State & Local Elected Officials

Wes Moore is the 63rd Governor of the state of Maryland. He is Maryland’s first Black Governor in the state’s 246-year history, and is just the third African American elected Governor in the history of the United States.

Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Oct. 15, 1978, to Joy and Westley Moore, Moore’s life took a tragic turn when his father died of a rare, but treatable virus when he was just three years old. After his father’s death, his family moved to the Bronx to live with Moore’s grandparents before returning to Maryland at age 14.

Moore is a proud graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an Associate’s degree in 1998, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

While at Johns Hopkins, Moore interned in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Moore was the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University. As A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a Master’s in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford.

In 2005, Moore deployed to Afghanistan as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, leading soldiers in combat. Immediately upon returning home, Moore served as a White House Fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.

In 2010, Moore wrote “The Other Wes Moore,” a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a perennial New York Times bestseller. He went on to write other best-selling books that reflect on issues of race, equity, and opportunity, including his latest book “Five Days,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.

Moore built and launched a Baltimore-based business called BridgeEdU, which reinvented freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of long-term success. BridgeEdu was acquired by the Brooklyn-based student financial success platform, Edquity, in 2018.

It was Moore’s commitment to taking on our toughest challenges that brought him to the Robin Hood Foundation, where he served for four years as CEO. During his tenure, the Robin Hood Foundation distributed over $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, including here in Maryland.

While the Robin Hood Foundation is headquartered in New York City, Wes and his family never moved from their home in Baltimore.

Moore has also worked in finance with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.

Moore and his wife Dawn Flythe Moore have two children – Mia, 13; and James, 10 –​ and a dog, Tucker Balti.​

Aruna Miller is the 10th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Maryland. She is the second woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor and the first woman of color and immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.

Born in Andhra Pradesh, India, Miller and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. The daughter of a mechanical engineer, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Miller has devoted her life to public service and removing systemic barriers to opportunity.

As a civil and transportation engineer in Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation, Miller worked to improve the safety of the public and alleviate traffic by creating equitable access to transportation throughout the county. For 25 years, she oversaw programs that advanced access to schools and employment centers, and made community facilities safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and people with differing abilities.

From 2010 to 2018, she represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she worked with her constituents to create legislation to invest in STEM education, streamline the regulatory process for small businesses, and was a champion for working families, survivors of domestic abuse, and the environment.

Miller served on the Ways and Means Committee and its Revenue, Transportation, and Education Subcommittees. Additionally, in her second term, she served on the Appropriations Committee, where she served as chair of the Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee, vice chair of the Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, and vice chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee.

For over 30 years, she has lived in Montgomery County with her husband David, where they raised three daughters.

As Lieutenant Governor, her policy profile includes matters relating to transportation, mental health, and STEM equity.

She serves as chair of the Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group, dedicated to making highway work zones safer and protecting the lives of workers, motorists, and law enforcement.

The Lieutenant Governor also chairs Maryland’s first Council on Interfaith Outreach, which convenes faith leaders from across religions and across the state of Maryland to bridge divides, increase religious tolerance, end hate, and better serve all communities.

Anthony G. Brown assumed office as Maryland’s 47th Attorney General on January 3, 2023, the first African American to hold the position in Maryland’s history. Previously, Attorney General Brown represented the 4th Congressional District from 2017 to 2023, served as Maryland Lieutenant Governor from 2007 to 2015, and served in the Maryland House of Delegates as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and Majority Whip from 1999 to 2007.

Since taking office, Attorney General Brown established the Office of Equity, Policy, and Engagement, a first for the Attorney General’s office, to focus on strategies, initiatives, policies, and practices that will promote equity and fairness in Maryland’s civil, criminal, and administrative systems of justice. In 2023, Attorney General Brown successfully advocated for the passage of legislation creating a Civil Rights Division, expanding the Independent Investigations Division’s prosecutorial authority, and establishing a permanent Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention. In October 2023, Attorney General Brown partnered with Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue to create the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a first-of-its-kind initiative dedicated to reducing mass incarceration and the disparate incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. MEJC’s goal is to examine and assess the scope and causes of this crisis, and to develop a data-driven approach to addressing it.

