Board Bios

Hon. Joshua Gotbaum, Chair

Josh Gotbaum, now a guest scholar affiliated with the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution, chairs Maryland’s Small Business Retirement Savings Board. He was elected by the other members of the Board.

Hon. Gotbaum is an advocate for reforming pension law/regulation and expanding retirement options. Josh came to Brookings after four years as Director (CEO) of PBGC. PBGC insures pension plans covering more than 40 million people & invests more than $85 billion. Josh focused PBGC on preserving pensions, not just waiting until they fail. One visible success was at American Airlines, where the pensions of 130,000 people were preserved. Another major effort was the bipartisan Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. Josh also worked to improve PBGC’s customer service: today PBGC’s customer satisfaction scores are the highest in the federal government – higher, in fact, than some of the best private sector companies.

Institutional Investor twice cited him as one of the 40 most influential players in the battle to decide the future of U.S. pensions. At Brookings, Gotbaum has also written about federal fiscal policy and infrastructure.

Gotbaum’s career has spanned work in business, government and non-profits. He was the CEO of The September 11th Fund, a $500+ million charity. Thereafter, he led the successful reorganization of Hawaiian Airlines. Prior to joining PBGC, he was a partner in Blue Wolf Capital, a private equity firm noted for its work in distress situations. Before that, he was a managing director of Lazard advising on finance, acquisitions, and restructuring. He has been a director of TD Bank, of Safety-Kleen Systems, and of PulteGroup, as well as consultant for major investment firms. During the 1990’s, Josh was confirmed on a bipartisan basis to senior presidential appointments in the Treasury, Office of Management & Budget, and Defense.

Josh has degrees from Stanford, Harvard Law School, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is married and the father of three. In his spare time, he sings.

Hon. Dereck E. Davis

Elected in December 2021, Dereck E. Davis is the 24th Maryland State Treasurer since the adoption of the Constitution of 1851.

Dereck E. Davis was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Prince Georges County, Maryland. He attended the Prince Georges County Public School System and graduated from Central High School (1985) in Capitol Heights, Maryland. He continued his education at the University of Maryland at College Park, where he received his B.A. in Political Science (1989) and his Masters in Public Policy (1999).

Dereck is currently employed by Prince Georges County as the Deputy Director for the Office of Community Relations (June 2011-Present). His responsibilities include oversight of the Common Ownership Communities, Mediation, Community Outreach, and the 311 Call Center divisions. He has also worked as an administrator with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (2003-2011), the state Department of Labor, Licensing, Regulation (1999-2002), and the Prince Georges County Council (1989- 1994).

Delegate Davis was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994 at the age of 27, making him one of the youngest African-Americans ever elected to the Maryland General Assembly. He was appointed Chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee on January 8, 2003, becoming just the fourth African-American to chair a House standing committee and the first from Prince Georges County. This committee has wide-ranging responsibilities in the areas of banking, telecommunications, public utilities, insurance, science and technology, professional licenses, and alcoholic beverages. Delegate Davis has successfully sponsored legislation that lowered the state’s drunk driving threshold to .08, raised the state’s minimum wage above the national rate, increased financial assistance for low-income residents to pay electric bills, and promoted education related to concussions and youth athletics. He has received numerous awards including the 2012 Mission of Love Founders Award, 2011 Maryland Clean Energy Centers Legislative Leadership Award, 2010 Maryland Black Caucus Foundations Outstanding Leadership Award, 2009 AOBA Outstanding leadership Award, 2007 American Heart Associations Public Official Award, 2006 Maryland Consumer Rights Coalitions Legislator of the Year Ward, and the 2002 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award of Excellence.

Dereck and his wife, Monique, reside in Mitchellville with their two children, Dereck Jr. and Nyla. He is an active volunteer with the Marlboro Boys and Girls Club and the Foundation.

Portia WU

Portia Wu was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to serve as Maryland’s Secretary of Labor the 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.

Hon. Phyllis C. Borzi

The Honorable Phyllis C. Borzi was confirmed on July 10, 2009 as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and served until 2017. During her tenure, EBSA oversaw nearly 708,000 private-sector retirement plans, approximately 2.8 million health plans, and a similar number of other welfare benefit plans that provide benefits to approximately 150 million Americans. She also led the U.S. Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, headquartered in Paris, on pension and insurance issues.

As agency head, she oversaw the administration, regulation, and enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and led the Department’s efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act. She also served as the representative of the Secretary of Labor, who is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and represented and staffed the Secretary in the Secretary’s capacity as a statutory trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds.

