At the September 14 Greenbelt City Council meeting, City Manager Josué Salmerón introduced Greenbelt’s new City Treasurer.
“Today’s a great day,” said Salmerón. “I’m really excited to welcome our new city treasurer, Maisha Williams.”
Williams, who comes to Greenbelt fresh off her role as city manager for New Carrollton, boasts an extensive resumé.
“I come with over 35 years of professional experience in the finance realm,” Williams told council. A wife, mother and grandmother, Williams started her career in the private sector. She took a brief foray into nonprofit work before finding her niche in the world of municipal government.
Williams has been the treasurer of her sorority for the past 13 years. She is also president of her daughter’s PTA, though her daughter is “not happy about it,” she joked.
“So now I go back to just my city manager duties,” said Salmerón, smiling. While the city was between treasurers, he juggled financial duties with his own responsibilities as city manager.
A couple of weeks into her tenure, on Friday, October 9, Williams spoke to the News Review about her background, her hopes for Greenbelt’s finances and what she values most about working in public service.
Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Howard University and a masters degree in business administration from Troy State University, Williams has racked up about a decade’s worth of experience in local governance.
During her time in New Carrollton, she served as director of finance and accounting for five years. She then transitioned to assistant city administrative
officer, city administrative officer and, finally, to city manager when New Carrollton changed its form of government.
Now, as Greenbelt’s treasurer, she is returning to her wheelhouse: “I’m back to focusing on numbers,” said Williams with a laugh.
Earlier in her career, Williams worked for a church in Hampton Roads, Va. Her approach to municipal governance is colored by this experience.
“I enjoy doing work where you see the fruits of your labor … where you get to see how you’re helping people,” said Williams.
When asked how the public can gauge her success in the office, she emphasized one principle in particular: transparency. She noted how much she enjoys having conversations with the residents and engaging with the community.
Announced less than a month ago, Williams is already digging into Greenbelt’s finances. “I’m actually starting to work on some budget spreadsheets and worksheets to help us look at going into the FY 2028 budget and then the auditors will be here next week,” she said.
Williams has high hopes for her time in Greenbelt. She intends to “see if there’s any way to create any efficiencies, strengthen internal controls, get some more policies written … see what I can help with staff, elevate the staff.”
In keeping with her insistence on transparency, she also plans to release quarterly reports on all of the city’s relevant financial decisions and transactions. And she is in it for the long haul. “Hopefully I’ll be here for the next 11 [years] until it’s time for me to retire,” she said.
Salmerón is equally optimistic about Williams’ appointment. “She certainly knows local government and finance. So of course she has adjusted well,” he said.
Cassie Whyte is a University of Maryland student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism writing for the Greenbelt News Review.