With a longstanding commitment to improving the lives of all Marylanders, Attorney General Brown’s priority has always been justice and equity. As Lieutenant Governor, he advocated for the repeal of the death penalty, decriminalization of cannabis, expansion of record expungements, stringent background checks and training requirements for gun sales, and banning of large-capacity magazines and certain assault rifles. In Congress, Attorney General Brown again championed common-sense gun safety laws, measures to expand access to the ballot, the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, and he was a lead sponsor on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. He worked in the General Assembly and in Congress to expand protections for victims of domestic violence, abused and neglected children, and veterans with unmet mental and behavioral health needs.

Attorney General Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School. After clerking at the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, Attorney General Brown was an associate attorney in the litigation, securities enforcement, and investment management groups at WilmerHale (formerly Wilmer Cutler & Pickering). He litigated against big tobacco and represented small businesses whose innovative technology was stolen by large corporations. Attorney General Brown demonstrated his commitment to pro bono services in the various matters he handled, including representing victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, children in need of assistance, and indigent clients unable to afford a lawyer. While in the House of Delegates, Attorney General Brown also practiced land use and zoning law with the firm Gibbs and Haller.

A retired Colonel in the Army Reserve, Attorney General Brown served three decades as an aviator and Judge Advocate General. He graduated first in his flight class and received both Airborne and Air Assault qualifications. Attorney General Brown was awarded the Legion of Merit for his distinguished military service and earned the Bronze Star while deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Attorney General Brown completed his military service commanding the 153rd Legal Support Organization.

Attorney General Brown served as Board Chair of Prince George’s Community College, and as a board member of the Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County and the nonprofit Adoptions Together. He has been a member of the Maryland State Bar Association since 1994.​

Brooke Lierman is the 34th Comptroller of the state of Maryland and the first woman to be independently elected to one of our state’s constitutional offices. After running a strong, policy-focused and grassroots-led two-year campaign, she was elected with over 60% of the vote in November 2022. She is an attorney by training, practicing as a civil rights and disability rights lawyer for many years, and prior to her election as Comptroller, she served for 8 years a member of the House of Delegates representing part of Baltimore City.

While in the House, she spent time in leadership roles on both the Appropriations Committee and the Environment and Transportation Committee. Additionally, she was the House Chair for the Joint Committee on Pensions, sat on the Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, and founded the Maryland Transit Caucus. Brooke successfully passed landmark legislation to invest in and improve public transit and public schools; end suspension and expulsion of young students; fund evidence-based gun violence prevention programs; aid sex trafficking victims; close loopholes in affordable housing laws, and create the office of statewide broadband.

As Comptroller, she is dedicated to creating a Maryland that is more equitable, more resilient, and more prosperous so that all Marylanders can reach their full potential. She and her husband and two school-age children live in Baltimore City.

A lifelong Maryland resident, Bill made Baltimore City his home when he joined Teach for America and taught U.S. History and Government to ninth and tenth graders. The inequities of the public education system in Baltimore City led Bill to engage more deeply within the community and run for the Maryland Senate in 2010.

Bill is serving his third term as the State Senator for Maryland’s 46th Legislative District, which includes neighborhoods in South Baltimore, Downtown near and around the Inner Harbor, and Southeast Baltimore. In January of 2020, Bill was unanimously elected to serve as President of the Maryland Senate, making him the second youngest Senate President in state history.

Described as a “high-energy and collaborative presiding officer” by Maryland Matters, and an empowering and engaging leader by his colleagues in the State Senate, Bill has successfully led passage of legislation that supports educational equity, thriving neighborhoods, working families, and economic success for all Marylanders.

Bill is married to follow Teach for America alum, Lea Ferguson. They live in Patterson Park with their son, Caleb, and daughter, Cora.

Speaker Adrienne A. Jones shattered two glass ceilings when she was unanimously elected by the full House of Delegates to serve as the first African-American and the first woman Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in history.

