Samuel H. Dean

Constituent area includes South Bowie, Capitol Heights, District Heights, Forestville, Kettering, Largo, Mitchellville, and Upper Marlboro.

On Tuesday, December 2, 2008, Council Member Samuel H. Dean ended his term as Chairman of the Prince George’s County Council for the 2008 Legislative Year.  For the 2009 Legislative Year, Mr. Dean serves as the Chairman of the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee (PZED), and has chaired this Committee three of the six years of his membership,  a member of the Transportation, Housing and The Environment Committee (THE), a member of the Council’s Budget Process Committee, a Board member of the Prince George’s Community College Foundation, the alternate member of the Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and the alternate Council Representative to the Dimensions Healthcare System,

On Tuesday, February 12, 2008, the members of the Prince George's County Council unanimously elected Council Member Samuel H. Dean  to serve as Chairman of the Council to complete former Chairman David C. Harrington’s  term for Legislative Year 2008.  Council Member Harrington resigned from the Council to accept the appointment as State Senator for Legislative District 47, succeeding civic activist and dedicated leader, the late  Senator Gwendolyn Britt.   Recognized for his strong leadership ability, Council Member Dean was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chair for the 2005 Legislative Year.  He served as Vice-Chair for the 2004 Legislative Year.

Council Member Samuel H. Dean was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second four-year term on the Prince George’s County Council in November 2006 by 99-percent of the voters in District 6.  Mr. Dean was first elected to represent the nearly 90,000 citizens who reside in the communities of South Bowie, Capitol Heights, District Heights, Forestville, Kettering, Largo, Mitchellville and Upper Marlboro, in November 2002, receiving 93-percent of the vote.

While serving as the Chairman, Mr. Dean was also a member of the following Committees:  Planning, Zoning and Economic Development (PZED), Public Safety and Fiscal Management (PSFM),  Health, Education and Human Services (HEHS) Committee and chaired the Rules, General Assembly  and Committee of the Whole.   Mr. Dean served on the Prince George’s Community College Foundation Board of Directors, was the Council Representative to the Board of Education, and the Alternate Council Representative to the Dimensions Healthcare System.

Council Member Dean was appointed by the County Council in July 2006 to serve as Chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee on High Stakes Testing charged with evaluating alternatives to the state-mandated High School Assessment Tests (HSA).  Beginning in 2009, high school seniors in the State of Maryland who fail the HSA tests will not receive a diploma.  The Committee report and recommendations may be viewed online at HSA TESTS.

In the 12 years prior to his election to the County Council, Mr. Dean served as a civic leader and activist in many Council-related areas.  He has been honored as "Volunteer of the Year," by Prince George's County, and the Prince George's County School Board, respectively.  A veteran of the United States Air Force who served our country for a decade and he is a member of the American Legion, Mr. Dean retired from the Federal Government as a Senior Manager in the field of Human Resources. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Technology from the University of Maryland, University College, in College Park.

Council Member Dean has been a member of the prestigious International Public Management Association for Human Resources (formerly the International Personnel Management Association (IPMA)), since 1975, and received its highest honor, the Warren W. Stockberger Achievement Award, in 2000, in recognition of his contributions to the improvement of public personnel management at all levels of government.  Mr. Dean is a past president of the Eastern Region of IPMA, and formerly served on the Executive Committee.

Council Member Dean is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the historic, 143-year old Vermont Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D. C.   He is also a member of Prince Hall F&A.M. Fellowship Lodge 26.  As  a Charter Member and Distinguished Past Secretary of the Kiwanis Club of Mitchellville, Inc., his service activities included  mentoring students at Kingsford Elementary School, working with incarcerated male youths at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Facility, and other community service.
 

 Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mr.  Dean has been a resident of Prince George's County since 1975. He resides in Mitchellville with his wife, Donna. They have two children, and two grandchildren.