Portia Wu joins the Moore-Miller administration from her most recent position as Managing Director of U.S. Public Policy at Microsoft, where she has worked since 2017. Wu is an experienced leader who has spent her career developing and implementing policies that benefit America’s workers. Before joining Microsoft, Wu served as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the United States Department of Labor. In that role, she oversaw federal programs that provided employment services and job training to more than 15 million individuals each year. She also led the agency’s implementation of the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2015, which reformed federal workforce programs and instituted new accountability and reporting measures. From 2011 to 2014, Ms. Wu served at the White House Domestic Policy Council as Special Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama for Labor and Workforce. Wu also served as Labor Policy Director for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. She received a Master’s Degree in comparative literature from Cornell University and her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School. She and her family live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Carey M. Wright, Ed.D., was appointed State Superintendent of Schools by the Maryland State Board of Education in April 2024. A native Marylander, she previously served as State Superintendent of Education in Mississippi. She is credited with elevating Mississippi to become a national leader in literacy instruction and outcomes during her nine-year term from 2013 to 2022.

As the longest-serving Mississippi state superintendent, Dr. Wright led the implementation of successful education reforms that resulted in significant annual gains in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency. These initiatives increased literacy skills in pre-K through grade 3, pushed student achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to improve at a faster rate than nearly all other states, and achieved a higher graduation rate than the national average. During her tenure, Mississippi’s ranking for NAEP fourth-grade reading rose from 50th to 21st in the nation. Additionally, economically disadvantaged fourth-graders achieved higher NAEP reading and math scores than their peers, across racial and ethnic lines, both regionally and nationally.

This achievement resulted in Mississippi receiving the nation’s second-highest ranking for improvement from Education Week’s Quality Counts annual report card in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

A passionate advocate for early childhood education, Dr. Wright implemented Mississippi’s first publicly funded Early Learning Collaborative program, which earned recognition from the National Institute for Early Education Research as one of only five states meeting all 10 quality standards for early childhood education. In addition, Dr. Wright led initiatives that nearly doubled the Advancement Placement participation and success rate. She retired as Mississippi state superintendent in 2022.

Prior to her leadership in Mississippi, Dr. Wright was chief academic officer for District of Columbia Public Schools as well as deputy chief for the Office of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Wright also served as associate superintendent for the Office of Special Education and Student Services for Montgomery County Public Schools. She was a teacher, principal, and director of special education and student services in Howard County Public School System. A product of Prince George’s County Public Schools, she returned to begin her teaching career in the county schools.

Dr. Wright is a former member of the Chiefs for Change Board of Directors. Notably, the U.S. Secretary of Education appointed her in 2019 to the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card. Her honors include the 2022 Mississippi Top 50 Most Influential Leaders Award. She is a University of Maryland graduate, earning undergraduate, advanced and doctoral degrees in education.

Dr. Sanjay Rai is a higher education champion with more than 30 years of experience in faculty and leadership positions at a community college, liberal arts university, and state supported institution. He is recognized for his work globally as a faculty member, scholar, and leader.

His work has resulted in greater access, student success, and closing achievement gaps. He led the development of partnerships with K-12 along with business and industry, resulting in the creation of early college and new academic and training programs serving Cyber, Biotech, Information Technology, and Data Sciences. His work in this field also resulted in securing $25 million dollars in competitive grants to address the high-tech needs in the region and the state.

He has numerous publications including scholarly articles and his most recent book, “Basic Insights in Vector Calculus” published in 2020. He has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career, including Chief Academic Officer of the Year, Leadership Montgomery Outstanding Leader Award, and Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Rai’s education includes degrees from India, Canada, and the United States, earning a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.​

Jay A. Perman, MD, became the fifth chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM) in January 2020. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Perman, a pediatric gastroenterologist, served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for nearly a decade.

