10-13-2024 W2W - Flipbook - Page 23
25 WOMEN
TO WATCH
Nicole Beus Harris
50, Chairwoman, Maryland Republican Party
Nicole Beus Harris was only 14 years old when her father tossed
her a voter guide and asked which candidates and ballot questions
she favored.
“I was like, ‘Dad, I’m only 14. I can’t vote.’ And my dad said, ‘I don’t
care. You need to learn how to do your research.'”
Harris says her work in politics stems from her marketing background. She previously served in a lead administrative role with
management consulting company Robert Half International Inc.,
before starting her own consulting company for businesses and, eventually, Maryland political campaigns. Harris is the wife of Maryland’s
sole Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, who is running for an 8th term
this fall.
As Maryland Republican Party Chairwoman, she says her biggest
challenge is championing GOP candidates in a state where the party
is outnumbered. But even in her personal life, she says, it’s possible to
find common ground with people on the other side of the aisle.
She also urges listening to constituents — on or off the campaign
trail.
“I’ve told all the members of the Republican Central Committees,
the 24 jurisdictions, that they need to be listening to their neighbors
and forming relationships at all times, not just when we need their
vote,” she said. “Real leadership listens.”
— Brooke Conrad
PHOTO BY KIM HAIRSTON
Wanda Gibson Best
65, Executive Director, Upton Planning Committee
Wanda Gibson Best got her start as a community organizer at age
9, when she joined the 4-H club near her rural South Carolina home.
She recently found an old photo of herself teaching a food preparation
course to children. At the time, she was in middle school.
“4-H kind of framed who I am,” she said. “Every job I’ve ever had
since then has always been about getting people to the next level.”
In 2008, after 20 years as an analyst for a $5 million food safety
program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Best attempted
to retire — only to be recruited immediately to guide the Planning
Committee, a community development group.
She’s proud of a program that renovates houses and sells them for
record prices — but that also helps local residents obtain subsidies and
become homeowners.
“It’s hard work to improve the community while still stewarding
the people who have always lived there,” she said.
Another project: overhauling a building at 1829 Pennsylvania Ave.
that burned to the ground during the 2015 Freddie Gray uprising. Best
persuaded the building’s owner to donate the structure, then raised
$300,000 to restore it.
The new facility opened in August.
“It’s beautiful,” Best said. “It’s giving the whole community a lift.”
— Mary Carole McCauley
PHOTO BY JERRY JACKSON
WOMEN TO WATCH | 2024 | 23
