Preston town commissioners meet May 22, with Savannah Winston presiding as the first woman and first African American president of the commission. From left are Rich Petroske, Doug VanDerveer, Winton, Gary Waltmeyer and Steve Hildenbrand.
Preston Town Commission President Savannah Winston presides over her first work session Monday, May 22.
Preston town commissioners meet May 22, with Savannah Winston presiding as the first woman and first African American president of the commission. From left are Rich Petroske, Doug VanDerveer, Winton, Gary Waltmeyer and Steve Hildenbrand.
Caroline County Clerk of Circuit Court Terry Lord administers the oath of office to Savannah Winston, president of the Preston Town Commission, on May 22 in Denton.
From left, Preston Town Manager Amber Korell, Preston Town Commission President Savannah Winston and Caroline County Clerk of Circuit Court Terry Lord celebrate a historic moment May 22 in Denton.
PRESTON — Preston native Savannah Winston made history May 22 when she presided over the Preston Town Commission’s work session as its first woman, as well as the first African American, president.
Clerk of the Circuit Court Terry Lord administered the oath of office to Winston that same morning in Denton.
“It feels great,” Winston said. “I love my community, and I love to serve. That’s just who I am.” She was elected a commissioner in 2020; her fellow commissioners elected her president May 2.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and I I think that’s why I’m here. That’s why God put me in that seat,” Winston said. She said she wants to see the commission review the town codes.
“I lot of things need to be done. We need to review the codes, we need to follow them, and we need to push things forward for the residents of our town,” she said.
Winston was presented a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award for 2023 on Feb. 6.
Raised just a mile away in Jonestown, Winston, 51, is a 1990 graduate of Colonel Richardson High School. Her son Jeremiah Ricketts, 11, is a student at Preston Elementary School.
She is an accountant, project management professional and small business owner of VanTech Business Solutions in Preston. She works from home as a specialist for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Center for Program Integrity.
Winston earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and has a master’s in management information systems from Bowie State University. She recently began doctoral studies in education and executive leadership development at Bowie.
“I’m very active in Greater New Hope Church and Ministry,” Winston said. “I love my church.”
She’s also active in the Community Club of Preston and is a member and former president of the Beta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
She serves as board president of the Jonestown Community Development Corporation, and serves on the boards of the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union and Choptank Community Health Services, and she is treasurer and volunteer mentor for Men for Change, a local nonprofit.
“I’m a busy girl,” Winston said.
Star Democrat reporter Tom McCall contributed to this story.
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