To get to the top in your profession one must arm themselves with the proper education, attitude and dedication and move with effective leadership. Maya Rockeymoore is a proven leader in all areas.
Rodney Wayne Branche
Copa Style Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Copa: Maya where did you grow up?
Maya: Around the country and world. My father was in the U.S. Air Force and we lived wherever he was assigned. I was born in Texas, moved away as an infant, and returned in high school. We lived in nine different places, including a stint abroad in Greece, by the time I graduated from high school.
Maya: Around the country and world. My father was in the U.S. Air Force and we lived wherever he was assigned. I was born in Texas, moved away as an infant, and returned in high school. We lived in nine different places, including a stint abroad in Greece, by the time I graduated from high school.
Photography: Jackie Hicks
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Copa: What schools have you attended?
Maya: I earned my B.A. from Prairie View A&M University in Texas and my M.A. and Ph.D. from Purdue University in Indiana. Copa: What were the subjects that gathered your interest in High School?
Maya: I’ve always been interested in literature, philosophy, and the social sciences. I recall really enjoying my English, government, and social studies classes the most in high school. |
Copa: Exactly what interests you the most in International affairs?
Maya: We’re a global society. Because of innovations in technology, borders don’t define humans as narrowly as they have in the past. Additionally, much of our lives are shaped by international affairs in business, economics, and politics especially. I also love to travel and appreciate experiencing different places and cultures.
Maya: We’re a global society. Because of innovations in technology, borders don’t define humans as narrowly as they have in the past. Additionally, much of our lives are shaped by international affairs in business, economics, and politics especially. I also love to travel and appreciate experiencing different places and cultures.
Copa: When did you move to the DMV?
Maya: I moved to the DMV area in 1997.
Maya: I moved to the DMV area in 1997.
Copa: We understand that you are a busy woman with many responsibilities as President and CEO at Global Policy Solutions, would you please tell us about your company?
Maya: I run two corporations with compatible missions. Global Policy Solutions LLC (GPS) is the consulting firm I founded in 2005. GPS produces innovative research, programs, and communications strategies for nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and socially-responsible corporate clients in the areas of health, education, economic security, and civic engagement. From developing and implementing advocacy campaigns and educational curricula to building and evaluating programs and conducting trainings, we have worked with a growing roster of clients who are committed to global diversity and social change. I also run the Center for Global Policy Solutions (CGPS), a social change nonprofit dedicated to making policy work for people and their environments by advancing innovative and effective solutions to our world’s most critical challenges. We have major grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Ford Foundation and our current projects include childhood obesity prevention and economic security programming. CGPS is our vehicle for giving back to society.
Maya: I run two corporations with compatible missions. Global Policy Solutions LLC (GPS) is the consulting firm I founded in 2005. GPS produces innovative research, programs, and communications strategies for nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and socially-responsible corporate clients in the areas of health, education, economic security, and civic engagement. From developing and implementing advocacy campaigns and educational curricula to building and evaluating programs and conducting trainings, we have worked with a growing roster of clients who are committed to global diversity and social change. I also run the Center for Global Policy Solutions (CGPS), a social change nonprofit dedicated to making policy work for people and their environments by advancing innovative and effective solutions to our world’s most critical challenges. We have major grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Ford Foundation and our current projects include childhood obesity prevention and economic security programming. CGPS is our vehicle for giving back to society.
Copa: Also we see that you have a great sense of style, how would you define your fashionable tastes?
Maya: I think that personal fashion tastes are shaped by personal values, standards of style in the places where people spend the most of time, and the aesthetic that reflects the individual’s sense of self. Given these factors, I am most attracted to a classic business style with unexpected twists that reflect my artistic sensibilities.
Maya: I think that personal fashion tastes are shaped by personal values, standards of style in the places where people spend the most of time, and the aesthetic that reflects the individual’s sense of self. Given these factors, I am most attracted to a classic business style with unexpected twists that reflect my artistic sensibilities.
Copa: How would you compare Baltimore's taste in fashion compared to other parts of the East Coast like Atlanta, Miami or New York?
Maya: It is difficult to generalize about fashion trends based on geography. However, I would argue that Baltimore and Miami residents seem to focus on custom made outfits that feature unexpected fashion details such as a business suit in a nontraditional color or a dress with unique detailing. In comparison, Atlanta and New York seem to be oriented towards name brand designers that highlight readily identifiable signature features associated with a particular design house.
Maya: It is difficult to generalize about fashion trends based on geography. However, I would argue that Baltimore and Miami residents seem to focus on custom made outfits that feature unexpected fashion details such as a business suit in a nontraditional color or a dress with unique detailing. In comparison, Atlanta and New York seem to be oriented towards name brand designers that highlight readily identifiable signature features associated with a particular design house.
Copa: What are your favorite dress designers and shoe choices?
Maya: I shop high and low. I appreciate clothing from Target, Talbots, and Zara as much as I appreciate brand designers such as Donna Karan, Elie Tahari, Helmut Lang, Max Mara, and Roland Mouret. For me, the designer doesn’t matter as much as whether it has style elements I like and can see myself wearing. As for shoes, I tend to like Nine West, Stuart Weitzman, and Anne Klein.
Maya: I shop high and low. I appreciate clothing from Target, Talbots, and Zara as much as I appreciate brand designers such as Donna Karan, Elie Tahari, Helmut Lang, Max Mara, and Roland Mouret. For me, the designer doesn’t matter as much as whether it has style elements I like and can see myself wearing. As for shoes, I tend to like Nine West, Stuart Weitzman, and Anne Klein.
Copa: What advice would you give to any young lady who wishes to prepare herself to be well educated, well balanced and outgoing individual such as yourself?
Maya: Find spiritual grounding so you always have faith that things will get better. Cultivate a positive attitude and make sure its reflected daily in your interactions with people. Invest in your mind and take care of your body so that you can fully develop your God-given talents and lead a healthy and fulfilling life. Do the best you can with any task you are given whether large or small. Develop and cultivate a vision for your life and try your best to align your pursuits to support the achievement of that vision. Cultivate a spirit of service rooted in the knowledge that by giving you will also receive much. Do not fall prey to stereotypes, peer pressure, or popular culture that may try to steer you away from achieving your goals. Although you may have pitfalls in life, dust yourself off, get back up and make sure that you learn from your mistakes.
Maya: Find spiritual grounding so you always have faith that things will get better. Cultivate a positive attitude and make sure its reflected daily in your interactions with people. Invest in your mind and take care of your body so that you can fully develop your God-given talents and lead a healthy and fulfilling life. Do the best you can with any task you are given whether large or small. Develop and cultivate a vision for your life and try your best to align your pursuits to support the achievement of that vision. Cultivate a spirit of service rooted in the knowledge that by giving you will also receive much. Do not fall prey to stereotypes, peer pressure, or popular culture that may try to steer you away from achieving your goals. Although you may have pitfalls in life, dust yourself off, get back up and make sure that you learn from your mistakes.
