Donald B. Tobin, JD, was named co-chair of Maryland Attorney General-Elect Anthony Brown’s transition team. Tobin, who recently stepped down as dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law to resume teaching, will serve with co-chair Donna Hill Staton to advise the attorney general-elect on the roles, responsibilities, authorities, organization, and operations of the office. They will also lead the Transition Steering Committee and six issues teams.
Donald B. Tobin (above) will co-chair Maryland Attorney General-Elect Anthony Brown's transition team.
“Donna Hill Staton and Donald B. Tobin bring a wealth of experience and are highly respected members of Maryland’s legal community. They’ll be invaluable advisors as the co-chairs of my transition. Throughout my campaign, I emphasized the need to break down barriers for everyday Marylanders — in health care and housing, in opportunity and education, and in policing and our criminal justice system,” Brown said. “That work starts now, and Donna and Donald both possess the skills, passion, and understanding to lead a team that can develop bold and achievable ideas and recommendations to address the challenges presented every day to the Office of the Attorney General in representing the state and working for the people. Together, with the voices of Marylanders and our state’s top legal practitioners and thought leaders, we’ll lay a strong foundation for justice, equity, and change. We serve the people, and this is their transition, too.”
“I am honored to serve as a co-chair for Attorney General-Elect Brown’s transition,” said Tobin. "The attorney general-elect has indicated that he wants a transparent and comprehensive transition that incorporates the input of legal experts, stakeholders, and the citizens of Maryland. I know that my co-chair, Donna Hill Staton, and I are excited to work with him and members of the community to ensure an orderly and effective transition.”
Tobin served as dean of Maryland Carey Law from 2014 until 2022 when he made the decision to return to the classroom. Beginning his tenure as dean in the wake of the Great Recession, he is credited with uniting the law school community to achieve a full financial recovery while simultaneously expanding student opportunities and community engagement.
Prior to joining academia, Tobin worked on Capitol Hill as a professional staff member for U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D.-Md.), the Senate Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. He went to law school at night while working on the Hill. Later, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Francis Murnaghan Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and as an appellate attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Justice Department. Prior to his deanship at Maryland Carey Law, he was professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs, and associate dean for faculty at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Tobin’s research concentrates on tax policy and the way the tax code is often used to drive other policy outcomes. In the last 15 years, his work has mainly centered on the interaction between the tax code and election law. His scholarship on the use of the tax code to regulate campaigns and tax-exempt entities has been featured in such publications as the Georgetown Law Journal, First Amendment Law Review, Election Law Journal, and Georgia Law Review. He is also co-author, with Samuel A. Donaldson, of Federal Income Taxation: A Contemporary Approach, an interactive casebook. Tobin has testified before the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight.