MELLFIN John Nelson Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) is an annual award for an immigrant parent whose exemplary contributions to Maryland public schools have led to improvements for Maryland public school children, schools, and districts.
Nominees must demonstrate involvement in one or more of five core areas from Maryland’s PreK-12 Family Engagement Framework:
To be considered for the PIMA award, nominees must:
To qualify for the award, nominees must be a consistent advocate of public education and have had a significant, positive impact with their creativity, innovation, and/or commitment at the school, district, or state level in one or more of the five above areas.
As an active parent leader, Mr. Zhao is dedicated to serving families and communities throughout Howard County. He serves as a Board member for The VolunTeens, Inc. The Community Ecology Institute, Inc. provides advisory support to Howard County’s Local Children's Board. Most notably, Mr. Zhao established the Community Health Initiative, Inc. (CHI) to address the increasing health needs of the community, particularly behavioral health. The mission of CHI is to raise awareness among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other communities by educating, advocating, and providing services related to behavioral health. His passion and tireless efforts have helped countless individuals in need, and his commitment to improving the lives of Howard County’s children and youth is an inspiration.
