Born and raised in St. Mary’s County, Jacklyn D. Miles’ tireless 89-year-old mother, Ms. Artina Mary Dotson-Miles, is the CEO’s biggest source of motivation. Inspired by her grit and character, and gifted with her mentorship, Jacklyn, too, has demonstrated leadership to her children by establishing herself as a leader in administrative consulting. Because of her hard work and determination, Jacklyn succeeds as an entrepreneur.
Focusing her talents on financial and human resource management, Jacklyn gained her knowledge from more than 30 years of Federal Government service. As founder of her company, Miles and Chesley Consulting Services (MCCS), LLC, Jacklyn brings a minority, women-owned business to the southern Maryland area, offering her clients a unique and caring mindset, a wealth of expertise, and support for women through her annual Women Inspiring Women Conference.
A valued asset as a government contractor in the Naval Air Station community, MCCS provides administrative support, human capital management, contract and financial management, program and project management, transportation services, and web development services. The goal of MCCS is to utilize innovation, technology, and knowledge-sharing to improve performance and reduce operational costs. Currently, MCCS offers specialized staffing support services to a variety of businesses, organizations, and government agencies serving Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
As the CEO, Jacklyn has directly worked in all of the specialized services that her company provides. Her career began at an entry-level position and with ability, skill, and knowledge she advanced her career in the Federal Government, retiring in 2012. When highlighting her major accomplishments, Jacklyn fondly referenced her tenure at the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Transportation. In preparing for the 2010 Census, she oversaw human capital management and performed need assessments to make sure personnel possessed the skill-set required to complete the Census questionnaire.
“If I can put someone to work and they can take care of their family, it’s all worth it to me.”
At the U.S. Department of Transportation, Jacklyn was responsible for finalizing the financial aspect of settlement agreements to make sure that the compensation was in line with the agreement to avoid further adjudication. “One must demonstrate confidentiality in dealing with the involved parties.” In addition, as the administrative officer for the Departmental Office of Civil Rights, Jacklyn collaborated with the regional directors and the leadership to provide feasibility studies and operational costs for the regional offices. Jackyln recalls one particularly difficult management experience when the management team had determined that one of its regional offices needed to be closed.
Tough moments aside, Jacklyn knew these experiences strengthened her expertise. Ideas for MCCS originated in the early 2000s as she began to think about her life post retirement. “I’ve always wanted to be self-employed. I love the ability to help others be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones. If I can put someone to work and they can take care of their family, it’s all worth it to me.”
Jacklyn’s mother, the matriarch of the Miles family, Ms. Artina, was not only a strong mentor for her own children, but for all of the kids in their neighborhood, who used to descend upon her family home for advice.
With the assistance of two of her sons, Jacklyn began to build their family business. Roy II, her older son, supported the company through implementing policies and managing market logistics, while her younger son, Dante, provided technical assistance and initial work for a small business. Together, they built more than a company; they created a gift for generations to come. “As parents, inheritance for our children paves the path for their future.”
Today, MCCS is comprised of project managers in addition to Jacklyn and her two sons. The project managers are Project Management Professional (PMP) certified through the Project Management Institute (PMI) – a highly accredited organization – with more than 20 years of experience. In addition, she employs an exceptional executive consultant, Alice Bankins, and a creative web designer and developer, Nitt Chuenprateep.
Jacklyn and her associates pride themselves on delivering exceptional customer service, innovative business practices, the best technology, and cutting-edge solutions. “One of our greatest assets is our people,” Jacklyn said.
For the past six years, MCCS has been working with local southern Maryland businesses to modernize their business efforts. For one of their clients in particular, the Charles County Government, MCCS streamlined their operations in its Department of Public Works.
MCCS has a strong project and program management background. This was demonstrated in their efforts, through collaboration with the county stakeholders, to decisively define scopes of work and develop charters for the wastewater management system and pumping station rehabilitation Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). These measures help to eliminate scope creep and minimize the need for change orders during the design and construction phases.
Additionally, MCCS created and implemented a project management manual for new employees to navigate through the life cycle process from project initiation to closeout. Charles County benefitted from the financial management MCCS provided, reducing costs and ensuring early project delivery.
MCCS also collaborated with the Southern Maryland Minority Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. on a new website. Supplementary to moving their website from its previous server, MCCS utilized WordPress, a website platform, to create an easy-to-update site that reflects the southern Maryland spirit and integrates with social media promotions. The chamber benefitted from MCCS’s web design experience, web security knowledge, and graphic design expertise, delivering a site that is fresh, secure, and modern.
More Than Just Business
Those who know Jacklyn will attest to her involvement in the community in more ways than just business. Growing up in Mechanicsville, she feels strongly about giving back to the community that contributed to her upbringing and advocates for causes that are close to her heart.
The Miles family created the St. Mary’s County Black History Coalition (SMCBHC), where Jacklyn serves as the treasurer. On behalf of Jacklyn’s sister who passed away in 2008, SMCBHC established the Dinah K. Somerville Scholarship Fund in her memory, and each year provides scholarships to two deserving students in St. Mary’s County. Jacklyn is also on the board of Leadership Southern Maryland, a nine-month tuition-based leadership program for the tri-county area; a member of the National Association of Professional Women; a mentor to four professional women; and until recently she served on her parish’s finance committee at Our Lady Help of Christians in Waldorf.
Through MCCS, Jacklyn launched the annual Women Inspiring Women Conference last year, bringing in dynamic speakers and focusing on a new theme each year. Her first annual conference held in October 2017 with the theme, “Helping Others to Rise Up” focused on the importance of mentorship, taking charge of one’s health, and budgeting.
“I want to inspire other women,” she said, referencing her mentors that influenced her life choices. “That’s one of the accomplishments I wanted from the conference; even if we’ve made it to a certain point in our career or life, we must reach back and pull someone along with us.” As her company grows, Jacklyn hopes to continue working with her community, with women, and to be able to provide more scholarships to students. She’d also love to use her platform to create a mentorship program in the local schools to improve outcomes for a personal passion of hers: teen pregnancy.
“My mom birthed nine kids as well as cared for nine foster kids, of which one had a baby,” she revealed. “I would like to develop a mentoring program in collaboration with the schools and pregnant teen mothers and fathers to ensure they continue their education. Providing mentors for those young parents can be a key element in ensuring that they continue their education and develop a skill set necessary to provide for their young families.”
Jacklyn’s mother, the matriarch of the Miles family, Ms. Artina, was not only a strong mentor for her own children, but for all of the kids in their neighborhood, who used to descend upon her family home for advice. These neighborhood children, and adults, sought her guidance and nurturing. At nearly 90, her mother still cooks every Monday evening for five generations of her family, nearly 25 people. It is only fitting that Jacklyn’s Women Inspiring Women Conferences are dedicated to her mother.
“I do what I do because I learned it from my mother.”Learn more and register for this year’s Women Inspiring Women Conference! If you have questions or are interested in being a sponsor or vendor, please contact Ms. Alice Bankins at [email protected]. The 2nd Annual Women Inspiring Women Conference is Oct. 27, 2018, at the Holiday Inn Solomons-Conference Center & Marina.
Miles and Chesley Consulting Services can be found online at www.milesandchesley.com. Call 301-643-0678 or email [email protected] for more information about the 6 Services they provide:
- Administration
- Contract and Financial Management
- Human Capital Management
- Program and Project Management
- Transportation Services
- Web Design and Development