Prior to being Speaker, Speaker Jones also held the distinction of being the first African American woman to serve as Speaker Pro Tem in the Maryland House of Delegates, serving in that capacity under Speaker Mike Busch for 16 years. Speaker Jones served on the House Appropriations Committee, and was Chair of the Capital Budget and Education, and Economic Development Subcommittees. She has been a delegate since 1997.

Speaker Jones has long been known by her colleagues for her steadfast leadership and no-nonsense approach to legislating. She has focused on education policy and funding issues, most notably school construction, during her tenure in the legislature. She has also made significant advances in ensuring diversity and fair treatment of State employees.

​In February, 2019, Speaker Jones received the Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Founder’s Award, the highest award given to a member of the House of Delegates, recognizing her steadfast service. She has three times been named to the “Top 100 Women in Maryland” by the Daily Record, and was inducted into the Circle of Excellence for Sustained Achievement. Most recently she was selected along with 25 female legislators for Governing Magazine’s Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2016. As the first Executive Director of the Baltimore County Office of Fair Practices and Community Affairs, she faithfully served the citizens of the County for over 37 years. She served as Deputy Director of the Baltimore County Office of Human Resources until her retirement from service in Baltimore County Government on June 30, 2014. During her civil service career, she worked with diverse populations of the County with dedication and sensitivity, providing a listening “ear” to individual citizens, business owners, religious leaders, and elected officials. She is the Founder of the Annual Baltimore County African American Cultural Festival, now in its 21st year.

Speaker Jones was born in Cowdensville, Maryland, a historic African-American community located near Arbutus in Southwest Baltimore County. She attended Baltimore County Public Schools, graduating from Lansdowne High School and is a proud alumna of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. She attended The National Security Seminar, U.S. Army War College in 2007. In 2008, she received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. She is the mother of two adult sons and proud grandmother of two wonderful grandchildren, Jalen and Janelle Jones.

Steuart Pittman, Jr. was elected Anne Arundel County Executive after his first campaign for public office in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Born and raised on his family farm in Davidsonville, Steuart graduated from the University of Chicago and then went on to work as a community organizer in Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. In that role, he built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards, and attracted private investment to blighted communities.

Once back home, Steuart coordinated national programs for National Low Income Housing Coalition and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before starting his own business as a farmer and horse trainer. He is best known in the horse industry for creating Retired Racehorse Project, an award-winning national nonprofit that is responsible for transitioning thousands of racehorses into second careers.

Steuart’s philosophy of government is both conservative and progressive. As a farmer, he worked hard against onerous regulations that had no public benefit and promoted policies to make the industry commercially viable. As a Director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, he pushed for compliance with erosion and sediment control standards to protect local waterways.

As County Executive, Steuart has pledged to make Anne Arundel County “The Best Place – For All,” by “Putting Communities First.” His strategy is to engage communities from every sector and to practice transparency and data-driven policymaking.

Jessica Fitzwater is the Frederick County Executive.

She previously represented District 4 on the Frederick County Council, where she championed numerous pieces of legislation that were enacted on a bipartisan basis, including: repealing the County’s English-only Ordinance, improving affordable workforce housing by strengthening the Housing Initiative Fund, creating a Human Trafficking Task Force, addressing anti-discrimination, and establishing a Climate Emergency Mobilization Work Group.

When elected to the first Frederick County Council under charter government in 2014, Jessica was one of only two women under the age of 40 serving in county elected office in the entire state of Maryland. She is a graduate of Emerge Maryland, a prestigious political training program for Democratic women, and she was named one of the Daily Record’s Leading Women in 2015.

Jessica taught music at Oakdale Elementary School for 17 years. She served on the Board of Directors of the Frederick County Teachers Association and served as an elected delegate to the Maryland State Education Association and National Education Association Representative Assemblies. A lifelong musician and supporter of the arts, Jessica plays violin and has performed for many years with the Frederick Symphony Orchestra. She served on the Board of Directors of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and Frederick Arts Council.

