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About Us

Maryland’s Small Business Retirement Savings Program

Our Board

The Board established the Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Trust and implemented, maintains, and administers the Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Program.

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Hon. Dereck E. Davis,
Board Chair

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Members constitute the board
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3 Members

Appointed by the Governor

3 Members

Appointed by the Senate President

3 Members

Appointed by the House Speaker

3 Members

Serve Ex Officio

Board Members

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Hon. Phyllis C. Borzi

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terry headshot

Terry Cavanagh

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Marco Priolo, CPA

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Hon. Brooke E. Lierman

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paul headshot

Paul A. Green, Esq.

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josh headshot

Hon. Joshua Gotbaum

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james headshot

Hon. James C. Rosapepe

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jared headshot

Jared S. Solomon

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Hon. Benjamin T. Brooks, Sr.

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kathleen headshot

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

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portia headshot

Portia Wu

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Our Staff

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Executive Director / CEO

Glenn Simmons

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Marketing Director

Chris Cullen

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meagan headshot

Deputy Director

Meagan Mulgrew

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Administrative Specialist and Outreach Coordinator

Osiry Joya

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Upcoming Meetings

Next Meeting

Board Meeting
June 22, 2026

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Virtual Meeting
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7963513003?pwd=dEhFK2VDc3l5NkNaQnFJNHNjNFdjdz09&omn=89124421763

Meeting ID: 796 351 3003
Passcode: 363862
Dial-in number: +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

SPECIAL NOTICE: Currently, most Board meetings will be held via teleconference or videoconference. Board members, presenters, and staff will participate via teleconference or videoconference. There is one in-person meeting scheduled for 2026, with an option to attend via Zoom.

Members of the public will be able to access the open session of all meetings in real time via a call-in number posted on this page prior to the meeting. Portions of any Board meeting may be held in closed session, at which time the Board members and others invited by the Board will disconnect from the public call-in number and call in/log in to a separate number/video link arranged for that purpose. For logistical reasons, Board meetings that include a closed session will adjourn during the closed session, and the information required to be disclosed under the Open Meetings Act will be disclosed at the next open session of the board.

2026 Board Meetings

Monday, March 23, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Monday, June 22, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

This meeting will be held in person at the Treasury Building, located at 80 Calvert St, Annapolis, MD 21401. Lunch will be provided for board members following the meeting. A Zoom link will also be provided for members of the public and board members not able to attend in person.
 

Monday, December 14, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Hon. Dereck E. Davis, Board Chair

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.

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.

Terry Cavanagh

In an over four-decade career with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Terry led the fight to expand rights, improve wages, and secure health care and retirement security through organizing, collective bargaining, and legislation.

SEIU represents janitors, childcare providers, public employees, homecare workers, and other healthcare workers at the national, state, and local levels.

As the Executive Director of SEIU’s Maryland & DC State Council advocated for many pieces of pro-worker legislation, including the original Retirement Security bill (a.k.a. MarylandSaves). SEIU is organizing thousands of workers in Maryland and hundreds of thousands across the United States who don’t have a retirement savings program at work.

Received a bachelor’s degree in Labor Relations from LeMoyne College.

Terry has served on the boards of the Oregon School Funding Commission, the San Diego Service Workers Center, and as Chairman of the Center for Creative Citizen Action (Portland, OR).

He and his wife, Robyn, are the parents of three adult children and live in Catonsville. Serves as the Chair of the Economic Justice Committee, St. Ignatius Church, Baltimore.

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.

Hon. Brooke E. Lierman

Brooke Lierman 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 eight years as a member of the House of Delegates representing part of Baltimore City.

While in the House, she spent time in leadership roles on both the Appropriations Committee and the Environment and Transportation Committee and chaired the Joint Committee on Pensions. Brooke successfully passed landmark legislation on a range of issues from transit and broadband to criminal justice reform and public education.

As Comptroller, she is leading an agency of 1,200 dedicated Maryland public servants in 12 offices around the state. Together and under her leadership, the office is working to create a Maryland that is more equitable, more resilient, and more prosperous so that all Marylanders can reach their full potential.

Brooke grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from Dartmouth College. After participating in the AmeriCorpsVISTA program, working on several federal campaigns, and spending a year at the Center for American Progress, Brooke attended the University of Texas School of Law and then moved to Baltimore for a federal clerkship. Brooke lives in downtown Baltimore with her husband and two school-aged children who attend Baltimore City Public Schools. She is a lifelong Orioles fan.

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. Joshua Gotbaum

Josh Gotbaum, a guest scholar affiliated with the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution, chaired Maryland’s Small Business Retirement Savings Board from 2018 through March of 2025.

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. 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.

Jared S. Solomon

Member of House of Delegates since January 9, 2019. Deputy Speaker Pro Tem, 2023-. Member, Appropriations Committee, 2019- (education & economic development subcommittee, 2019-23, vice-chair, 2021-23; capital budget subcommittee, 2023-; transportation & the environment subcommittee, 2023-; chair, oversight committee on personnel, 2023-, member, 2019-). Member, Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2021-. House Chair, Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, 2023-. Member, Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2019-; Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019-. Associate member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019-. House Chair, Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus, 2024-.

Legislative assistant and policy advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, 2014-18.

University of Pittsburgh, B.A. (political science, history & economics), summa cum laude, 2007; London School of Economics, 2006 (one semester); The Johns Hopkins University, M.A. (secondary social studies), 2009. Teach for America social studies teacher, Northwestern High School, Baltimore, Maryland, 2007-09. Project Coordinator, Critical Response Team, District of Columbia Public Schools, 2009-11. Senior Director, Budget Policy, First Focus, 2011-13. Member, National Assessment Governing Board, 2024-. Chair, Board of Directors, The Intersection. Married; two children.

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.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has served with distinction in both the private and public arenas including in areas as diverse as crime, faith, finance, workforce development, women’s rights, service.

She was Maryland’s first woman Lt Governor where she developed the Hot Spots initiative which reduced crime 33% in three years in the highest crime communities. As Lt Gov she Chaired HIDTA, (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) Task Force, The Office of Crime Control and Prevention, The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, the Governor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families, and the Task Force on Drug Treatment. Among her many initiatives, she led the effort to require all state employees to take domestic violence training, launched Character Education in public schools, and initiated micro finance lending.

She also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States where helped organize the training of 100,000 community police officers and the initiation of the Police Corps

After her term as Lt Governor, she focused on finance and became a Managing Director of Rock Creek, one of the largest women owned asset management firm in the US, with states, foundation, unions and corporate pension funds for clients.

That experience led her to see the need for retirement reform as half of all Americans had nothing saved for Retirement. She Chaired the Marland Task Force on Retirement which led to the creation of Maryland Saves, and Co-founded the Center for Retirement Initiatives at Georgetown to help states enact auto-IRA legislation. When the Center opened not a single state has passed that legislation. Now 18 states have enacted retirement reform. As the Secretary’s Representative on Pensions and Retirement at the Labor under President Biden, she led the retirement reform campaign for Secretary Marty Walsh.

She has been a Special Advisor at the Department of State under Secretary Hillary Clinton, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, taught foreign policy at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland and has been a visiting Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

In the mid-1980s, she founded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award which honored Lech Walesa, Bishop Tuto and Co-Madres from El Salvador among many others.

She Chaired the Institute of Human Virology founded by Dr. Robert Gallo, which treats over one million patients in Africa as part of the PEPFAR program, Chaired the Global Virus Network, Chaired the Robert Kennedy Memorial, Chaired the Innovation in Government Awards, at the Kennedy School, Harvard University and served on the Board of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

She was the Vice-Chair of the Future of Science conference held in Venice Italy for over a decade which was part of the effort to make stem cell acceptable in Italy.

An honors graduate of Harvard University, Ms. Townsend received her law degree from the University of New Mexico where she was a member of the law review. She has received fourteen honorary degrees. Ms. Townsend’s book, Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches Mixed God with Politics and Lost Their Way has been published by Warner Books in March 2007.

Ms. Townsend is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the Inter-American Dialogue

She Co-Chaired the Board of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. She has served on a number of boards including the Export-Import Bank, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Wilderness Society, YMCA, the Points of Light Foundation, the National Catholic Reporter and the Women’s Policy Research, the Baltimore Urban League, Sheppard Pratt Health System Pension Rights Center, Center for American Progress, Why We Vac, Lightbridge, Can Alaska. She Chaired the Center for Popular Democracy.

