Our seven board members are appointed by the City Council to serve for a one to three-year term with a six year-term limit. Learn more about member qualifications here.
Michael T. Baldwin is the former Assistant Vice President of concessions at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). A seasoned executive with over thirty years of diverse experience in Airport Concessions Consulting in Retail and Food Service Environments, Enterprise Strategic Planning, Contract Negotiations, Transition Planning, Category/Operations Management, Sales/Marketing, Product Development, Purchasing, Supplier Diversity, Personnel Supervision, Training, and Franchise Operations.
As a member of the senior management team for DFW’s concessions department, Michael and his team shared the responsibility for achieving over $425 million in annual revenues.
Responsibilities included charting strategies and monitoring progress to identify, recommend and develop new business opportunities to increase non-aeronautical revenues, monetized telecommunications services, customer service enhancements, and tenant design build-out.
Michael consistently focused on effectively developing and managing a diverse, full-spectrum multi-dimensional concessions program to optimize the airport’s revenue potential.
Michael is a recipient of the DFWs Leadership in Diversity Award in the Senior Management Category, the result of demonstrating his outstanding commitment to diversity at DFW and surrounding communities. He is also the past chair of the ACI-North America Business Diversity Committee.
Before joining DFW, Michael was the national category manager of prepaid services for the Southland Corporation (7-Eleven) where he developed new product concepts, identified marketing strategies, and expanded prepaid calling cards and cell phone categories, generating over $249 million in annual revenue. Before 7-Eleven, as an entrepreneur Michael worked in his family’s business developing and expanding The Famous Amos Cookie Corporation Franchises in airports and street-side locations both nationally and internationally. He is known for his innovative business development skills, love for music, extreme energy, positive outlook on life, love for people, and spiritual inspiration. His mottos are “Always Begin with The End In Mind” and “Choose To Have A Great Day!”
Michael is an International Airport Professional and graduate of the Global ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Program (AMPAP); a graduate of the McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program; and a graduate of the Southern Bible Institute College in Biblical Studies.
He is also the recent recipient of the Airport Industry’s First-Ever AX Industry Icon Award – Airport Experience News. Michael and his wife LaVerne have two lovely daughters, one son-in-law, two grandsons, and one granddaughter.
Latosha (Tosha) Herron Bruff is the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Community Engagement. In this role, she focuses on understanding the needs and overcoming the challenges of underserved areas, such as Southern Dallas. With more than 20 years of experience advocating for marginalized communities, combined with her background in real estate, Herron Bruff brings a wealth of knowledge of the industry and commitment to projects that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.
Before the DRC, Herron Bruff spent more than 10 years with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity working to improve the quality of life for diverse communities across Southern Dallas. She held several positions during her time at Habitat and worked alongside some of the biggest names in nonprofit and social responsibility. Under her leadership, the organization became a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certified counseling agency focused on financial education and providing access to affordable housing opportunities.
A Dallas native and longtime DeSoto resident, Herron Bruff holds a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and attends Concord Church where she sits on the education committee. She has served on the City of Dallas Housing Policy task force and the advisory board of Children’s Health. Herron Bruff and her husband are the proud parents of two children.
As Senior Director of Community Investment at TREC Community Investors (TREC CI), Felicia Pierson is responsible for The Real Estate Council’s community investment strategy. She brings her passion to delivering capital and technical assistance to underserved populations and utilizing her skills and talents to support community and economic development initiatives in low and moderate-income communities.
Felicia brings more than a decade of community development, small business development, and underwriting, and 9 years of corporate credit and risk portfolio management experience to her role with TREC CI. Her work with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and SBA lending includes positions with several CDFIs in North Texas and the Bay Area in California, and in corporate banking with several multinational institutions in New York. Through her community development work, Felicia has established close relationships with elected officials, commercial banks, credit unions, economic development agencies, CDFIs and CDCs, and community partner organizations in Northern California and North Texas.
She holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Southern University. She earned an Economic Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council, participated in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California, and completed the CRA Fast Track Analyst Program.
