Tracye Turner to Serve on University of Maryland Board of Trustees

Date: June 21, 2011

The University of Maryland (UMD) Board of Trustees recently confirmed the nomination for Ms. Tracye Turner, the COO and Executive Vice President of Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) as a member of its Board. Over the past 10 years, Ms. Turner has engaged and collaborated with many schools and departments at UMD, such as The Robert H. Smith School of Business, The School of Public Health, and The College of Computer Sciences, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences, and the School of Education. For example, in partnership with the Robert H. Smith School of Business Center for Health Information Decision Systems (CHIDS), Optimal recently won a contract with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide up to ten years of research and demonstrations. Ms. Turner is also a liaison to UMD Research Affiliate, the Fraunhofer Center for Experimental Software Design, for programming services. Most recently, Ms. Turner worked across several departments at UMD and other universities for social media analysis demonstrations on topic detection.

Tracye Turner and Optimal’s President and CEO Mark Turner, Ph.D., have a long history with the University dating back the early 90s, when Dr. Turner was completing his doctoral degree in economics. The Turners witnessed the evolution of the University through the developments of new research centers, schools, and leadership. The Turners, through Optimal, have provided internships, employment, and scholarships to outstanding Maryland graduates. The Turners also enjoy collaborating directly with the University on various projects. Dr. Mark Turner serves on the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Board of Visitors as well as an Economic Advisor to the Robert H. Smith School of Business’s Workshop on Health Information Technology and Economics.

“This is a real honor for me,” says Ms. Turner. “Though Optimal has worked with the University since our company’s founding ten years ago, the support and encouragement from Maryland since moving to the University’s M Square Research Park has been phenomenal. The university’s potential for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation inspired me to join and I hope I can make a difference as a new member.”