Beverly Johnson served as Operation Pathways’ Resident Services Coordinator at The Roundtree Residences, in Washington, DC for five and a half years. During her years of service to our organization, and her lifetime of service to her community, Beverly was known for her positive energy, supportive presence, and most importantly, her love for her work, her community, and her Operation Pathways family.
Ms. Beverly, as she was fondly known, passed away in her sleep on December 9, 2021.
To honor Ms. Beverly’s contribution to our work, Operation Pathways created an award in her name. The Beverly Johnson RSC Spirit Award, will be presented by Operation Pathways annually to an RSC who best exemplify the qualities of Support, Positive Energy, and Love. Ms. Beverly so clearly exemplified the qualities this award honors. During her tenure as the RSC at Roundtree, Ms. Beverly led with love. She always took time to reach out to those she knew and never hesitated to express her love and care for others particularly through her work at Roundtree, engaging with nearly every resident at the property. She coordinated many senior field trips and resident appreciation events, registered 106 members in her community to vote, and coordinated a variety of healthy living programming, including the delivery of over 4,000 meals and 2,700 bags of produce and groceries.
These are just a few of Ms. Beverly’s many accomplishments. She showed up daily with a big smile, compassion, and a beautiful spirit that could brighten anyone’s day. The twelfth of thirteen children Ms. Beverly was a staunch believer in education, holding both a BA in in Business Management from Southeastern University and later a Master’s in Leadership and Management from Webster University.
Much of Ms. Beverly’s career was dedicated to motivating others to further their education as well as seek positions of community service. She volunteered continuously for the Black Caucus and also worked for the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Not only did she inspire others through her work and mentorship, she may be best remembered as a fashionista. Even in her 70s Ms. Beverly’s sense of fashion was simply unmatched and spoke for itself. She had her own style and swag that was both timeless and trendy.
This exuberant, unforgettable leader is survived by her husband, Vincent Lamont Odoms; sons, James Darryl Williams and Darrion Vincent Shannon; and five grandchildren.
On behalf of everyone at Operation Pathways, we love you Ms. Beverly, and miss you dearly.