Dr. Ahmad Garrett-Price is a Board-Certified Family Physician; Founder and President of GP Health—A tech-enabled proactive preventative health platform focused on prevention and lifestyle modification. He has extensive experience in large integrated health systems, piloting some of the first system-wide virtual health offerings and leading the first membership-based hybrid Direct Care Model for the largest nonprofit health system in Texas previously. Dr. GP is passionate about constructive health innovation and building health-forward communities.
Dr. Micaela Herndon serves as Dallas College’s Project Director for the groundbreaking U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Good Job Challenge – Grow Biotech in North Texas Grant. Her role focuses on helping underserved communities gain access to living-wage jobs in biotechnology, a sector that is poised to grow exponentially with the need for additional highly skilled employees in North Texas, according to the latest labor market intelligence.
Before her current role, Dr. Herndon spent over 15 years in education with a focus on creating workforce development opportunities and leading students to thriving careers. Her work gives a voice to workforce advocacy and labor market research to provide companies, departments, and students with regional and national marketplace strategies to ensure a competitive advantage in the market, economic development, and learner analytics. Her experience includes leading over 100 million dollars in grant initiatives to increase economic development efforts.
As a child who faced socioeconomic barriers, Dr. Herndon is passionate about creating access to equitable and data-informed opportunities in education and future careers that allow people to grow beyond a livable wage and create an intergenerational wealth shift.
Dr. Herndon earned her Doctor of Education, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Education from Capella University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has a certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the University of South Florida. She has a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.
She is a two-time girl mom, vinyl record enthusiast, professional bookworm, and self-proclaimed taco connoisseur.
Mark Jones brings a wealth of experience to the Desoto Development Corporation Board. He has extensive experience in Housing, and as an entrepreneur understands the challenges faced by small businesses. Mr. Jones served as Board Chairman of the Frost Farms Neighborhood Association from 2019-2022, and as Chairman of the Desoto ISD CITIZEN BOND Committee in 2005.
Mark is an active member of the community and volunteers with relevant community organizations and causes and is committed to making the municipality a better place for everyone. His diverse experience gives him a keen understanding of the need for community organization and planning.
Mark uses his relationships and knowledge to advocate for policies and initiatives that benefit the City of DeSoto and our community at large. He has a proven track record of involvement and advocacy.
One of Mark’s top priorities is to ensure that the DeSoto Development Corporation is fiscally responsible with all its available resources. He will work to implement cost-saving measures while providing essential services to residents, with a focus on the facilitation of appropriate growth and community development. Mark also believes in transparency and accountability in government and has championed efforts to increase public participation in the decision-making processes. Mr. Jones is passionate about serving on t he municipal board and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the citizens of DeSoto.
Akilah S. Wallace most recently served as the Vice President of Development at Big Thought, where she oversaw a $7 million contributed revenue budget to equip and empower youth to create their best lives and world. Akilah’s past work as executive director for Faith in Texas gained her national attention upon launching a bail fund, and leading public policy change and community organizing campaigns impacting the lives of countless Texans. Collectively, she is a 20-year expert in nonprofit leadership, events, and fund development, and is passionate about grassroots social change and influencing the emerging generation of Black philanthropists. Her most recent endeavor involves consulting services for nonprofit organizations and change agents.
Akilah has received numerous awards and honors for her leadership and philanthropic contributions, including the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Women’s Philanthropy Institute Inaugural Black Women Give Back List, Young Black and Giving Back Institute’s Philanthropist of the Year, Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 and The Dallas Foundation Good Works Under 40. Akilah is a reputable trailblazer who founded HERitage Giving Fund, North Texas’ first, Black membership giving circle, collectively awarding $100,000+ in grants to area nonprofits. She also serves as a board member of the Dallas Summit, Friends of Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House and Museum, and DeSoto Economic Development Corporation.
She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas at Dallas in Human Services Management and Leadership and studied business marketing and sales at Wright State University. At home, Akilah is the proud mother to college student and businessman, Jamel and student-athlete, Jayce.