Baltimore, MD (Tuesday, October 20, 2020)—Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott, who is the Democratic nominee for Mayor, today announced a diverse group of nine local leaders, spanning many sectors and communities, to serve as the co-chairs of his administration's transition team.
"Building a new way forward for Baltimore will require us to come together like never before and advance innovative solutions to our deepest challenges," said Brandon Scott. "These nine people, representing multiple sectors and communities, believe in Baltimore's potential and are not afraid to think outside the box."
The nine co-chairs of the transition will be:
Mike Hankin, President & CEO, Brown Advisory — Mike Hankin is President and CEO of Brown Advisory Incorporated. He has spent his career assisting a wide range of individuals and institutions with their investment and financial matters. Mike has a long and proven dedication to the community and to environmental justice. He serves as Chairman of the Baltimore Healthy Harbor Project. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Associated Black Charities, Nature Sacred, and Business Executives for National Security. He is a trustee of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Mike also serves on the Board of Directors of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK) and on the boards of directors of three private companies, Tate Engineering Services, Inc., The Wills Group, Inc. and 1251 Capital Group, Inc. Mike received a B.A. and M.A. from Emory University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received a J.D. from The University of Virginia School of Law.
Ricarra Jones, Political Director, 1199 SEIU — Ricarra Jones is the Political Director for 1199 SEIU, the largest healthcare union in the country. She has spent her career empowering underserved communities and building coalitions to fight for social and economic justice. Ricarra has worked tirelessly to improve the lives and working conditions for low wage workers and successfully led the fight to increase the state's minimum wage to $15. She also spearheaded efforts to ensure full time employees earn paid sick leave. Ricarra is a champion for working families. She serves on the Executive Board of the MD/DC AFL-CIO, Baltimore Women United and the Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP. Ricarra received her B.A. from Temple University and her M.P.A. from the University of Baltimore.
Cory McCray, State Senator, District 45 — Cory McCray represents Baltimore's 45th Legislative District in the Maryland State Senate. Before that, he served in the House of Delegates. Cory is a lifelong Baltimorean, small business owner, husband and father of four. Since 19, he has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He has dedicated his service in the General Assembly to supporting working families, seniors and Baltimore’s communities. Cory has been a leader in Annapolis on a diverse array of issues from workforce development to transportation policy. Cory received his A.S. from Baltimore City Community College and his B.A. from National Labor College.
Wes Moore, CEO, Robin Hood — Wes Moore is a Baltimore native, bestselling author, combat veteran, and social entrepreneur who serves as the CEO of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation. Wes grew up in Maryland and New York City, where he was raised by a single mom. Wes’ first book, “The Other Wes Moore,” is a perennial best seller that traced his childhood relative to the childhood and fate of a man with the same name, similar circumstances, and a tragically different fate. Despite his childhood challenges, Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He earned an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Wes then served as a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan. He later served as a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Before becoming CEO at Robin Hood, Wes was the founder and CEO at BridgeEdU, an innovative tech platform based in Baltimore addressing the college completion and job placement crisis.
Cassie Motz, Executive Director, CollegeBound Foundation — Cassie Motz is a lifelong Baltimorean who serves as Executive Director of the CollegeBound Foundation. Prior to joining CollegeBound, Cassie served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Martin O'Malley. She had also served as Deputy Legal Counsel to Governor O'Malley and as the Interim Director of the Governor's Office for Children. Cassie graduated from Dartmouth College and Yale Law School. Between college and law school, Cassie taught at a public middle school in the South Bronx, New York through Teach for America. After graduating from law school Cassie served as a law clerk for Judge James Robertson on the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC. She then practiced law for several years in Washington as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and serving as a Deputy Attorney General for the District of Columbia government, representing the city's child welfare and mental health agencies. Cassie served on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents from June 2014 through March 2015. Cassie serves on the board of Catholic Charities and as board secretary for the KIPP Baltimore Schools.
Torrey Smith, Retired Baltimore Ravens Receiver and Philanthropist — Torrey Smith is the former wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens and a two-time Super Bowl champion. He played college football at the University of Maryland and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers. He and his wife Chanel founded the Torrey Smith Family Foundation, whose mission is to provide support to at-risk youth with physical, educational, and financial challenges, and to focus on the enhancement of lives of those affected by domestic violence.
Danielle Torain, Director, OSI-Baltimore — Danielle Torain is a proud Baltimore native with a decade's experience in the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. She previously worked in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, where she led a citywide initiative to strengthen systems of support for incarcerated youth, and worked on local jobs programs with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. She was senior director of strategy and development at the Center for Urban Families, and spent four years at the Annie E. Casey Foundations’ Baltimore Civic Site, leading its place-based strategies in workforce development and economic inclusion, community capacity building and resident leadership. For the past several years, she has worked as an organizational development consultant, helping to advise and build capacity for social justice nonprofit groups. Danielle is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
Alicia Wilson, Vice President for Economic Development, Johns Hopkins — Alicia Wilson is the vice president for economic development at the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System, elevating and expanding the institutions' commitment to the city through investments in economic and neighborhood development, health care, and education. Prior to joining Hopkins, she served as the senior vice president of impact investments and senior legal counsel for the Port Covington Development Team. Wilson also held a partnership position at the law firm of Gordon Feinblatt for eight years. Wilson actively works with charitable organizations and was recently elected chair of the CollegeBound Foundation and, as such, is the first African American and youngest board chair in the 30-year history of the organization. She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and a juris doctor from the University of Maryland Francis Key Carey School of Law.
Brittany Young, Founder & CEO, B-360 — Brittany Young is a lifelong Baltimorean and the founder of B-360, which utilizes dirt bike culture to end the cycle of poverty, disrupt the prison pipeline, and build bridges in communities. After noticing the lack of diversity in STEM fields, Brittany helped partner FIRST Lego League with Baltimore City Public Schools to host an annual Girls and STEM summit and teach technology courses to K-12 students. As a faculty member of the BCCC STEM Scholars Program, she provides scholarships and internships with NASA to motivate black students to pursue STEM careers, reaching them at the community college/GED level. In 2017, Brittany founded B-360 with the goal of intersecting STEM education, dirt bikes, and unrecognized talent. B-360 has received awards from the Baltimore Corps’ Elevation Awards, the Social Innovation Lab at Johns Hopkins, the Warnock Foundation, Red Bull Amaphiko, and Black Girl Ventures; has been recognized as a B’More History Maker and a Top 10 Baltimore Start-Up; and was CLIA’s Inspiring Voices 2018 Honoree. She is a 2020 TED Fellow.
"I know they will collectively bring a strong focus on building a more equitable Baltimore not just for the next term, but for the future of our city," said Scott. "I look forward to working closely with them to build a dynamic and inclusive transition process that sets our city on the path to success."
The transition co-chairs plan to meet before the end of the month. Work groups will be announced in the near future.
Scott's transition team will focus on generating proposals for how to rebuild city government from top to bottom, and ensure functioning, equitable, and efficient operations for all of Baltimore's residents.
Scott is running on a platform of restoring trust in city government, building public safety and implementing a comprehensive strategy to end gun violence, and making Baltimore a more equitable city. Over the campaign, he published policy plans on good government, public safety, inclusive economic development, and Baltimore's recovery from COVID-19.
All inquiries about the Mayoral transition and ideas for a Scott administration should be directed to brandon@brandonforbaltimore.com.
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