Jessica grew up in Smithsburg, Maryland, and is a proud graduate of public schools. She earned her undergraduate degree in music from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Hood College. She is a widow and the mother of two children, Jonah and Jane. She lives in the City of Frederick.

The Honorable Dr. Calvin Ball is a Maryland native and resident of Columbia for over 20 years. He and his wife Shani Ball, RN, B.S.N, are proud parents of two daughters who attend and graduated from Howard County Public Schools.

He made history in 2006 when he was elected as the youngest Council Chairperson in Howard County history. He made history again in 2018 by becoming the first African American to be elected as Howard County Executive.

Re-elected in 2022, Dr. Ball remains dedicated to ensuring our communities are safe, strong, and accessible for all. Howard County continues to be a regional and national leader, as County Executive Ball continues to champion education, environmental conservation, the health and well-being of our residents, investments in public safety and fiscal responsibility.

Transformational vision builds the best communities, and his team has implemented innovative programs and policy solutions that are data-informed and people driven.

During his first term as Howard County Executive, he and his team have prioritized growing ready and successful students, fostering safe and engaged communities, creating a clean and sustainable environment, supporting thriving and healthy residents, building reliable and accessible infrastructure, promoting a strong and prosperous business climate, and leading an innovative and efficient government. County Executive Ball has led a robust and nationally recognized response to COVID-19 pandemic.

County Executive Ball is currently serving as President of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) for 2023-2024 term. Previously serving as 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, he serves on a six-member Executive Committee. This committee oversees its fiscal, personnel, and management concerns as well as advocating for the shared legislative agenda for all 24 jurisdictions across the state. In 2012, he founded the Diversity Caucus of MACo, the first statewide caucus for county elected officials of color. He also participated in the National Association of Counties and Gates Foundation “Economic Mobility Leadership Network” to explore the role counties can play to positively affect economic mobility. Ball is also the 2023 Chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC). .

County Executive Ball holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Towson State University, Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore, where he was nominated for the Spirit of Excellence Award, and Doctor of Education from Morgan State University. Dr. Ball is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and is a dedicated supporter of all historically Black Greek letter organizations which serve our community. He is also a lifetime member of the NAACP.

Marc Elrich was elected as Montgomery County Executive on Nov. 6, 2018. He had previously served three terms (12 years) on the Montgomery County Council as an at-large member, being first elected in 2006. He served as a Councilmember on the Takoma Park City Council from 1987-2006. For 17 years, he was a teacher at Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park.

As a County Councilmember, he was the chief sponsor of several landmark pieces of legislation and programs. He led the successful effort to increase the Montgomery County minimum wage in coordination with surrounding jurisdictions to $11.50 an hour and subsequent legislation that will eventually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He was the first elected official to propose building a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system throughout the County to address Montgomery’s transportation and environmental problems. Ground was broken in Fall 2018 for the first BRT line, which will run along Route 29.

Throughout his political career, he has been a champion of improving tenants’ rights and for making developers pay for a greater share of the infrastructure cost to build schools and transportation solutions. He was a leader in the fight to preserve Ten Mile Creek in the Clarksburg area by limiting the proposed development that would have threatened the health of Montgomery County’s last best stream which flows into the County’s backup water reservoir.

A lifelong Marylander, Angela was born and raised in Prince George’s County. Angela was taught from a young age to care for her neighbors and give back to her community – urged on by the words of her great-grandmother not to sit on the sidelines but “go farther and do better.”

Angela heard an early calling to public service and after graduating from Duke University and the University of Maryland School of Law, she worked as a law clerk in the Howard County Circuit Court, and later the Baltimore City Circuit Court, before becoming the first full-time Assistant State’s Attorney to handle domestic violence cases in Prince George’s County. Angela held a variety of roles in county government before making history as the youngest and first woman to be elected Prince George’s County State’s Attorney.

As the county’s top law enforcement officer, Angela stood up for families, taking on some of Maryland’s worst criminals, while treating victims and the accused with dignity and respect. Under her tenure, violent crime dropped by 50 percent and she established a first-of-its-kind unit to investigate and prosecute police and official misconduct.

