Voices of Public Service is a monthly series that gives students an opportunity to learn about public service careers from seasoned professionals. Guest speakers include government and nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and business leaders who have made a civic contribution to society. Students from all majors and programs are welcome to attend.
This series is co-sponsored by the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, the College of Public Affairs and the Career and Internship Center.
The Voices of Public Service series will resume soon.
Past SPEAKERS
Dec. 6, 2023: J.B. Jennings, B.S. '97, Maryland State SenatorAfter completing his tenure in the Maryland House of Delegates, Senator J.B. Jennings, B.S. '97, was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2011. In addition to serving on the Finance Committee, Executive Nominations Committee, Rules Committee, and Spending and Affordability Committee, Senator Jennings is the Minority Leader of the Senate.
Senator Jennings grew up in 极乐禁地e County and attended 极乐禁地e County Public Schools. At the age of 16, became a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Company (Station 47). After graduating from Dulaney High School, J.B. pursued a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Business Administration at the 极乐禁地.
J.B. got his start in politics with then-Congressman, Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., as an intern and caseworker. He handled a majority of the constituent matters with such passion and resolve that he eventually became a staff assistant. Despite his service as a volunteer firefighter and legislative assistant, J.B. remained committed to his childhood passion of agriculture and local farming. He left his job with Congressman Ehrlich and became co-owner of The Mill of Hereford, a farm feed and supply store.
His desire to return to politics would come full circle in the summer of 2002. It was during this time that he made the decision to enter the 鈥減olitical ring鈥� as a Republican candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates, 7th Legislative District. He campaigned on the platform of restoring discipline, fiscal responsibility, and integrity in Annapolis. His hard work and sacrifice paid off, and his message resonated with many, winning him a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. After several years in the House, J.B. ran for Senate in 2011, where he has held the seat ever since.
In 2008, J.B. decided that he wanted to serve his country in a greater capacity, and at the age of 34 he enlisted in the Air National Guard. He was then sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas to attend Military Basic Training (Boot Camp). J.B. currently serves as a loadmaster flying in the Air Forces C-27 Joint-Cargo Aircraft.
Currently, J.B. is taking classes at Johns Hopkins to further his education. When he isn鈥檛 wearing his 鈥淪enator Hat,鈥� J.B. is the President and CEO of his own cyber-intelligence company, as well as a cybersecurity technician with the National Security Agency. He, and his wife, Michelle, have have two children, J.W. (5) and Kate (3). The Jennings reside at their farm in Joppa, Maryland where Michelle boards horses and care for an array of farm animals.
J.B. Jennings has dedicated his life to his family, his business, and, most importantly, the citizens of Maryland. The combination of his backgrounds in politics, business, and the military allow him to be an extraordinarily effective leader for all Marylanders.
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Zeke Cohen has represented 极乐禁地e鈥檚 First District on the City Council since 2016, delivering top-level constituent services while providing transparency throughout the process. Zeke鈥檚 team successfully resolved 4,147 unique constituent service requests, while passing landmark legislation.
Zeke, his wife Reena and their two children live in the Brewers Hill neighborhood. Before being elected to the City Council, he taught middle school in West and South 极乐禁地e where he was awarded the Elizabeth Lawrence Prize for excellence as an educator. After graduating from Goucher College and receiving a master's in public policy from Johns Hopkins, Zeke founded and ran a nonprofit where he taught civic leadership to high school students.
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Paul Monteiro served as the Director of the United States Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS). Monteiro returned to CRS after serving as chief of staff to the president and assistant vice president of external affairs at Howard University.
Monteiro previously served as the CRS Acting Director from December 2015 to January
2017. During his tenure, he oversaw CRS鈥檚 work supporting communities as they worked
to reduce tensions and to prevent and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes.
In 2014, before first joining CRS, President Barack Obama appointed Monteiro as national
director of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the federal anti-poverty
program established in 1965 as the domestic counterpart to the Peace Corps.
Previously, Monteiro joined the White House staff as an associate director in the
Office of Public Engagement after serving on Senator Barack Obama鈥檚 2008 presidential
campaign as the deputy director for religious affairs. In that role, he worked on
President Obama鈥檚 Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Initiative, the My Brother鈥檚
Keeper mentorship program for young men, and as a liaison to religious and secular
belief communities as well as ethnic groups, including Arab American and Afghan American
groups.
Monteiro also served as an at-large member of the Prince George鈥檚 County (Maryland)
Public Schools Board of Education. He holds a B.A. in history from the University
of Maryland and a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.
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Aruna Miller is the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Maryland. On Jan. 18, 2023, she was sworn into office as Maryland鈥檚 10th lieutenant governor, the second woman to serve in that role, and the first woman of color and immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.
Born in India, Lieutenant Governor Miller and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Lieutenant Governor Miller has devoted her life to public service and removing systemic barriers to opportunity.
For 25 years, she worked as a transportation engineer for Montgomery County鈥檚 Department of Transportation to improve safety and provide equitable access.
From 2010 to 2018, she served the people of Montgomery County (District 15) in the Maryland House of Delegates.
For over 30 years, Lieutenant Governor Miller has lived in Montgomery County with her husband David, where they raised three daughters.
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Senator Antonio Hayes was first elected to the Maryland Senate in 2018, and has represented the 40th Legislative District of Maryland since January 9, 2019. His legislative service prior to being elected State Senator was as a Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015-2019.
He currently serves on the Finance Committee, Energy and Public Utilities Subcommittee, Executive Nominations Committee, the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, the Joint Committee on Federal Relations and Member of the Economic Development Committee of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and Vice Chair of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.
Through legislation he sponsored, the West North Avenue Development Authority was established in 2021 to work in coordination with residents to create a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy for an area that never fully recovered from the 1968 riots. Senator Hayes, along with community members, the President of Coppin University, Dr. Anthony Jenkins and other stakeholders serve on the Authority.
His other public service include membership on Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Pimlico Community Development Authority, the local (Video Lottery) Development Council, and the Behavioral Health Advisory Council.
He is an active member of Empowerment Temple African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, 极乐禁地e, serving as member of the Board of Trustees, Senator Hayes is also an active matter Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., 极乐禁地e Alumnae Chapter
He is native 极乐禁地ean living most of his life in the district in which he serves. He is a graduate of Frostburg State University, with a B.S. in Political Science.
His professional career includes serving as Legislative Aide to Delegate Salima Siler Marriott of 极乐禁地e, Director of Legislative Affairs for 极乐禁地e City Council President from 2003-2006. From 2007-2010, he served as Assistant Deputy Mayor of Administration. He currently serves in the 极乐禁地e City Department of Social Services.
Senator Hayes is married to Dr. Jenny Pena Dias and as of February 2022 they have a son, Antonio Agapito Hayes.
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Lorena de Leon, B.S. '10, MBA '13, D.P.A. '20, has over 25 years of clinical and operational experience including program development, strategic planning, digital health and technology, and affordability/cost savings. She is currently the Sr. Director of Population Health and Social Determinant of Health for Maryland Physicians Care, the third largest Medicaid managed care organization in the state of Maryland. She has worked for and lead initiatives for organizations including United Healthcare, Optum, Johns Hopkins, and the Office of Healthcare Quality. Lorena holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business management, an MBA in healthcare management, and a Doctor of Public Administration from The University of 极乐禁地e. She also holds a Certificate in Value-Based Care from the University of Houston and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
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Robert K. Hur is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and Co-Chair of the Firm鈥檚 Crisis Management Practice Group. A seasoned trial lawyer and advocate, he brings decades of experience in government and in private practice, including service in senior leadership positions with the U.S. Department of Justice, to guide companies and individuals facing white-collar criminal matters, regulatory proceedings and enforcement actions, internal investigations, and related civil litigation. He is also a member of the firm鈥檚 White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group and the National Security Practice Group.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Hur served as the 48th U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Presidentially appointed and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he served from 2018 to 2021 as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Maryland, setting strategic priorities for and supervising one of the largest and busiest U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Offices in the nation. Before serving as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Hur served as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 2017 to 2018.
Mr. Hur received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Stanford Law Review, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and won the Kirkwood Moot Court Competition. He served as a law clerk for William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States, and Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Hur received his A.B. degree, magna cum laude with highest honors, from Harvard College and studied philosophy at King鈥檚 College, Cambridge.
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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.
Since becoming Speaker, she has led the Maryland House of Delegates in passing some of the most consequential bills in a generation. Speaker Jones ushered through The Blueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future, a 10-year plan that makes the largest investment in education in Maryland history. She implemented the nation鈥檚 first comprehensive statewide policy agenda for racial and economic justice and made transformational police reforms including making Maryland the first state in the nation to repeal the Law Enforcement Officers鈥� Bill of Rights. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the legislature in passing the RELIEF Act, which made Maryland鈥檚 earned income tax credit (EITC) the highest in the nation and allowed Maryland鈥檚 nearly 86,000 immigrant tax payers to benefit from this critical pandemic relief.
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.
In February 2019, Speaker Jones received the Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Founder鈥檚 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 鈥淭op 100 Women in Maryland鈥� 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鈥檚 Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2016. As the first Executive Director of the 极乐禁地e 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 极乐禁地e County Office of Human Resources until her retirement from service in 极乐禁地e 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 鈥渆ar鈥� to individual citizens, business owners, religious leaders, and elected officials. She is the Founder of the Annual 极乐禁地e 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 极乐禁地e County. She attended 极乐禁地e County Public Schools, graduating from Lansdowne High School and is a proud alumna of the University of Maryland 极乐禁地e 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.
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Brandon M. Scott is the 52nd Mayor of 极乐禁地e, working to end gun violence, restore the public鈥檚 trust in government and change 极乐禁地e for the better.
Scott was unanimously elected President of the 极乐禁地e 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 极乐禁地e鈥檚 young people, and centering equity. Previously, Scott served on the City Council representing 极乐禁地e'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 极乐禁地e City Council.