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.

Glenn Simmons

Executive Director/CEO

Glenn has more than 30 years of government and non-profit marketing and project management experience. Glenn is a senior project strategist and team manager, driving high-performance teams to achieve measurable and efficient results against identified institutional goals. Glenn served for more than 10 years at the Johns Hopkins Institutions, including 7 years as the Managing Director of the Creative Services Group at Johns Hopkins University. In this role, Glenn operated as the Executive Director of an in-house creative and production agency in support of all the university schools, centers and institutes. During his time there, Glenn and his team worked with the president and provost of the university, school deans and senior university staff and outside agencies to develop strategic communications plans and then implemented various branding, and marketing solutions and events, including all online and conventional media. Glenn managed the profit & loss function of the Creative Services Group as it was mandated by the university to be financially self-sufficient. Glenn and his team of designers and writers created annual reports, museum displays, print, radio, television and outdoor advertising as well as the Johns Hopkins Medicine comprehensive digital signage system. Glenn has held senior positions at several leading and technology-driven printing and production companies in Baltimore. He attended West Virginia University and earned his degree in Journalism with an emphasis on advertising copywriting.

Chris Cullen

Marketing Director

Chris Cullen is an experienced marketing communications expert and writer, with a track record of high-profile success in vital and complex marketing communications assignments for companies, non-profits and critical causes.

Chris has served organizations in marketing plan development and execution such as the Boy Scouts of America, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the U.S. Naval Institute, the Endocrine Society, the National Association of REALTORS, REALTOR University, The YMCA of South Hampton Roads, The American College of Physicians, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Alliance for Excellent Education as well as several universities.

As the Chief Marketing Officer of the $1B American Legacy Foundation, Chris created the most awarded public health campaign in history–the truth campaign. As the Chief Marketing Officer for the Johns Hopkins University, Chris directed the new branding, positioning and re-alignment of the university as a precursor to also creating the case statement for the $5B Rising to the Challenge comprehensive capital campaign.

Meagan Mulgrew

Deputy Director

Meagan joined MarylandSaves as the Deputy Director in May 2023. Meagan is a broadly experienced project management professional in various disciplines including marketing, creative design and production, licensing, purchasing and print production.  In 20-plus years at the Johns Hopkins University, Meagan’s titles included Project Manager, Project Coordinator, Brand Licensing & Design Production Manager. While at the University, Meagan managed the production and distribution of the award-winning JHU Magazine and was responsible for all outsourced print production contracts. Meagan was also tasked with monitoring, updating, and improving the licensing process for the institution. In this role, Meagan built creative design coherence in more than 1 million pieces of branded merchandise annually and generated the single best revenue year in licensing.

With MarylandSaves, Meagan acts as the organization’s central operations director, reporting directly to the Executive Director, overseeing data and project management, strategic partnerships with chambers and associations, target audience segmentation, and creative material production. She supervises outside agencies and freelance consultants in digital and conventional media production and placement in support of MarylandSaves marketing and multicultural initiatives.

Osiry Joya

Administrative Specialist and Outreach Coordinator

Osiry Joya is MarylandSaves’ Administrative Specialist and Outreach Coordinator. She joins us from her recent work in the Health and Government Operations committee during the 2024 Legislative Session.  She reports to the Executive director and serves as the primary contact and liaison between the MarylandSaves participants, prospects, and partners of the organization, answering questions and providing direction for registration. Osiry also manages the MarylandSaves relationships with professional associations in Maryland and numerous City and County Chambers of Commerce, building communications and optimizing presentation opportunities in webinars and exhibits. She is a communications specialist, skilled in design, photography, and video editing, and has experience in retail and media marketing. Her fluency in English and Spanish enables effective engagement and communication in diverse settings.

“In my new position for MarylandSaves, I enjoy assisting and collaborating with my colleagues both in and out of the office. As a Spanish speaker, I am excited to support and educate members of Spanish-speaking communities about the wonderful opportunities to earn secure financial futures available through MarylandSaves. Being part of a program that positively impacts so many people in Maryland makes the work so much more meaningful and rewarding.”

Osiry holds a BA in Arts from the Washington Adventist University where she lettered in soccer for 4 years.