As UMB president, Dr. Perman strengthened that institution’s ties to the city of Baltimore, growing innovation-based economic development and spearheading programs to improve the health and well-being of UMB’s closest neighbors. In 2014, he established the Office of Community Engagement to coordinate UMB’s many outreach projects—with special emphasis on West Baltimore—and to leverage resources so that the university could respond quickly and effectively to community needs. In October 2019, ground was broken on a new Community Engagement Center that will serve as the cornerstone of UMB’s engagement efforts going forward. He also launched the UMB CURE Scholars program, which provides intensive mentoring for West Baltimore students interested in the STEM fields. In addition, he championed the award-winning Promise Heights Initiative, focused on preparing West Baltimore children for college and careers, and providing critical supports for their families.

Dr. Perman’s UMB presidency was marked by excellence in education and research. Each of UMB’s professional schools—medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and social work—has been singled out for recognition in national and international publications, most notably U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Report’s Global University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. During Dr. Perman’s tenure, UMB’s extramural funding broke records; in FY 2018 and FY 2019, UMB attracted nearly $700 million in grants and contracts.

As UMB president, Dr. Perman worked closely with fellow USM institutions to advance the state’s top education, workforce, and innovation priorities. In Western Maryland, UMB partnered with Frostburg State University on its physician assistant (PA) master’s degree program, offered at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown (USMH) to meet growing community demand. On the Eastern Shore, UMB partnered with Salisbury University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, and others on the Eastern Shore Center for Interprofessional Education, which delivers high-quality health care while enhancing team-based training for area health providers.

UMB has expanded its offerings at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG)—including dental, social work, and nursing programs—and is a key presence at USG’s new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering building, which houses a full-service community dental clinic operated by UMB’s School of Dentistry. With the University of Maryland, College Park, UMB leads MPowering the State, a structured alliance leveraging the two institutions’ complementary strengths to create opportunities for students, advance interdisciplinary research, and solve intractable problems in Maryland and the nation. Finally, UMB has partnered with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in several areas, including social work, biochemistry, and gerontology.

As chancellor, Dr. Perman has committed to advancing higher education affordability for all students in Maryland. He also plans to build on USM’s reputation for educational innovation, particularly in research, economic development, and community engagement. Above all, he seeks to fulfill what he sees as one of his core obligations as chancellor: ensuring that every person in Maryland who wants a college education is able to access it.

Dr. Perman received his Doctor of Medicine degree with Distinction in 1972 from Northwestern University. After his residency in pediatrics at Northwestern University Children’s Memorial Hospital, he completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Harvard Medical School and at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston in 1977.

From 1977 to 1984, Dr. Perman was an assistant professor and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. He first came to Baltimore to work at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, serving as a professor of pediatrics and head of several divisions between 1984 and 1996. Dr. Perman was then named the Jessie Ball duPont Professor and Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia, where he served from 1996 to 1999. From 1999 to 2004, he chaired the Department of Pediatrics at UMB’s School of Medicine, before leaving to become dean and vice president for clinical affairs at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 2004. In 2010, he returned to UMB as president.

Dr. Perman’s career includes service on many national and regional boards and committees, including chair of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board, as well as the boards of the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans, the Children’s Cancer Foundation, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is immediate past-chair of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. Dr. Perman has also been active on issues involving specialized and regional accreditation—serving as chair of several Middle States review teams—and has played an active role in governance issues as chair of the USM Council of University System Presidents for the past four years.

Dr. Perman is a past president of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, a former section chair of the American Gastroenterological Association, and a former executive committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has been listed among “The Best Doctors in America” since 2001.

A native of Chicago, Dr. Perman and his wife, Andrea, a research nurse, have four adult children and nine grandchildren and reside in Baltimore.

Dr. David Wilson is the President of Morgan State University. Dr. Wilson formerly served as the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin Extensions. He has also served as the Assistant Provost at Auburn University and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Dr. Wilson received his Ph.D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University, Masters Degrees from both Harvard University and the Tuskegee Institute and a B.S. in Political Science from the Tuskegee Institute. He has received numerous awards and honors and has been a widely sought speaker and consultant on the strategic value of diversity in higher education. Dr. Wilson is a resident of Baltimore City.

The Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services oversees and manages the functions of the Department of Juvenile Services.

Betsy Fox Tolentino was appointed Acting Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services by Governor Wes Moore on June 9, 2025, and officially assumed the role on June 11, 2025.

Betsy brings nearly two decades of experience in criminal and juvenile justice advocacy, policy development, and systems reform aimed at addressing the diverse needs of Maryland’s communities. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Young Adult Justice Initiatives at the nationally recognized nonprofit, The Roca Impact Institute. In this role, she led strategic partnerships, oversaw scaled client initiatives, and worked to expand national visibility for Rewire CBT—a cutting-edge model for individual behavior change and system transformation.

Prior to her work at Roca, Betsy held multiple leadership roles at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), including Deputy Secretary of Community Operations and Director of Legislation. As Deputy Secretary, she championed efforts to reimagine the way young people, families, and communities engage with the justice system—focusing on reducing racial disparities, building equity-driven reforms, and fostering innovation through collaborative partnerships.

Betsy began her legal career in public service, working with the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau before joining the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as an attorney in 2005. These foundational roles shaped her deep commitment to justice, fairness, and advocacy for underserved populations.

In addition to her professional work, Betsy is active in the community. She volunteers with grassroots organizations, serves on the Board of Directors for Mentor MD/DC, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She holds a degree from Southern Oregon University and earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law.​

Appointed by Governor Wes Moore and confirmed by the Maryland Senate, Rafael López serves as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Human Services. He joined the Moore-Miller Administration from the United States Department of Health and Human Services where he most recently served as a Senior Advisor to the Administration for Children and Families. In the Biden-Harris Administration, López helped reunite more than 170,000 unaccompanied children with their families or other vetted sponsors at the height of the largest surge of unaccompanied children in U.S. history. He is recognized as a national leader in human services and for leading complex organizations across sectors to improve the lives of children, families, and communities.

Dr. Brad Phillips became MACC’s executive director on July 1, 2021. Dr. Phillips works with the Maryland Council of Community College Presidents to determine and execute strategic initiatives for the community colleges, represent the colleges at the state and national level and promote the attributes of community colleges to all Marylanders. Dr. Phillips has over 20 years of experience in higher education policy having worked at MACC since 2008 and before that at the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Dr. Phillips received his Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Southern Adventist University. He currently teaches a course on higher education public policy in the Higher Education Administration Master’s Program at Georgetown University.

Matthew Power is President of the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA), a voluntary association of 15 private, nonprofit colleges and universities located in Maryland. MICUA provides public policy leadership and support of higher education, fosters cooperative efforts among colleges and universities, and serves as the official liaison between these independent institutions and the State and federal governments. In addition, Mr. Power serves as the Managing Director of the Independent College Fund of Maryland, which works with Maryland’s business community to improve college access, choice, and opportunities by raising funds to provide scholarships and grants to students attending twelve independent institutions in the State.

Prior to serving as MICUA’s President, Mr. Power served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Anne Arundel County Maryland. In that role, he oversaw county government, including 18 departments, a $2 billion operating budget, a $700M+ capital budget, and a staff of 6,000. Mr. Power led the county’s response to COVID-19 as well as its recovery and reopening efforts. He actively modernized County operations and systems to improve services for county residents. He was also Chair of the County’s Pension Board, the Self Insurance Fund, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. He spearheaded numerous new initiatives and was instrumental in securing the transfer of the Crownsville Hospital complex to the County. Prior to becoming CAO, he served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Land Use. In that role, he oversaw the Departments of Public Works, Inspections and Permits, Recreation and Parks as well as the Offices of Planning and Transportation

Previously, Mr. Power served as the Vice President for Government Relations for MICUA. In that role, he served as the primary lobbyist for higher education issues in Annapolis. He managed the association’s business affiliate program and led numerous consortium initiatives to drive down costs for member institutions.

