketball coach and mentor to many age groups, and has served as the UNITY Director of Fundraising. Julian has a passion for helping families be stronger and sees UNITY’s role as pivotal in raising children as a village.

 

“As your President, I look to serve our community through leading by example, being organized, being transparent and being accountable. We face unique challenges in the days and months ahead, but we will persevere and overcome together. We Are UNITY!”

Ayanna ``Bee`` Cameron, Vice-President

Ayanna Cameron is well-known in the UNITY community as Bee. Bee is originally from Brooklyn, New York and moved to Maryland in 1992 to attend Morgan State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Bee furthered her education by attending the University of Baltimore, Schools of Law, and Business, and received her Juris Doctorate (JD) and master’s degree in business administration (MBA) in 2000. During her tenure in school and postgraduate, she served in the United States Army Reserve for thirteen (13) years, earning the rank of Staff Sergeant Noncommissioned Officer (NCO). Bee is an Investigator with the Civil Rights Division for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and has been in this position for the past sixteen (16) years. During her tenure with the DOJ, Bee served as the Vice-President and Chief Steward for the Union, Local 3719 of Council 26 in AFSCME. She currently serves as the Registered Agent for UNITY Youth Development Corporation, in addition to her role as an Executive Officer.

Ellen Freeman, Secretary

Ellen Freeman is UNITY’s secretary and a member of the Executive Council. As Secretary, Ellen makes certain the organization keeps on target and strictly abides by the regulations. Ellen has worked for the Federal Government for 38 years as a civil servant before joining UNITY. She has worked in the information technology industry for more than 20 years. Ellen is no stranger to leadership, as she currently serves as Vice President of Membership of her Toastmaster’s International Club, She Leads She Speaks and last year served as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

Marlon Murphy, Treasurer

Marlon Murphy and his kids have been a part of the UNITY family since 2005. He has been a member of the Board since 2017 serving as the Treasurer and a football coach previously. Marlon attended White Oak Middle School, graduated from Springbrook High School and serves with UNITY to assist youth with backgrounds similar to his. Marlon has worked for almost 30 years as a government employee. He began his career by working with at-risk children, implementing programs for the Montgomery County Recreation Department. The majority of his career saw Marlon serve Fairfax County in various capacities as an administrator with their Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, specifically developing policies and programs for the youth and families involved with the court. Currently, Marlon serves as a Policy Advisor to the County Executive of Fairfax County, for the One Fairfax racial and social equity policy. Outside of the local government, Marlon serves as consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

Marlon is currently a Doctor of Philosophy candidate in Public Administration at Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy. He holds a masters degree in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Tech, a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from Howard University, and a Certification in Process Management from George Mason University.

Walter Moyer, Director of Operations

Walter Moyer is an IT professional who resides in Silver Spring, MD with his wife Belinda and their children. He is a native of Martinsville, VA and attended Catawba College in Salisbury, NC where he was an All-Conference defensive lineman. Walter holds a B.S. and Masters degree in Information Technology. He brings many years of managerial experience to UNITY, and helps to create a positive environment for each child. Walter has been affiliated with UNITY as a parent and volunteer since 2004. Mr. Moyer has been a full-time board member since 2006.

 

“We provide a platform through sports, where kids learn valuable lessons about life and responsibility that stretch far beyond the game of football and cheering. One of the best things for me is to see the kids graduate through our program, grow into positive young men and women, and become leaders in their community. It brings me great joy knowing that UNITY played a part in that.”

Carolyn Bobb, Director of Communications

Carolyn Bobb has been part of the UNITY family since 2018 when her son first joined the basketball program. She has been involved in sports her entire life, and played volleyball and basketball in college. Carolyn has worked in communications throughout her career, from television news to labor organizations, and is currently the Vice President of Communications at Alliance for Justice.

Carolyn Bobb has been part of the UNITY family since 2018 when her son first joined the basketball program. She has been involved in sports her entire life, and played volleyball and basketball in college. Carolyn has worked in communications throughout her career, from television news to labor organizations, and is currently the Vice President of Communications at Alliance for Justice.

Alejandro Roberts, Director of Athletics

Alejandro Roberts and his sons have been part of the UNITY family for several years. Alejandro has experience in leadership and service delivery for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. As Director of Athletics, he is dedicated to expanding and developing opportunities for the youth of East Montgomery County.

Laura McKie, Director of Community Programs

Laura McKie is an energetic, fun, loving mother of five who has a passion for sports and fitness. In her spare time she runs, plays flag football and is a Group Fitness, Zumba instructor and Basketball Coach.

Nicole Littlejohn, Director of Fundraising

Nicole Littlejohn is a 42-year-old mother of 2 amazing children, one who recently played for Unity 13U. She loves being a football mom and has often dedicate most of her time to her children’s extracurricular activities. Currently Ms. Littlejohn works for the federal government as a Program Analyst in the Cybersecurity division.  She also is a Air Force veteran which has afforded her the opportunity to attain many degrees as she currently holds a Bachelors, 2 Masters and working on completing her PHD in Business Administration with a specialization in Computer Information security in May 2024. Giving back is her life’s motto!

Stephen Bobb, Director of Marketing

Stephen Bobb is a professional photographer, whose photographs of UNITY football, baseball, lacrosse and cheer bring the action alive. He also creates graphics and marketing materials for UNITY’s social media platforms. Stephen is a proud Richmond Spider graduate who grew up in Gaithersburg and lives in Burtonsville with his family. He first became involved with UNITY when his son joined the basketball program in 2018.

Amy Gomez, Parliamentarian

Amy Gomez has been part of the UNITY family since 2023 when her son first joined the football program. Amy was immediately inspired by UNITY’s mission and values and quickly got involved in multiple UNITY efforts, including our Homecoming Committee, and basketball program. As an avid sports family, Amy and her husband, Daniel, have encouraged all three of their children to play sports from a young age and firmly believe in the importance of dedicated youth coaches and mentors. Amy has over 21 years in hospitality leadership and is currently an Executive Leader of Global Operations for a national grocery chain.

Nathalie Brown, Vice-President of Program Development

Nathalie Brown, a dedicated wife, mother of four, and seasoned educator, brings leadership experience to her roles. Engaged in her children’s sports at Unity since 2016, Nathalie values the positive impact of service work on children, emphasizing a solution-oriented approach in her diverse interactions.

Crystal Abarca, Quality Assurance Coordinator

Crystal Abarca was born and raised in the Washington DC area and is a product of the District of Columbia Public School System. Crystal has performed in the government contract administration field for over 15 years as either a contract or subcontract professional. She is currently the Director of Contracts & Procurement for a mid-sized government contractor and manages a team of 6 contract and subcontract administrators. Crystal also serves on the National Contract Management Association’s (NCMA) Board of Advisors. In this role, Crystal provides advisory guidance on important issues that impact contract professionals. She is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with UMGC and in the process of obtaining a NCMA Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) certification.

 

Crystal is the mother of twins and is often called Precious by those who know her outside of her career. Her son played football, basketball, and lacrosse with the UNITY organization. Crystal has held many roles with UNITY: team admin (4 years), parent liaison and Deputy Football Commissioner (2022 season). Her passion has always been working with children!

If you are interested in filling a vacant position on the UNITY Board of Directors, please submit a resume, bio and a professional-looking headshot to the following email executivecouncil@unitythunder.org.
The Executive Council will review your documentation and let you know if you qualify for the position you are interested in.
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