Board of Directors

Sandra Harris, President

DR. SANDRA HARRIS is a member of the Corporation through a National Member At Large Membership. She is the daughter of Eleanor Browning Harris, 1943 graduate of GDHS, and the niece of Mary Browning Saddler Foust, former teacher at Gary Elementary School. Sandra’s stellar career in Education included serving 30+ distinguished and accomplished years in the Michigan Education System as, Teacher, Principal, Superintendent, an esteemed Professional during her tenured employment with Concordia University. She continues to serve on several Board of Directors and is continually active in professional Organizations where she has served in major leadership positions. Sandra’s extensive career in education and the academics, coupled with Board of Directors experience complements the Mission of the Corporation in continuing the legacy of GDHS. Sandra is currently Dean Emerita of the School of Education at Concordia University Ann Arbor.

Bernard Geter, Vice President

BERNARD GETER, a graduate of GDHS class of 1960. He was elected president of the Detroit Michigan Alumni chapter in 1991, and served in that position until 2018.

Education: Two years of study at Wayne State University. He is the recipient of numerous certificates of study. Bernard worked at Ford Motor Company for 37 years, serving in many different job structures, such as: Emissions Control Auditor, data input for company non-production stores, follow up inventory for cost estimates.

He served as Commissioner of the Northwest District of Detroit Michigan Boy Scouts of America for numerous years where he was responsible for getting the fields ready for play for various ball games, obtained necessary equipment, hired umpires and developed game schedules. Served as President of The Local School Advisory Board of Detroit, interviewed candidates for principalship and assistant principalship, making recommendations for learning and safety within the school system.

Tiffany Kelsey, Treasurer

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TIFFANY KELSEY, uses her knowledge and experience gained from working with a Detroit, MI Non-Profit organization to help the Board of Directors achieve its mission. She is currently Vice President, Administration and Operations and works extensively with Board of Directory. This experience has enabled her to have an understanding of the role of Board of Directors in directing Non-Profits, the limitations and restrictions related to (its) operations. In addition, Tiffany’s accounting background and knowledge is a valued asset for the Corporation through her membership in the Detroit Alumni Chapter. Her grandmother, Ruth Penn was a 1937 GDHS graduate.

William Madison, Director

WILLIAM “BILL” MADISON, a graduate of the GDHS Class of 1957 is a member of the Corporation through his membership in the West Virginia Alumni Chapter. Bill began his career with the Federal Government as a GS-03 and retired as a SES-06, the highest civil servant achievement possible. In 1983 he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan’s Administration as the youngest and first African American Administrator to head an entire Federal Regional Agency, the U.S. General Services Administration, NCR (7 states). He represented the United States Government around the World on the STU-II digital Secured Telephone Unites (STU) developed
by the National Security Agency.

Since his retirement as the highest ranking African American civil servant in 1986, Bill established his own company to help Small Firms do business with the Federal Government. Additionally, he served as Vice President of Contracts and Government Operations for several major corporations throughout the US. He currently is a Contract Specialist, Subject Matter Expert, providing contract and acquisition support for the U.S. Department of Defense, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. His leadership and communication skills and business acumen are invaluable assets that he brings to the Corporation. Bill Studied at American University.

Dassa Giles, Director

DASSA J. GILES is a member of the West Virginia Chapter, and the daughter of GDHS Alumni James and Marcellia Giles, sister of James “Vickie” Giles, (Class of 1961) and Dolly Giles Rosenbalm (Class of 1963).

Dassa holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Accounting and Finance from HBCU Wiley College, in 1983.

Her academic achievements and business and financial acumen rapidly lead her to professional employment in the corporate offices of some of the most iconic and recognizable companies in the United States. She became an English/Language Arts (ELA) Teacher in 2004 for the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Charter School District. There she led the District’s ELA Department, and was a classroom teacher for at-risk youth. These youth were those who had been incarcerated and/or adjudicated as a result of poor life choices. She retired from Dallas County in 2016, after an award winning and stellar career teaching underserved youth and moved back home to West Virginia to be closer to her family.

As a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., her work in the community has been unsurpassed. She is a Charter Member of the Metropolitan Dallas Alumnae Chapter. She has been a four-term chapter president, and currently serves as the President of the Bluefield Alumnae Chapter.

Since moving back to West Virginia, Dassa has routinely volunteered her time and expertise to assist the administration of the GDHSAA. She hopes to leverage her experience as an educator, project manager, and community service volunteer to play a direct role in the growth, success, and sustainability of the National Gary District High School Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Ronald Bell, Director

RONALD BELL is a member of the Organization through National-at-Large Membership. Ronald and his four siblings (DeLores, Nathaniel, Jerome, and Larry) graduated from Gary High School. After graduating, he was employed for five years at the U. S. Steel Corporation Cleaning Plant as a chief operator. He always had a passion for trucking, for this reason, he attended the Charlotte Trucking School in North Carolina to receive training and qualifying to become a CDL long distance tractor trailer driver.

With the help of his mother, Ms. Cumy Bell Lawrence, he became owner/operator of Lee’s Trucking Company, which operated in all fifty states. In 1990, Ronald became employed as a CDL tractor trailer driver from Local Union 639 ABF Trucking Company after 25 years.

Ronald was a participant in the negotiations for the 2020 Reunion with Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA. He assisted in the solicitation of proposals, and the negotiations for a number of the activities – prearranged tours to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Truly a man of God, Ronald has been an active member of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland for over 25 years. He is a member of the Male Chorus and the Gospel Unity Choir. He also serves in the Men's Ministry which includes working in the Food Bank, feeding the homeless and escorting seniors to appointments and assists them when needed in their homes.

Ronald is married to Shirlitta Bell and has three daughters, Cumy, LaRhonda and Taeler.

Lyvonne Jones Dyer, Director

MRS. LYVONNE JONES DYER, a 1961 graduate of GDHS, has been a very prominent member and officer of the West Virginia Alumni Chapter, serving as Acting President and Secretary. Both positions have offered opportunities for frequent interaction with the Board of Directors and Alumni Chapters. She currently serves as a member of the National Chapter Scholarship Committee. In addition to Lyvonne’s extensive knowledge of the alumni association, her career experience at McDowell County Board of Education and the Council of the Southern Mountains introduced her to Non-profit organizations; she has served as a member of the Tug River Health Clinics Board of Directors, Board Member and President of McDowell County Federal Credit Union and Board Member of McDowell County Economic Development Authority. During her successful career, she was able to demonstrate her strengths in organizing and planning and decision making; recruiting and developing initiatives became her area of expertise. Lyvonne studied at Bluefield State College.