Previously, Ms. Borzi was a research professor in the Department of Health Policy at George Washington University Medical Center’s School of Public Health and Health Services. In addition, she was Of Counsel with the Washington, D.C. law firm of O’Donoghue & O’Donoghue LLP, specializing in ERISA and other legal issues affecting employee benefit plans, including pensions and retirement savings, health plans, and discrimination based on age or disability.

From 1979 to 1995, former Assistant Secretary Borzi served as pension and employee benefits counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Labor-Management Relations of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Ms. Borzi currently serves on the Board of Edelman Financial Engines, LP, the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Fiduciary Standard Board of Advisors, and the Board of Directors of FAIR Health. She is a charter member and former President of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, serving on its Board of Governors from 2000-2008. She has also held positions on the Advisory Board of the BNA Pension & Benefits Reporter, the Advisory Committee of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Advisory Board of the Pension Research Council, The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania, and the Board of the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER). In addition, Ms. Borzi also represents retirees as a fiduciary on the Committee governing the Goodyear Retiree Health Care Trust. She is an independent consultant where she continues to be a strong advocate for American investors and consumers. She is a frequent speaker for both national and international audiences.

Stuart R. Cohen

Stuart (Stu) R. Cohen is recently retired as senior vice president of Legal Advocacy for AARP Foundation. In this position, he led a team of 13 litigators who advocated nationwide for the rights of people age 50 and older, addressed diverse legal issues that affected their daily lives and ensured that they had a voice in the judicial system. The team provided support for cases involving employment discrimination; employee benefits; housing; consumer issues including financial fraud and utility issues; health and long-term care; and public benefits.

Previously he was executive director of Camden Regional Legal Services in New Jersey and chief of litigation at the Legal Aid Bureau in Maryland.

Cohen lives in Annapolis and volunteers at the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Partners in Care, and as an AARP Executive Council Member and advocacy volunteer.

Paul A. Green, Esq.

For more than thirty years, Paul Green has represented multiemployer pension and welfare plans, labor management cooperation trusts, and labor organizations. Mr. Green is a recognized expert in the field of ERISA and employee benefits and leads the employee benefits practice at his Firm. Mr. Green also serves as the General Counsel of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans.

Prior to joining the Firm as a founding partner, Mr. Green led the employee benefits practice at the former Beins, Axelrod, Osborne, Mooney & Green, P.C. Mr. Green originally gained his ERISA expertise as an attorney with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, after serving as a clerk for the Hon. Rita C. Davidson on the Court of Appeals of Maryland.

In addition to his practice of law, Mr. Green is a member of the Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Board and chairs its Program Design and Consumer Protection Committee, after having served on the legislative commission that helped to craft its enabling legislation. The Board has been charged by the Maryland General Assembly with responsibility for implementing an automatic IRA savings program for Maryland workers who have no other retirement savings alternatives through their work.

Mr. Green also spent years teaching law as an adjunct professor in the field of employee benefits at the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. Mr. Green lectures on a regular basis for multiple organizations. Mr. Green has conducted multiple sessions on matters related to State-Facilitated Retirement Savings Programs, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, bankruptcy, reporting and disclosure, benefit plan collections, domestic partner benefits, multiemployer section 401(k) and annuity plans, plan arbitration and dispute resolution, understanding investment management fees, and more.

Mr. Green has authored a number of significant publications in his field of practice, including: “I Can Get it For You Wholesale: Discount Rates and Withdrawal Liability“, Benefits Law Journal (Wolters Kluwer), Vol. 33, No. 4 (Winter 2020) (Co-Author); “Healthcare Basics for Union-Side Labor Lawyers,” LCC Annual Conference, 2017; “Hot Topics in Pension and Health Benefits,” LCC Annual Conference, 2017; “The Privilege Challenge,” Benefits Magazine (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans), April 2016; “Getting Out of the Weeds: Medical Marijuana and the Workplace,” Benefits Magazine (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans), October 2015, pp. 16-19 (Co-Author); “Bankruptcy Basics,” Benefits Magazine, May 2014 (web exclusive) (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans); “Fiduciary Obligation in Collections,” Employee Benefit Issues, The Multiemployer Perspective (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans), pp. 169-178 (2002); “Investment Management Fees – Soft Dollars,” Employee Benefit Issues, The Multiemployer Perspective (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans), pp. 34-44 (2002); “401(k) and Self-Directed Annuity Plans,” Employee Benefit Issues, The Multiemployer Perspective (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans), pp. 318 – 326 (2000); “Self-Pay Revisited – New Legal Requirements” (Digest, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Vol. 23, No. 6), pp. 7 et seq. (1986); “The Single-Employer Pension Plan Amendments of 1986: An Overview” (Spencer & Associates 1986) (Co-Author); and “Pension-Related Claims in Bankruptcy,” Pension Briefings (Federal Publications Inc.), No. 87-7 (July 1987) (Co-Author).

