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Brown fills out transition team with lawyers, insiders

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in July 2018. On Tuesday, he made history, becoming Maryland’s first Black attorney general. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Attorney General-elect Anthony Brown (D) on Thursday filled out his transition team, a week after announcing the two leaders of the transition effort.

The bigger group consists of several prominent names in the Maryland political and legal communities, including former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, former state Del. Timothy Maloney, and veteran law professor and political strategist Larry Gibson, as well as union and business leaders.

The expanded transition team will advise Brown on civil rights, consumer protection, the environment, equity and ethics, labor, procurement and public safety. In a statement, Brown said the policy teams will convene public listening sessions and provide guidance as he prepares to take over as the state’s 47th attorney general. 

“Justice and equity will be central to my efforts as Maryland’s Chief Legal Officer and our approach to issues impacting our state,” he said. “These leaders bring decades of legal, policy and professional experience and are experts in each of their fields. Their work as part of this transition will be critical to ensuring a strong foundation and clear path forward as we continue to serve the people of Maryland.”

Last week, Brown announced that retired Howard County Circuit Court Judge Donna Hill Staton and Donald Tobin, former dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, would lead his transition. 

Here’s who will join them as Transition Steering Committee advisers:

  • Jason Downs, a former chief deputy attorney general in the Washington, D.C., Office of the Attorney General.
  • Larry Gibson, a professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, who has held a variety of positions in government and politics and is a mentor to many Maryland political leaders.
  • Betty Hewlett, an attorney and the recently retired chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board and the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. She was recently appointed by President Biden as the commissioner for National Capital Planning Commission.
  • Timothy Maloney, a trial lawyer and close adviser to several prominent politicians, including Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). Maloney was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1979 to 1995.
  • Elisabeth Sachs, director of Government Reform and Strategic Initiatives in the office of Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D). She is the daughter of the late Maryland Attorney General Steve Sachs (D).
  • Tom Perez, who most recently finished a close second in the Democratic primary for governor. He also has served as  chair of the Democratic National Committee, Labor secretary for the Obama administration and in Maryland, and as assistant U.S. attorney general for Civil Rights.

Brown also announced Thursday the co-leaders of his transition’s policy teams.

Civil Rights:

  • Tiffany Releford, a partner at the law firm Whiteford, Taylor & Preston.
  • Steven Hawkins, former president and CEO of the US Cannabis Council and former executive vice president and chief program officer of the NAACP.

Consumer Protection:

  • Nicole McConlogue, an associate professor and clinic director at West Virginia University who formerly managed the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland’s Consumer Protection Project.
  • Paul Tiburzi, chair of the State Public Policy and Administrative Law Practice for DLA Piper in Baltimore.

Environment:

  • Edward Gibbs, a partner at the law firm Gibbs and Haller.
  • Melanie Hartwig Davis, a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and former commissioner of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Equity & Ethics:

  • Lydia E. Lawless, the Bar Counsel for the State of Maryland, who manages an office that investigates and, when necessary, prosecutes allegations of professional misconduct and incapacity.
  • Caroline Laguerre-Brown, vice provost for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement for George Washington University. 

Labor:

  • Roxie Herbekian, president of UNITE HERE Local 7 and member of the executive board of the Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO.
  • Joel Smith, counsel at Kahn, Smith & Collins, P.A., who represents a variety of public employee unions in Maryland. 

Procurement:

  • Franklin Lee, a partner at the law firm Tydings & Lee. 
  • Scott A. Livingston, co-founder of the law and lobbying firm RWL and chair of the firm’s state contracting, procurement and bid protests practice.
  • Norman Earl Parker Jr., the assistant deputy Howard County solicitor who has also worked for the state attorney general’s office.

Public Safety:

  • Michael Pinard, co-director of the Clinical Law Program at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
  • Chelsea Crawford, a partner at law firm Brown Goldstein & Levy.

“Attorney General-elect Brown and this transition team are committed to listening to the diverse voices of Marylanders — from our state’s top legal minds to the residents who call Maryland home,” Staton said. “These leaders represent all corners of our great state and I’m confident that their advice and guidance will advance our shared goals of equal justice and equity for all.”  

Learn more at the attorney general-elect’s website at www.agtransition23.com.

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Brown fills out transition team with lawyers, insiders