Mr. Power was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley as the Director of StateStat in 2013. StateStat is a performance measurement and managerial process that made state government more efficient and accountable. In this role, Mr. Power chaired weekly meetings with Cabinet Secretaries and agency leadership to analyze agency performance, track priority initiatives, and question standard operating procedures. Agency data was carefully analyzed by a team of StateStat analysts, performance trends are closely monitored, and strategies to achieve improved performance are developed through a series of meetings designed to ensure relentless follow-up and reassessment. Mr. Power was a strong advocate for transparency and open data initiatives throughout Maryland.

Mr. Power was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning in 2007. He managed a broad range of operational, management and program functions. His roles with the Department of Planning included work as the Director of Policy Evaluation and Development. In 2002, he became Director of Operations for the department, reinvigorating the financial management of the agency and leading the merger of the Maryland Historical Trust into the Maryland Department of Planning. Mr. Power served as Chairman of the Maryland Heritage Areas and a member of the Maryland Green Building Council and was the Governor’s alternate on the Appalachian Regional Commission. He is a graduate of Leadership Maryland, Class of 2011 and a Certified Project Management Professional. He began his employment with the department in 1999. His professional career started with the Department of Legislative Services, providing legislative oversight to Maryland’s environmental agencies.

Rhonda Scott was appointed Executive Director for the Maryland Board of Nursing in September 2023. Under Rhonda's leadership, the Maryland Board of Nursing has achieved significant advancements in multiple key areas, including technology integration, staffing and other operational resources, community engagement, and customer service. Through a commitment to innovation and strategic development, Rhonda has fostered an environment that supports excellence and responsiveness in regulatory oversight and stakeholder relations. Prior to being appointed as Executive Director, Rhonda served as Deputy Director for over four years, overseeing the Board's daily operations.

With a nursing career spanning 33 years, Rhonda is a registered nurse and attorney. She has held several nursing leadership positions and has been instrumental in developing nursing orientation programs, nurse preceptor programs, and infusion therapy training in long-term care. Rhonda is skilled in both nursing and legal research, as well as regulatory compliance.

Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Coppin State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law. She holds a Certified Registered Nurse Infusion (CRNI) certification and a national certification for staff development in long-term care (SD-CLTC).

Dr. Mark T. Bedell begin a four-year term as Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools on July 1, 2022, and assumed his full duties leading Maryland’s fourth largest school district on August 8, 2022, after transitioning from the superintendency of Kansas City Public Schools.

Dr. Bedell is a talented, caring teacher, administrator and proven innovative public-school leader with a track record of success in urban districts. In 2022, he led Kansas City Public Schools to full accreditation status for the first time in more than 20 years.

Dr. Bedell has spent his career pushing for educational equity. Under his steady leadership, Kansas City Public Schools created an innovative Equity Policy to direct the school system’s resources and programs to give every student the opportunity to reach their greatest potential.

He brought the same transparent, accountable philosophy to Anne Arundel County Public Schools, reinforcing at every opportunity that no matter how they show up, all students need to feel a sense of belonging and grow socially, emotionally, and academically.

Dr. Bedell has received many recognitions, including being named the 2023 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators. In 2025, he was asked by Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education to speak to approximately 170 principals in the Summer Leadership Institute about AACPS' work to cultivate relationships that will help move every student forward.

He also was named the 2025 recipient of the Bob Grossman Leadership in School Communications Award by the National School Public Relations Association. That same organization named him a “Superintendent to Watch” during his tenure in Kansas City.

Dr. Bedell takes pride in the transparency that is among the core principles of his educational work. Upon taking his position in AACPS, he led a series of 16 “Listening and Learning” sessions designed to provide students, families, employees, and community members with a sense of his priorities and to allow those same people to provide their input on what the school system does well, what it needs to improve, and what they would like to see in AACPS. Those efforts, which have continued in different formats in recent years, led to the community-driven five-year Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Education in May 2024.