Mr. Green is a life-long Maryland resident and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago, also fulfilling the requirements for a degree in economics. Mr. Green earned his J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he was distinguished as Order of the Coif.

Hon. James C. Rosapepe

Member of Senate since January 10, 2007. Deputy Majority Whip, 2017-. Member, Finance Committee, 2016-; Joint Audit Committee, 2011- (chair, 2011-15). Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, 2014-. Member, Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, 2007-16 (health subcommittee, 2007-10; alcoholic beverages subcommittee, 2007-14; ethics & election law subcommittee, 2007-14; education subcommittee, 2007-16; base realignment & closure subcommittee, 2008-10; comptroller issues subcommittee, 2015-16; co-chair, environment subcommittee, 2015-16). Chair, Joint Technology Oversight Committee, 2007-09. Member, Joint Committee on Base Realignment and Closure, 2007-11. Assistant Deputy Majority Whip, 2007-11. Member, Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 2007-14. Senate Chair, Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, 2009-14. Member, Joint Advisory Committee on Legislative Data Systems, 2011-14. Deputy Majority Whip, 2011-16. Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer, 2015; Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, 2015-16; Commission on Maryland Retirement Security and Savings, 2015-16. Senate Chair, Prince George’s County Delegation, 2015-. Associate member, Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2015-. Member, National Conference of State Legislatures (communications, financial services & interstate commerce committee, 2007-10; education committee, 2010-).

Member, Task Force to Improve Child Support Compliance in Prince George’s County, 2007-08; Task Force on the Preservation of Heritage Language Skills in Maryland, 2008-09. Chair, Task Force on Solar Hot Water Systems in Prince George’s County, 2010, 2011. Member, Task Force on the Establishment of a Statewide Spay/Neuter Fund, 2011-13; Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee, 2011-, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; Maryland Advisory Council for Virtual Learning, 2012-; Maryland Smart Growth Investment Fund Work Group, 2013-14; Task Force to Ensure Retirement Security for All Marylanders, 2014-15; Commission to Modernize State Procurement, 2016; Task Force to Study a Promise Scholarship Program in Prince George’s County, 2016-17; Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Board, 2016-. Chair, Prince George’s County Surcharge Exemptions for Projects Near Transit Properties Work Group, 2017-18. Member, Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, 2017-.

Member, National Petroleum Council, 1979-81. Chair, Economic Development Committee, City of College Park, 1983-86. Member, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Prince George’s County, 1985-93. Chair, Substance Abuse Advisory Council, Prince George’s County, 1991-94.

Member of House of Delegates, representing District 21, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties, 1987-97. Vice-Chair, Ways and Means Committee, 1995-97. Member, Spending Affordability Committee, 1987-93, 1995-97; Special Joint Committee on Economic Development Strategy, 1988-89; Joint Budget and Audit Committee, 1991-93. House Co-Chair, Joint Transportation Financing Committee (Transportation 2000), 1994. Member, Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 1995-97; Joint Committee on Legislative Data Systems, 1995-97; Special Joint Committee on Competitive Taxation and Economic Development, 1996-97; Special Committee on School Enrollment Management, 1996-97. Resigned from House of Delegates, effective December 31, 1997, to become U.S. Ambassador to Romania.

U.S. Ambassador to Romania, January 20, 1998 to February 2001. Board member, Council of American Ambassadors, 2009-.

Board of Regents, University System of Maryland, 2001-06.

Born in Rome, Italy, May 20, 1951. Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Patuxent Capital Group, 2001-. Advisory Council, Maryland Committee on Federal Income Tax Conformity, 1982. President, Maryland Main Street Development Association, 1984-85. Member, Maryland Democratic State Central Committee, 1985-92. Advisory Board, Center for National Policy, 1986-91. Board of Directors, National Small Business United, 1986-92. Deputy Chair, Maryland Democratic Party, 1989-92 (treasurer, 1985-89). Co-author, Dracula Is Dead: How Romanians Survived Communism, Ended It, and Emerged since 1989 as the New Italy (2009). Board of Trustees, Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs. Certificate of Appreciation, Maryland Municipal League, 2008. Consumer Hero, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, 2013, 2014. Married.

Hon. Benjamin T. Brooks, Sr.

Member of House of Delegates since January 14, 2015. Deputy Majority Whip, 2017-. Member, Economic Matters Committee, 2015- (alcoholic beverages subcommittee, 2015-; property & casualty insurance subcommittee, 2015-). Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2015- (treasurer, 2016-18; 2nd vice-chair, 2018-); Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, 2015-; Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2015-

Member, Task Force to Study Methods to Reduce the Rate of Uninsured Drivers, 2015; Task Force to Investigate the Challenges of and Opportunities for Minorities in Business, 2016-18; Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Board, 2016-; Advisory Council on the Impact of Regulations on Small Businesses, 2017-.