In 2018, Angela was elected Prince George’s County Executive, the first woman to hold the position and the first Black woman elected to the office of County Executive in Maryland history. She has focused on creating jobs and growing economic opportunity, investing in education and breaking ground on 10 new schools, expanding access to health care, mental health and addiction treatment, youth outreach and making sure people are safe.

Raising her own daughter in Upper Marlboro, Angela knows Marylanders should have a Senator who both fights for them and shares their concerns. Angela is running for Senate to be a voice for families like the ones she grew up with and who she’s worked for throughout her life.

Brandon M. Scott is the 52nd Mayor of Baltimore, working to end gun violence, restore the public’s trust in government and change Baltimore for the better.

Scott was unanimously elected President of the Baltimore City Council by his colleagues in May 2019. As Council President, Scott developed and released the first-ever City Council President legislative agenda, focused on building safer, stronger communities, cleaning up city government, investing in Baltimore’s young people, and centering equity. Previously, Scott served on the City Council representing Baltimore’s 2nd District. He was first elected in 2011 at the age of 27 and is one of the youngest people ever elected to the Baltimore City Council.

During his first term, Scott emerged as a leading voice in reducing violence in Baltimore and reinstated Council Oversight of the Baltimore Police Department by holding quarterly hearings. He believes that reducing violence will require a holistic, all-hands-on-deck approach, one that recognizes violence is fundamentally a public health issue. Scott led legislative initiatives that created extensive crime data sharing and online reporting of crimes by the Baltimore Police Department. In 2016, Scott introduced and passed legislation creating an open data policy in Baltimore.

In early 2018, then-Councilman Scott introduced and passed monumental legislation on equity in Baltimore. His equity assessment program law will require all city agencies to operate through a lens of equity and require all operating budgets, capital budgets and proposed legislation to be weighed through an equity lens. That legislation is in the early stages of implementation.

Mayor Scott is a rising star in politics. He was a member of the Young Elected Officials Network and served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for YEO’s America’s Cabinet. He also served as the Chair of the National League of Cities’ Large Cities Council.

Mayor Scott is a community leader, public servant and lifelong resident of Baltimore City. A proud Baltimorean, Scott is a graduate of MERVO High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He lives in Baltimore’s Frankford neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore.

Brandon M. Scott is the 52nd Mayor of Baltimore, working to end gun violence, restore the public’s trust in government and change Baltimore for the better.

Scott was unanimously elected President of the Baltimore City Council by his colleagues in May 2019. As Council President, Scott developed and released the first-ever City Council President legislative agenda, focused on building safer, stronger communities, cleaning up city government, investing in Baltimore’s young people, and centering equity. Previously, Scott served on the City Council representing Baltimore’s 2nd District. He was first elected in 2011 at the age of 27 and is one of the youngest people ever elected to the Baltimore City Council.

During his first term, Scott emerged as a leading voice in reducing violence in Baltimore and reinstated Council Oversight of the Baltimore Police Department by holding quarterly hearings. He believes that reducing violence will require a holistic, all-hands-on-deck approach, one that recognizes violence is fundamentally a public health issue. Scott led legislative initiatives that created extensive crime data sharing and online reporting of crimes by the Baltimore Police Department. In 2016, Scott introduced and passed legislation creating an open data policy in Baltimore.

In early 2018, then-Councilman Scott introduced and passed monumental legislation on equity in Baltimore. His equity assessment program law will require all city agencies to operate through a lens of equity and require all operating budgets, capital budgets and proposed legislation to be weighed through an equity lens. That legislation is in the early stages of implementation.

Mayor Scott is a rising star in politics. He was a member of the Young Elected Officials Network and served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for YEO’s America’s Cabinet. He also served as the Chair of the National League of Cities’ Large Cities Council.

Mayor Scott is a community leader, public servant and lifelong resident of Baltimore City. A proud Baltimorean, Scott is a graduate of MERVO High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He lives in Baltimore’s Frankford neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore.