Groundbreaking

Event Speakers

• Dean Judy L. Postmus, Ph.D., ACSW

  

  Judy L. Postmus was appointed Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in July 2020. She was previously the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the School of Social Work, Rutgers University. She was also the founder and former director of the Center on Violence Against Women & Children at Rutgers. Her research is on physical, sexual, and economic victimization experiences of women including an examination of strategies to economically empower survivors. She uses coercive control as a framework to understand the insidious nature of abusers who trap their partners in relationships – physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially – and how systems designed to help survivors may cause more problems. Some of her latest efforts have been to test interventions that financially empower female survivors, regardless of race or class, to strengthen their capabilities. She has given many local, national, and international presentations on the impact of policies and interventions for survivors of violence. Her work is strongly influenced from her 20 years as a practitioner and administrator.

   

• President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS

  

  Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS was selected as the seventh president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) on Sept. 10, 2020, after serving as interim president for eight months. During the interim period, Dr. Jarrell guided the University’s efforts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic once it unfolded in March 2020.  Dr. Jarrell was born and raised in Caroline County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed a general surgical residency and renal transplantation fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia and held faculty positions at Jefferson, where he performed kidney and liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery for 10 years, and the University of Arizona, where he was a professor and chair of its Department of Surgery. 

   

• Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Esq.

  

  Brooke Lierman, Esq. 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. 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.

• Antonio L. Hayes

  

  Senator Antonio L. Hayes was first elected to the Maryland Senate in 2018 and has represented the 40th Legislative District of Maryland since January 9, 2019. Prior to becoming a State Senator, he served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015-2019. Throughout his tenure, Senator Hayes has held several key leadership roles, including Senate Majority Whip and Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. He currently chairs the Executive Nominations Committee and serves on the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, the Joint Committee on Federal Relations, and the Senate Finance Committee. He is also an active member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

  Among Senator Hayes' numerous legislative accomplishments are the Keep the Door Open Act, which committed $440 million to Community Behavioral Health Providers, the establishment of a Paid Family Leave Program, the creation of Health Equity Resource Communities, and the Extension of Maryland’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Program. Senator Hayes is also deeply involved in his community. He is an active member of Empowerment Temple African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Baltimore, where he serves on the Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Baltimore Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

• Dr. Karen Brown, PhD

  

  Karen Brown brings 32 years of community-based organizing, economic development, youth and adult entrepreneurship, and Pastoral Leadership in west Baltimore City.  Dr. Brown organized the John E. Howard Elementary Child First Authority, was a member of the Steering Committee for the first Judy Center in Baltimore City (2000), a 1999 Open Society Institute Fellow, President of the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council, member of the Madison Avenue Development Corporation, Associate Pastor and Executive Director of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and Family Life Center, Director of the DRU (Druid Heights, Reservoir Hill, and Upton) Family Support Center, and Resource Developer for Intersection of Change.

  Karen Brown, Ph.D. has been associated with Maryland Family Network for the past 12 years; as a Program Consultant, Assistant Director, and currently as the Director of the Patty Center Family Support Services. As the Assistant Director for the Patty Center Family Support Services, Dr. Brown worked with Center for Restorative Change during the planning grant phase for the RISE Family Support Center.

• Courtney Fullwood

  

  Courtney Fullwood is currently attending the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where he serves as the Student Government Association President. He served as an intelligence analyst in the US Navy from 1999 to 2006. Courtney was honorably discharged and worked as an intelligence analyst supporting several US government agencies. Over time, he decided to pursue higher education. He attended Bowie State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in History. After his undergraduate studies, Courtney completed an AmeriCorps service year with Reading Partners, tutoring children behind their grade level in reading. Then he transitioned into teaching for two years before deciding to pursue his Master of Social Work at the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a scheduled graduation date of May 2025. Courtney has also worked for One Fair Wage, a non-profit organization looking to end the use of sub-minimum wages for tipped service workers.