Member, Board of License Commissioners, Baltimore County, 2011-13.

Born in Sumter, South Carolina, April 23, 1950. Attended Ebenezer High School, Sumter, South Carolina; South Carolina State University, B.S. (accounting), 1976. Served in U.S. Army, 1969-72 (accommodations medal; good conduct medal; national defense medal; vietnam service medal). Cost Accountant, Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc., 1978-87 (junior accountant, 1976-78). Owner, B & R Brooks Professional Tax Service, 1987-. President, Brooks Family Investments, Inc., 2004-. Vice-President, S.A.W. Enterprises, Inc. Member, Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee, 2010- (past treasurer). Board of Directors, Sojourner Douglass College, 2012-. Delegate, Democratic Party National Convention, 2016. Treasurer, Edrich Manor Homeowners Association. Member, Post no. 202, American Legion; Greater Patapsco Community Association, Inc.; Liberty Road Business Association, Inc. Member, St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church, Windsor Mill, Maryland. Married; three children.

Jerry Dawson, CCIM

Jerry Dawson is a results-oriented leader with demonstrated success in leading teams in highly competitive markets. Since 1998, he has worked with clients to solve commercial real estate challenges. His demonstrated ability to understand needs and tailor strategies towards a common goal has resulted in successful real estate transactions for government agencies, Fortune 500 clients, non-profit organizations, and real estate investors.

Jerry began his commercial real estate career with LaSalle Partners (now JLL), where he spent nine years providing transaction and real estate advisory services for corporate and government clients in various capacities. His client engagements include: work with Xerox, EDS, VeriSign, U.S. General Services Administration, Aon, and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Following his time with JLL, Jerry spent six years with Duke Realty Corporation, a publicly-traded national real estate investment trust. While at Duke Realty he served as vice president for Government Solutions Group where he led more than $1.5 billion in federal real estate development and leasing projects.

Mr. Dawson is a former commodity manager with General Electric where he procured non-ferrous metals (copper, brass, aluminum, silver) for 30 GE plants in North America and Puerto Rico. He is also a former decorated navy officer having deployed around the world in support of U.S. interests abroad.

Jerry is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He holds master’s degrees from George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University. He is a CCIM designee and instructor for the CCIM Institute, teaching Financial Analysis for Commercial Real Estate Investment. He has served as a course advisor for the University of Maryland’s Masters of Real Estate Development. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas).

Previously Jerry served as Chairman of the City of Bowie Economic Development Committee, Executive Board member of Johns Hopkin University Alumni Council, Board Member Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program), and Trustee, U.S. Naval Academy Athletic & Scholarship Program.

Marco Priolo, CPA

Marco Priolo, CPA is the Chief Financial Officer for the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH), a two-hospital health system within the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). In that role, Marco is responsible for the direction and administration of the financial operations of the organization. With a background in business development, accounting, and strategic financial planning, Marco plays a critical role in managing the financial resources of the organization in order to make value-added investments for the community. He enjoys partnering with clinicians and operators to address the toughest challenges in healthcare, with the goal of providing the best care for patients.

Marco is involved in several governance Boards and Committees within UM UCH and UMMS. He is the lead administrative staff for the UM UCH Finance Committee and The Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation Investment Committee. He is a staff participant for the University of Maryland Medical System’s Investment Subcommittee, which oversees the investment of ~$1.5B across its retirement plans, self-insured plans, and various investment pools. Additionally, Marco is a member of the UM UCH 403b Retirement Plan Committee, which oversees the local retirement plans of UM UCH.

In addition to his duties at UM UCH, Marco is an adjunct faculty member in finance, holding dual appointments at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University undergraduate school. Prior to joining UM UCH, Marco held various positions at Johns Hopkins Medicine including the Director of Financial Innovation for The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Director of Business Development for the health system.

An active public servant, Marco has been appointed by the Governor to multiple Boards and Commissions for the State of Maryland. He has served as the Chairman of the General Assembly Compensation Commission. Marco was also a public representative on the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission.

Marco has lived in Maryland his entire life, growing up in Silver Spring and later moving to Chevy Chase. He attended St. John’s College High School in Washington, DC. Marco received his Bachelor’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University majoring in Natural Sciences and his Master of Health Sciences Degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A standout student-athlete at both the high school and college level, Marco remains active in the coaching circuit, coaching collegiate and youth wrestling. He currently resides in West Friendship, MD with his wife and three kids.