Wayne K . Curry Wayne Keith Curry ( born January 6 , 1951 ) was elected county executive for Prince George ' s County , Maryland in November 1994 , and served two terms as county executive from 1994 to 2002 . His career has encompassed government , civic , and community affairs for more than 20 years . Early life and education . Curry was born in Brooklyn , New York on January 6 , 1951 , and grew up in Cheverly , Maryland , a community in the northwestern portion of Prince George ' s county . His family was the among the first non - white families to integrate into this community in the 1950s . His father was a school teacher , and his mother was a homemaker and later an office secretary . He and his older brother were the first blacks to attend Cheverly - Tuxedo Elementary school in 1959 . Curry earned his high school diploma from Bladensburg High School in 1968 . In 1972 , Curry earned his Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Western Maryland College , where he was president of the freshman class . Following graduation , he worked as a teacher and director of the Child Daycare Center of Prince George ' s County . In 1974 , Curry took a hiatus from the professional area , and traveled across America . He earned money working at truck stops and slept at campsites throughout the country . Career . From 1975 until 1978 , Curry worked in the administration of Prince George ' s County Executive Winfield Kelly . Kelly was the executive for Prince George ' s County from 1974 until 1978 . Curry ' s career began as a staffer responsible for writing constituent reply mail . He later went on to serve as community affairs assistant , administrative assistant to the county ' s Chief Administrative Officer and senior assistant to the executive . While working for Kelly , he also attended law school at night , earning his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1980 , graduating with honors . From 1980 until 1983 , Curry worked as a real estate and development lawyer for the " Michael Companies " . In 1984 , Curry started his own law practice and became a well - known , successful corporate attorney . From 1984 to 1992 , Curry was General Counsel for " Dimensions Health Corporation " , a major healthcare business that operates Prince George ' s General Hospital Center , the Greater Laurel - Beltsville Hospital , and the Bowie Health Center . Mr . Curry has served as Chairman of the United Way Campaign of Prince Georges County , President of the Prince George ' s County Chamber of Commerce , Chairman of the " School Superintendent ' s Advisory Committee on Black Male Achievement " , Chairman of the " Prince George ' s County Substance Abuse Advisory Board " , a member of the " Board of Directors of the Prince George ' s County Christmas in April " , Director of " United Communities Against Poverty " , and Director of the " Bonnie Johns Children ' s Fund . " In 1994 , Curry returned to the county executive ' s office and made history when he became the first African American to serve in the County ' s highest elected office . He served two consecutive terms from 1994 to 2002 . Curry served on Governor Robert Ehrlich ' s 2002 transition team into the Governor ' s Mansion . Curry was appointed Commissioner to the Maryland Port Commission in 2003 by Gov . Ehrlich , a Republican . He was prominently mentioned in the news media as a speculative candidate for Lieutenant Governor when Ehrlich ran ( unsuccessfully ) for re - election in 2006 , although Kristen Cox was eventually chosen as Ehrlich ' s running mate .