Maryanna Lanham
Executive Director, Dream Queen Foundation
Maryland
Peace Through Action has selected Maryanna Lanham as a Featured Peacebuilder because of her commitment to creating safe and diverse spaces for women and girls to develop their sense of self, have difficult conversations, and learn to value one another.
She joined the executive team in 2021, but began serving with the organization in 2015 as a volunteer and facilitator, helping launch a club of the Gals Lead Teen Mentorship & Leadership Program during the 2019-2020 school year.
As an active volunteer and frequent public speaker, Maryanna recognizes the value of strong communities. She is a member of the Southern Maryland Women’s League, St. Mary’s NAACP, the Calvert Interagency Council, St. Mary’s Behavioral Health Action Team, and is an alumnus of Leadership Southern Maryland, class of 2023.
She wrote a chapter for the book The Extraordinary Makeover: Hidden Expressions of the Every Day Woman and was profiled in the 2022 and 2023 issues of Women to Watch. She has also been featured in several local newspapers for the work she is doing in the community.
Maryanna’s current role includes leading the Certified Facilitator Training course; updating, launching, and supporting the Gals Lead Teen Mentorship and Leadership Program; leading the Charles and St. Mary’s County Dream Queen Networking events; and whatever else is necessary to get the Gals Lead Curriculum and Facilitator Training to as many teens and adults as she is able.
Maryanna is a University of Maryland graduate and lives in Hughesville, Maryland.