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Delegate Darryl Barnes
Chair
Delegate Darryl Barnes was raised in the Washington Metropolitan Area and has planted his roots in Prince George’s County, Maryland after serving honorably in both the U.S. Army and Navy. Delegate Barnes represents the 25th Legislative District in the Maryland House of Delegates (2015-present). He also serves as the Deputy Majority Whip in the General Assembly (2017-present), Chair to the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus (2018-present) and is a member of the Maryland Veterans Caucus (2015- present). He was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee (2015-present) where he serves on the Election Law Subcommittee, Revenues subcommittee, and Finance Resources subcommittee. As a member of the Prince George’s County House Delegation, Delegate Barnes displays his knowledge as the Chair of the Education Subcommittee (2018-present). In each role, Delegate Barnes passionately and tirelessly stands for the rights and well-being of over 125,000 constituents he represents.
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Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins
Vice Chair
Jheanelle Wilkins is an advocate for underserved communities and dedicated to creating greater opportunity for all people to live their best lives. She pursues this passion through advocacy for over nine years at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and as a Maryland State Delegate in the General Assembly.
At The Leadership Conference, Jheanelle serves as the Director of State & Local Government Affairs where she is the organization’s principal liaison to state and local elected officials and government leaders. She has developed partnerships with local leaders and organizations across the country, facilitated trainings, provided technical assistance, and mobilized people to take action on civil and human rights.
Jheanelle is proud to represent Maryland’s 20th Legislative District in the Maryland General Assembly and serve on the Ways and Means Committee. Her legislative achievements include the areas of advancing maternal health, educational equity, and justice reform. She is passionate about legislative advocacy and works to ensure that all residents and voices are heard in the political process.
Jheanelle obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Delaware and a Master of Public Administration from the American University in Washington, D.C.
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Delegate Melissa Wells
2nd Vice Chair
Delegate Melissa Wells is a community advocate, labor leader, and financial security specialist. She is a proud resident of Baltimore Maryland.
Current Assignments in the MD General Assembly:
– 2020 Deputy Majority Whip
– 2019 Environment and Transportation Committee
– 2019 Housing and Real Property Subcommittee of the Environment and Transportation Committee
– 2020 Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Open Space of the Environment and Transportation Committee
– 2019 Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
– 2019 Women Legislators of Maryland
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Delegate Rachel Jones
Secretary
Member of House of Delegates since February 18, 2021. Member, Judiciary Committee, 2021- (civil law & procedure subcommittee, 2021-; criminal law & procedure subcommittee, 2021-).
Legislative aide, Maryland General Assembly, 2007-08.
Field representative and assistant to U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland, 2013-16. Field representative to U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, 2016-.
Morgan State University, B.A. (government & political science), 2007. Consultant, Protivi, 2008-10. Vice-President, Board of Directors, Farming 4 Hunger, 2018-. Chair, Missions Ministry, Church of God, 2011-.
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Delegate Benjamin Brooks, Sr.
Treasurer
Delegate Benjamin T. Brooks, Sr. is a member of the House of Delegates, serving the10th Legislative District for Baltimore County since January 12, 2015. He is a Member of the House Economic Matters Committee. He also serves on the Property and Casualty Insurance and Alcoholic Beverage subcommittees. His current leadership roles include Deputy Majority Whip, Second Vice-Chairman of The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc., and Secretary for the Baltimore County Delegation. Privately, Mr. Brooks does consulting for B&R Brooks LLC, an accounting firm that he founded 38 years ago, which is now owned and operated by his son, Benjamin T. Brooks, Jr.
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Delegate Carl Jackson
Financial Secretary
Carl Jackson is a longtime Baltimore County resident with deep family roots in the county he continues to call home. The oldest of five children, he learned responsibility at a young age while helping care for his siblings in a single-parent home. His humble beginnings allowed him to witness firsthand the area’s economic, societal, and political challenges – and inspired him at an early age to be involved in efforts aimed at addressing the roadblocks he experienced.
Member of House of Delegates since October 21, 2019. Member, Economics Matters Committee, 2019- (banking, consumer protection & commercial law subcommittee, 2020-; unemployment insurance subcommittee, 2020-). Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2019-; Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019-.
Member, Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee, Baltimore County, 2019-.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, October 27, 1984. Attended Overlea High School, Baltimore County, Maryland. Strayer University, B.S. (business administration), 2008, M.B.A., 2017. Payroll Supervisor, University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc., 2012-13 (payroll coordinator, 2009-12, 2006-08; financial assistant, 2005-06). Administrative Analyst, University of Maryland School of Social Work, 2005-. Member, Staff Senate, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 2014-19. Member, Emerging Leaders Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Married; three children
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Senator Mary Washington
Historian
Born in Philadelphia to two healthcare professionals, hard work and community have long-served as critical pillars in Mary Washington’s life. After receiving her bachelor’s degree at Antioch University, she began her professional career teaching at a Catholic elementary school. Her dedication to serving at-risk students and drive to understand the needs of urban communities brought her to Baltimore to study sociology at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned her PhD in 1997. A teaching position at Lehigh brought her back to Pennsylvania, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Ultimately, however, Baltimore called her back, and it has been her chosen home now for nearly two decades.
Member of Senate since January 9, 2019. Member, Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, 2020- (education subcommittee, 2020-; alcohol subcommittee, 2021-). Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2019-. Senate Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, 2019-. Member, Joint Committee on the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area, 2020-; Senate Vaccine Oversight Work Group, 2021-. Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2019. Co-Chair, Work Group to Study Shelter and Supportive Services for Unaccompanied Homeless Minors, 2019-20. Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2019-; Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019-; Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019-; Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2021-.
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