Dr. Bedell regularly conducts assemblies with students, particularly those in middle school, in which he discusses the challenges he faced as a youth growing up in Rochester, N.Y., and the relationships he developed to help him overcome those challenges.

Under his leadership, AACPS was ranked 40th in the nation and No. 1 in the region among sought after school districts in a 2024 survey done by Test Prep Insight. The survey asked parents and guardians across the nation to identify the school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice.

Dr. Bedell has written several articles and opinion pieces for newspapers, magazines, and journals, including a March 2025 piece on his own journey in School Administrator magazine published by AASA, the national school superintendents organization. His numerous speaking engagements, awards, national board service for several high-level organizations and equity- centered keynotes make him a leading Superintendent in public education.

His most important honors, however, have come from students. In 2018, students at Southeast High School in Kansas City presented Dr. Bedell with an award for his efforts on their behalf and the positive impact he would have on future students. In 2022, Middle College students named Dr. Bedell “Superintendent of the Century.” The Middle College program started by Dr. Bedell has changed the lives of nearly 300 Kansas City Public Schools students who otherwise would have dropped out of high school.

Dr. Bedell and his wife, Robyn, an attorney, have three children. Their two oldest graduated from Kansas City Public Schools and HBCUs. Their youngest is a student in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Frederick D. Taylor Jr., MBA, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, ITIL v3 is a senior project management and information systems professional with more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale technology initiatives across government and private sectors. Known for his innovative, change-oriented leadership, Fred blends business strategy with technical expertise to deliver multi-million-dollar technology solutions that are efficient, client-focused, and sustainable. Fred currently serves as a Senior Project Manager at CWR Technologies, LLC, where he has been instrumental in establishing standard processes, creating a Process Engineering Group and Quality Assurance Group, and driving the company’s achievement of CMMI Maturity Level 3 certifications for both Services and Development, along with ISO 9001, ISO 20000, and ISO 27001 accreditations. His work has included managing enterprise-scale initiatives for the State of Illinois, Brown Advisory, BGE, CMS, and other major organizations.

Earlier in his career, Fred held leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, Allegis Group, Aerotek, and Random House, among others, steadily advancing from software developer and quality assurance manager to senior project leader. His project portfolio spans complex system integrations, enterprise data warehouse design, infrastructure modernization, and Agile/DevOps transformations.

Throughout his career, Fred has built a reputation for being customer-focused and highly effective at envisioning opportunities, revamping processes, and implementing technology that drives measurable results. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration, mentoring, and consistency, ensuring both his clients and teams thrive under his guidance.

Fred holds an MBA in Marketing from Morgan State University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Bowie State University. He also maintains multiple professional certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and ITIL v3 Foundation.

Hussainatu Blake, JD, MA, is an executive leader with 20 years of experience in education, workforce, technology, and global social impact. She is Co-Founder and CEO of ED2Tech, where she leads strategy and innovation to drive innovative EdTech and workforce solutions for domestic and international partners.

Previously, she led education and workforce portfolio at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and managed strategic partnerships at BookNook. As an adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, she teaches global education and technology. She also was an Adjunct Professor at Baltimore City Community College for seven years.

Hussainatu is an experienced board and governance leader, having previously chaired the Governance Committee at ByteBack. Currently, she serves on the Per Scholas Baltimore Advisory Board.

Recognized as a thought leader, she has been featured by TEDx, the White House, Black Enterprise, The AFRO, and EdTech Insiders. She holds a JD from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and an MA from the Middlebury College, and a BA from Tufts University.

Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is a professor of counseling psychology at Howard University, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education, and chief of research for Concentric Educational Solutions. A prolific scholar with over 100 publications, he is co-author of One Door at a Time: The Story of Concentric and How Putting Students at the Center of Education Works and author of the bestseller No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People. Previously serving as executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities under President Barack Obama, Dr. Toldson works with school districts nationwide to leverage data for promoting educational equity and has been recognized among the nation's top education scholars by Education Week.