2026-2027 Board of Regents


Picture of Linda R. Gooden

Linda R. Gooden

Chair

Retired Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services and Officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Member, GM, Home Depot, WGL, and ADP, Inc. Board of Directors. A champion for math, science and technology education, she has served on several executive boards for Maryland institutions, including Universit...

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Geoff J. Gonella

Vice Chair

Geoff J. Gonella is the CEO of Cornerstone, a Washington D.C.-based employee-owned consulting firm that specializes in government relations, public affairs, strategic communications, and business advisory services, which he helped found and launch in 2002. Mr. Gonella holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park....

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William T. "Bill" Wood

Treasurer

William T. "Bill" Wood was appointed in 1999 by Maryland's Governor to the Board of Regents and reappointed for a term beginning July 1, 2018. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the University System of Maryl...

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Andy Smarick

Secretary

Andy Smarick was previously the chair of the Maryland Higher Education Commission and president of the Maryland State Board of Education. His other government experience includes serving as an aide in the White House Domestic Policy Counsel, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, legislative assistant at the U.S. House o...

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Ellen Fish

Assistant Treasurer

Ellen R. Fish serves as the Baltimore Region Market Leader for Atlantic Union Bank where she is responsible for the Bank's commercial expansion in the Baltimore region. She previously served as Hamilton Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer where she had responsibility for the Bank's branches, IT, operations, mark...

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Yvette Lewis

Assistant Secretary

Yvette Lewis is a lifelong grassroots activist with a proven record as a Democratic leader. She has been an organizer and a prolific fundraiser for the Maryland Democratic Party....

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Kevin Atticks

ex officio

Kevin Atticks was appointed Acting Secretary of Agriculture on Jan. 18, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Atticks was CEO (and founder) of Grow & Fortify, a firm that supports value-added agricultural organizations and the businesses they represent. Grow & Fortify published the first assessment of the state's value-added agricultural i...

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Harry Coker, Jr.

ex officio

The Honorable Harry Coker Jr was appointed by Governor Moore as Maryland’s Acting Secretary of Commerce on February 5, 2025. At Commerce, the state's primary economic development agency, Coker is focused on working collaboratively to help Maryland “Win the Decade” by developing and sustaining an equitable, robust and compet...

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Jay "Sunny" Bajaj

Jay Sunny Bajaj is the Founder and CEO of Digital Capital, LLC, which he launched in 2023 to combine finance, entrepreneurship, and inspiration in capital investment. He previously founded and led Digital Management, Inc. (DMI), growing it from a startup into a global technology solutions company serving all U.S. Federal Departments and many For...

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Sherri N. Blount

Sherri N. Blount,  is an intellectual property (IP) attorney who practices at the intersection of IP, advertising, and promotions law. She has negotiated hundreds of agreements involving intellectual property rights. Currently, she is a partner at Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery. Previously, she was a partner at Morrison & Foerster and ...

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Tisha Edwards

Tisha Edwards Joined the USM Board of Regents in December 2025. Edwards is a mission-driven executive with more than two decades of experience uniting the reach of public service with the agility of the private sector to drive access, equity, and opportunity for Marylanders. In April 2025, she was named president and CEO of the Ma...

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Michelle A. Gourdine, M.D.

Dr. Michelle Gourdine is Chief Medical Officer (interim) and Senior Vice President, Population Health and Primary Care for the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). As Chief Medical Officer, she works in collaboration with the Chief Medical Officers and other colleagues across the health system's 13 hospitals to advance patient safet...

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Anwer Hasan

Anwer Hasan has more than 37 years of experience in water and other infrastructure projects in USA and overseas. He has worked in USA, UK, Afghanistan, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Mr. Hasan is currently managing an infrastructure unit of 130 full-time staff with annual revenue of $40 million....

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Isiah (Ike) Leggett

Isiah (Ike) Leggett served three consecutive terms as Montgomery County Executive (2006-2018). In 2016, he served as president of Maryland Association of Counties and president of the County Executives of America. Before becoming County Executive, Leggett served as an at-large member on the County Council and as Council president three times. He...

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Picture of Charles T. (Tom) McMillen

Charles T. (Tom) McMillen

Tom McMillen-Olympian, Rhodes Scholar, professional basketball player, Congressman, author, businessman-first received acclaim in high school when he was named the best basketball player in the US, featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated....

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Don Mohler

Don Mohler is the President and CEO of Mohler Communication Strategies. In 2018 he completed his term as Baltimore County Executive, serving as the Chief Executive of the third largest county in Maryland, a county that is larger than four states, representing over 830,000 residents, 21,000 businesses with a $3.15 billion operating and $700 milli...

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Alicia N. Ritchie



Full Bio not available yet.

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Michele Speaks

Michele Speaks is a dedicated community activist and Co-Chair of the Warnock Foundation, where she is a champion of innovative ideas and forward-thinking individuals working to improve the lives of Baltimore residents....

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Dana B. Stebbins, Esq.

Dana Brewington Stebbins, MSW, Esq., is an attorney with an advanced degree in human behavior and more than 25 years of experience in the fields of law and social policy, the private practice of Real Estate/Land-Use law; and professional consulting services in Community and Economic Development, Business Development and Emergency Management. She...

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Lulia Mehari

Student Regent

* Term Expires 6/30/2028

Lulia Mehari is a second-year law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Team. Mehari is a recipient of the Maurice A. Bellan '98 Family Public Interest Fellowship. This summer, she is interning with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, where sh...

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Rayne Rivera-Forbes

Student Regent

* Term Expires 6/30/2027

Rayne Rivera-Forbes is an undergraduate student at Towson University, pursuing a degree in Law and American Civilization. She graduated from DuVal High School in 24 and is now a second-year cadet in the Greyhound Loyola/Towson Army ROTC Program. During her time at DuVal, Rayne held numerous student leadership positions, including serving as a lo...

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If you wish to contact a member of the Board of Regents, please use the following address:

Office of the Board of Regents
University System of Maryland
3300 Metzerott Road
Adelphi, MD 20783
Phone: 301.445.2701
Fax: 301.445.1931