Tracye Turner to Serve on University of Maryland Board of Trustees

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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.”

Mark and Tracye Turner Present UMD School of Public Health Scholarship at Dean’s Scholars Dinner

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The University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health (SPH) awarded the Mark and Tracye Turner Scholarship to Family Science (FMSC) student Dara Winley with at the 6th Annual Dean’s Scholars Dinner on April 7, 2011. Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) CEO Mark Turner and COO Tracye Turner attended the award ceremony to present their scholarship to Ms. Winley, who was unanimously nominated by the department.   » Read more

Turner Family Establishes New Scholarship to Support Undergraduate Economics Students

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Dr. Mark D. Turner (Ph.D. ’96) and his wife, Tracye have established an endowed scholarship to support undergraduate economics students at the University of Maryland who have demonstrated service and leadership. Deserving students of this scholarship will be selected based on their commitment to improve society as a whole through the improvement of minority communities. The Turners’ dedication to the Department of Economics, as well as Dr. and Mrs. Turner’s affection for the University of Maryland community, inspired them to create this merit scholarship award. » Read more

Optimal’s COO Offers Real World Career Optimizing Tips to UMD iSchool Graduates

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Optimal’s executive, Tracye Turner, recently delivered career lessons learned and best practices remarks to new graduates at the 2022 spring commencement at the University of Maryland’s School of Information Studies. The fast-growing school has high job offer rates and in-demand graduates. She frequently collaborates with the iSchool, serves on the iLead Advisory Council, and was the Inaugural Chair. She shared her top 10 career lessons learned in cyclical job markets. For more information, see Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony | University of Maryland (umd.edu)

Established entrepreneurs share their stories

“Entrepreneurship Matters” is a conversation with local up and coming and established entrepreneurs. Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020, 1 PM to 2 PM. Speakers: Tracye Turner, Tina C.Williams-Koroma, Esq. Moderator: Alicia Wilson.

Tracye Turner, EVP/COO, Optimal Solutions Group, recently participated in Johns Hopkins University’s “Entrepreneurship Matters” series. Entitled “A Conversation with Entrepreneurs Tracye Turner and Tina Williams-Koroma,” the conversation ranged across a variety of topics and issues common to small business. The series is hosted by Alicia Wilson, Vice President for Economic Development at The Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System. The link to the talk is here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1025848981179027.

While both Ms. Turner and Ms. Williams-Koroma spoke of their particular challenges in starting new business ventures, some common themes emerged:

  • Developing entrepreneurial skills as an “intrapreneur” in a corporate environment.
  • The need for grit and determination in starting any new venture.
  • The necessity of partnerships for getting a business off the ground.
  • The opportunities and pitfalls of various funding mechanisms.

Tracye also discussed the evolution of Optimal Solutions, which itself is a successful entrepreneurial effort. In particular she noted the launch of two new digital productions:

  • e-Editor: A site for identifying and assigning editors and proofreaders to suit your needs for independent contractors.
  • e-508: A site for creating and modifying documents that are accessibility compliant.

The question-and-answer forum also included questions from virtual attendees at this Facebook live event.

Optimizing Positive Social Impacts with Technology

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Mark and Tracye Turner, CEO and COO respectively, of Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, recently announced the establishment of The Turner Family Optimal Social Solutions Endowed Scholarship with the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies. The Turners have been committed to supporting the University of Maryland, College Park community since 1989. The scholarship was created to show their continued dedication to enabling real-time, data-driven public policy research decision making, which is the focus of their public policy research and technical assistance firm, and ties well with the mission of the university’s College of Information Studies.

The Turner Family Optimal Social Solutions Endowed Scholarship is the Turners’ second endowed scholarship with the university. The first scholarship was with the University of Maryland’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) to advance studies on low-income and minority populations. In order to promote collaborative efforts between technology and social sciences, this new scholarship will support the use of information technology to develop solutions to social challenges brought on by technology advancements.

This scholarship is merit-based and will be awarded to undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in information science or a dual major or minor within BSOS. This philanthropic contribution will be for the amount of $50,000 over the course of five years and the Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences will decide who receives this scholarship.

To find out more about the Turner Family Optimal Social Solutions Scholarship, please visit

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