Historic Preservation Commission

John Peter Thompson is a self-employed contractor, nationally recognized lecturer, and expert on horticulture, invasive species, and bioeconomics. Mr. Thompson is the president of the National Agricultural Research Alliance-Beltsville (NARA-B.org), where he advocates for the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and the National Agricultural Library. He is also a Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association member and the Prince George’s County Community Foundation director.

Dr. Jane Carpenter-Rock, a resident of Upper Marlboro, is Director of the Orientation Division of The School of Professional and Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute in the U.S.. Department of State, where she leads and manages programs and activities for the office that orients new diplomats, and federal government workers to the Department of State. Her twenty-year career at the Department of State includes serving in executive positions at the Museum of American Diplomacy and the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs. Internationally, she has led teams in Cape Town, South Africa, Austria, East Asia, and Bogota, Columbia. Before her federal service, she conducted research with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago and was a Gallery Manager at Parish Gallery. Dr. Carpenter Rock received her undergraduate degree in English Literature with a minor in Art History from The College of William and Mary, a Masters of Art in Art History from Howard University, and a Doctorate in Art History from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Arlisha R. Norwood, a resident of Clinton, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and has taught classes in Historical Research, United States History, and African-American History. She taught in the Department of History at Baruch College-City University of New York as a Visiting Professor at Howard University. Dr. Norwood previously served as a Program Aide/Program Coordinator with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. She received her undergraduate degree in History from Dillard University and her Doctorate in History from Howard University. Dr. Norwood is a member of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALAH), the Southern Historical Association, and the Society of Civil War Historians.

Ms. Pamela D. Jenkins, a resident of Bowie, is an award-winning licensed realtor and a board member of the Prince George’s County Association of Realtors (PGCAR). She provides guidance and assistance to individuals in purchasing property for the best value at the best terms while performing comparative analyses. Ms. Jenkins previously served as an adjunct professor at Prince George’s Community College Center for Entrepreneurial Development. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Columbia Union/Washington Adventist University and her Master of Business Administration in Global Management from the University of Phoenix.

Mr. Kelly Porter, a resident of Seat Pleasant, serves as the Honorable Mayor of the Town of Seat Pleasant and has served on the City Council since 1996. In this role, he provides leadership while developing, implementing, and evaluating city government initiatives and programs. He has decades of strategic planning, budget management, public administration, and economic development experience. Mr. Porter is a Librarian Assistant in Montgomery County, is employed by Giant Food, and is a realtor. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York.

Susan Pruden holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has been a licensed Realtor since 1994. She was appointed to the Prince George’s County Historical and Cultural Trust in 2006 and the Historic Preservation Commission in 2009. She has also served on the Legislative Committees for the Prince George’s County Association of Realtors and the Maryland Association of Realtors.

Royal holds degrees and certificates in urban planning and historic preservation and previously served with the New Orleans Historic Districts Landmarks Commission staff and the Columbus, Ga. planning department. Currently a marketing and communications manager, he is a former U.S. Army and Veterans Affairs Department public affairs officer and chief of public affairs for United States Army NATO.

He is an Army Veteran serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Israel, and Ukraine, among other overseas assignments, and a two-time Bronze Star Medal recipient. He maintains connections to veterans and veteran causes through veteran service organizations, including the American Legion Post 108 in Cheverly, where he serves as its finance officer.

A Native of Duluth, Minn., Royal now calls Prince George’s County home and is a proud Cheverlian.