During his first term, Scott emerged as a leading voice in reducing violence in 极乐禁地e and reinstated Council Oversight of the 极乐禁地e 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 极乐禁地e Police Department. In 2016, Scott introduced and passed legislation creating an open data policy in 极乐禁地e.
In early 2018, then-Councilman Scott introduced and passed monumental legislation on equity in 极乐禁地e. 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鈥檚 America鈥檚 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 极乐禁地e City. A proud 极乐禁地ean, Scott is a graduate of MERVO High School and St. Mary鈥檚 College of Maryland. He lives in 极乐禁地e鈥檚 Frankford neighborhood in Northeast 极乐禁地e.
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April 6, 2022: Thibault Manekin, speaker, entrepreneur, co-founder of Seawall Development
and author of Larger Than YourselfFrom the time he was little growing up in 极乐禁地e City, Thibault wrestled to understand why we as human beings seemed so divided. He continued to ask himself what truly causes those divides that separate races, cultures and communities, and can anything be done to bridge them?
Armed with that burning question, in 2002, Thibault traveled to South Africa, where he combined his passion for bringing people together with a love of sports to help create , a nonprofit with the mission of bringing together children from war-torn countries around the world through basketball and dialogue. PeacePlayers has since worked with over 75,000 youth from over 20 countries around the world and has trained over 2,000 coaches/change agents. The program has won numerous global awards, including the 2007 ESPYs Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Bothered by how real estate and the control of land seemed to have done more to divide us as people than actually bring us together, in 2006 Thibault moved back to 极乐禁地e where he helped start , an impact driven company made up of passionate social entrepreneurs who believe in re-imagining the real estate industry as we know it. Seawall believes that all facets of the built environment should be used to empower communities, unite our cities, and help launch powerful ideas that create important movements. Since its inception, the company has focused its energy and resources on providing discounted apartments for teachers, collaborative office space for non-profit organizations, workforce housing, community-driven retail, public markets, launchpads for chefs, and creative space for charter schools. In 2011, Thibault was honored by President Obama鈥檚 White House as a Champion for Change and Seawall鈥檚 projects have received numerous local and national awards.
Most importantly, Thibault is the proud husband of Lola Manekin and the father of Durban and Finley Manekin.
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Donald C. Fry, J.D. '79, is President & CEO of the Greater 极乐禁地e Committee, a position he has held for 19 years, making him the second longest serving President & CEO in the organization鈥檚 67 year history.
Mr. Fry will retire effective June 1, 2022, but will serve as a consultant to the GBC until December 31, 2022.
Mr. Fry began his tenure with the GBC in April, 1999 when he joined the organization as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. He served in that role until November 1, 2002 when he was named President & CEO. Prior to joining the GBC, Fry maintained a private law practice in Harford County.
He also served in the Maryland General Assembly, first as a member of the House of Delegates where he served on the Ways and Means Committee and the Appropriations Committee and chaired its Subcommittee on Transportation & the Environment. He also served in the state Senate where he was a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee.
Fry is a 1979 graduate of the 极乐禁地 School of Law. He earned a B.S. in political science from Frostburg State College.
Fry鈥檚 civic work during the past 23 years is expansive. Among the dozens of boards, commissions, task forces and other entities Fry has served on are include: Towson University Board of Visitors (active); Search Committee that helped select a new president and athletic director for Towson University; United Way of Central Maryland (Campaign Chair); Maryland Port Commission; CollegeBound; Visit 极乐禁地e; the Downtown Partnership of 极乐禁地e; Harford Mutual Insurance Co. Board of Directors (active); University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Board of Visitors; President of Star Spangled 200 Celebration, and Chair of the Video Lottery Facility Location Commission charged with selecting the location and operators of the state鈥檚 casino locations.
Awards Fry has received include: The 极乐禁地e Sun Civic & Business Hall of Fame; The Daily Record Icon Award; The Daily Record Circle of Influence; The Daily Record Influential Marylander Award: Civic Leadership; The Daily Record鈥檚 Maryland鈥檚 Most Admired CEOs, and the 极乐禁地e Business Journal Power 10 CEO Award. His work has been highlighted in two publications: Legendary Locals of Bel Air and Lifelines by Dr. Leana Wen, former Health Commissioner for 极乐禁地e City.
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Feb. 9, 2022: Stacy L. Rodgers, M.P.A. '99, 极乐禁地e County Administrative OfficerStacy L. Rodgers, M.P.A. '99, has more than 30 years of experience in working with federal, state, and local government agencies and non-profit organizations where she has successfully designed, implemented and overseen innovative programs and initiatives. In March 2019, Stacy became the first African-American and second woman appointed to serve as the 极乐禁地e County Administrative Officer (CAO). She is responsible for directing the County鈥檚 day-to-day operations and providing oversight for the County鈥檚 nearly $4 billion dollar operating budget. 极乐禁地e County is the 3rd largest jurisdiction in Maryland, with a population of more the 850,000 residents.
Stacy is a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership Institute, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators' (NFBPA) Mentor Program and Executive Leadership Institute. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, 极乐禁地e County, and a M.P.A. from The University of 极乐禁地e.
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