Jayson T. Williams, CEO of Mayson-Dixon Companies, leads a group specializing in community development and public affairs. Transitioning from public service to entrepreneurship, he’s known for roles with national and regional economic development leaders like the U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and County Executive Rushern Baker.  Williams, understanding the importance of community involvement, serves on nonprofit boards like LifeBrigde Health Hospitals, the National Aquarium and Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. He has built Mayson-Dixon from a company started in a spare bedroom to one of the premier minority-owned community development firms in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Prior to becoming a small business owner, Jayson had a distinguished career in public service working for the late Maryland State Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller, former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, and former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, to name a few. Jayson was inspired to become an entrepreneur after his appointment by then-County Executive Baker to serve as the Vice President for Strategic Alliances for the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation.  There, he was a part of the leadership team spearheading transformative community investment, small & minority business growth, the branding campaign for Prince George’s County, and playing a key role in enabling the development of the $1.2 billion MGM National Harbor.

Since its inception, Mayson-Dixon Companies has become one of Bloomberg/Goldman-Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni, has thrice won the “Bridging the Gap” Achievement Award from the Greater Baltimore Committee for the firm’s work in diversity and inclusion, and was voted as one of Baltimore Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers for their investment in holistic employee health.  

An alum of St. Mary's College of Maryland, Jayson has been named one of the Daily Record’s Very Important Professionals (VIP) Successful By 40 award recipients, 40 under 40 by the Baltimore Business Journal, LGBTQ 40 under 40 by Business Enterprise Magazine, LGBT Minority Business of the Year by the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, received the Trailblazer Award from the Reginald F. Lewis African American Heritage Museum and was awarded the Chairman’s Award, a unique honor, by the Asian-American Economic Development Corporation for his work in the Asian American business community.  

Passionate about his non-profit work Jayson currently sits on the board of directors of LifeBridge Health’s Levindale Hospital, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the National Aquarium and the American Red Cross of Central Maryland. In 2021, he was appointed by Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. to the Affordable Housing Workgroup focused on ensuring safe, accessible, and quality housing is available to everyone in the County. Since 2021 Jayson has been a member of the Harkins Builders, Inc. Corporate Board of Directors.

Before starting his businesses, for over a decade, Jayson was an adjunct professor in the “Semester in Washington” program at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, from which he also graduated in 2002. Many of his former students have gone on to distinguished careers in public service and business.

KevinMeurer is a partner at Acru Solutions, an accounting and financial servicescompany that was founded by Kevin and his partners in 2020. After graduatingfrom Northern Arizona University in 2007, Kevin joined PostNet in 2008, wherehe would spend two years as a Financial Analyst. He then joined Abaci Financialas a Principal, where he would provide businesses with the tools necessary tomeasure, understand, and affect profitability. In 2014, Kevin Meurer moved toStage 1 Financial where he would start as the VP of Shared Service andOperations, before leaving as a Partner and VP in Technology and BusinessIntelligence in 2020 to start Acru Solutions

Kyle Meurer is the Accounting Manager at Acru Solutions since2020. Similarly to Kevin, Kyle started his career at Northern ArizonaUniversity where he received a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration.Following his graduation in 2014, Kyle joined Abaci Financial as a StaffAccountant before leaving to joined Stage 1 Financial in 2015. Here, Kylejoined as a Senior Accountant, before becoming Accounting Manager in 2019. Kyleworked as the Accounting Manager for a year before joining Acru Solutions in 2020.

Vernita Humphreys is the Director of Finance and the Office Manager for Mayson-Dixon. With over 40 years of compliance and finance experience, she is responsible for and is the Mayson-Dixon’s office operations which includes payroll, office administration and supporting the finance team in accounting.

Prior to joining Mayson-Dixon, Vernita spent nine years taking care of Maryland’s finest at the Maryland State Police Department. She dedicated her public service to fleet management for the entire State of Maryland. This included title & registration, vehicle maintenance & reporting, operational efficiency, and budget management. As payroll supervisor for General Elevator Company, Inc. and payroll clerk for Cherry Hill Construction, she compiled and processed payroll information for over 900 employees, including auditing information; identifying and resolving discrepancies; compliance; determining payroll liabilities, and overseeing federal and state income and social security tax information, 401k transfer, wage assignments and garnishments.

Vernita’s payroll background has given her a common-sense approach to fiscal management, in addition to being well poised to support the financial and office administration functions of a growing small business.

After only two days of retirement from the State of Maryland, Vernita accepted the call to join Mayson-Dixon. Home grown in Baltimore, Maryland she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

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Cassandra Vaughn is the Director of Strategic Consulting at Mayson-Dixon Companies, based in Baltimore, Maryland. With extensive experience in business strategy and leadership, Cassandra plays a key role in guiding the firm’s consulting division. She specializes in developing strategic initiatives that drive growth and operational efficiency for clients across various industries. Known for her analytical skills and innovative approach, she helps organizations navigate complex challenges and implement sustainable solutions.Cassandra’s leadership contributes significantly to Mayson-Dixon’s reputation as a top-tier consulting firm in the region.

With over a quarter of a century in the media and public communications industry, Cassandra Vaughn continues to push the envelope and dominates her role as a highly respected strategic media and public affairs executive. Dubbed the “Media Maven” by *Essence* Magazine in 2019, Cassandra has produced both television and radio and is known in the community as both a master strategist and industry producer. Throughout her career, she has focused on diversity and equality in the media and corporate world.

She has worked with companies such as NBC, TV One, RadioOne, and BET where she left a major footprint in the industry. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to work with various nonprofits, corporations, and media groups including her work as Assistant Public AffairsManager for WBAL-TV in Baltimore.

Cassandra is the daughter of the late prominent BaltimoreCity pastor, Dr. Alfred C. D. Vaughn, and the godchild of civil rights leaderDr. Ralph Abernathy Sr., a close friend and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr.“It is great to be a celebrity, but it is a gift to be a servant,” a motto instilled by her parents, serves as her standard of living.

A Baltimore City native and proud graduate of HBCU Coppin State University and the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Milestone Circle program, she is deeply invested in ensuring local communities and the businesses they support thrive. She has also served as a mentor for the National Association ofMinorities in Communication.

Her entrepreneurial spirit and connections to communities locally and nationally reflect in Mayson-Dixon’s mission and projects such as :Black Sox Memorial Park, Blue Line Corridor Plaza, and Tradepoint AtlanticEmpowerment Academy. Vaughn’s mantra is to improve communities in partnership with clients, stakeholder partners, and impact investors while building a stronger community.

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Fernando Parada is the new Head of Construction Operations at Mayson Dixon, where he assumes a pivotal role in overseeing all construction projects, ensuring their successful completion, and leading a team of construction managers. With over 15 years of experience in the building industry, Fernando's true passion lies in construction and building.

Before joining Mayson Dixon, Fernando owned and operated a commercial and residential construction company. In this capacity, he played a key role in expanding the business from a modest home contractor to a comprehensive commercial contractor. His leadership necessitated overseeing multiple large crews and self-performing various commercial projects. His ability to effectively complete a diverse array of projects, including site preparation for expanded warehouse space and comprehensive renovations of multi-unit housing developments, showcases his exceptional skills and expertise in the construction industry. These achievements highlight his adeptness at coordinating complex projects, creative problem-solving, and meticulous attention to detail.

Fernando's motivation for pursuing a Master's degree in architecture at Morgan StateUniversity stems from his desire to expand his design knowledge and develop the skills necessary to design and build his own projects in the future. By gaining a deeper understanding of architectural principles and design concepts, Fernando aims to enhance his expertise in construction and, ultimately, design and build his own projects. His commitment to continuous learning and growth exemplifies his dedication to the construction and design field.

Darius comes from a family of construction masons so construction is literally in his blood. He graduated from Morgan State University in May of 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. Before then he spent over three years as a Bricklayer Apprentice at Edward Wight’s Mason.

Since joining Mayson-Dixon Darius has racked up an impressive resume working at Johns Hopkins Hospital’s new CMSC as an assistant field engineer. He then went on to work at the Johns Hopkins Phase 1 School of Education Project. After completing that project Mayson-Dixon won it’s first project with Darius’s almamter Morgan State University in partnership with Whiting-Turner to redo two legacy residential halls on campus returning Darius just 3 years after graduation back to Morgan State to rebuild his college community. Darius now is a Senior Field Engineer on phase 2 of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education campus.

Darius is currently a member of the Construction Management Association of America, in which he hopes to assist on future projects that are targeted towards developing the Baltimore community.

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Dynamic and energetic, Atieh Badr-Taleh holds a Bachelor ofEnvironmental Engineering and a Master of Engineering Management/SystemsEngineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Well-traveled, Atieh,have had the privilege of contributing to numerous historical projects overseas. With a strong foundation in both thetechnical aspects of environmental engineering and the strategic management ofengineering systems, Atieh is an expert in navigating diverse challenges withinthe field.

Atieh’s passion for sustainable design and  commitment to creating a greener and moresustainable future is why Mayson Dixon added her to the team.

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Cori Davis graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering and a certificate in Waste Management. Now back in her hometown of Baltimore, she is dedicated to fostering positive change within her community. As a member of the Mayson-Dixon team, Cori leverages her architectural and engineering expertise to contribute valuable insights to community-based projects.

Cori is actively involved with Native American LifeLines, Inc. (NAL) project, assisting in the acquisition of their new facility, which will serve as a vital hub for Native American health services in Baltimore as it enters the pre-construction phase. Additionally, she is part of the team coordinating and estimating costs for a 54-lot community development project in Eager Park. Her work on these initiatives underscores her commitment to enhancing community infrastructure and supporting local needs.

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Jack Murray joined Mayson-Dixon as an intern in January 2024, applying his academic knowledge to real-world projects. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business in May 2024, and subsequently became the Assistant to the CEO and an Associate on the Consulting team.

Jack’s experience spans multiple disciplines. In addition to his work in the Consulting Department, he supports the Real Estate Development and Construction Management Departments as needed. Notably, he played a key role in engaging local communities for initiatives like the Baltimore Black Sox Memorial Park and the Blue Line Corridor Civic Plaza in Prince George’s County.

He was also involved in establishing the LiUNA Investment Fund & Team (LIFT), which aids small, minority, women-owned, and disadvantaged businesses by providing access to capital and support. Furthermore, Jack has contributed to the Empowerment Academy at Tradepoint Atlantic, a training program for minority, veteran, and women-owned small businesses. His research work has benefited clients such as Matrix Design Group, Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas, and Native American LifeLines, showcasing his versatility and commitment to impactful community projects.