New Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (D) said Thursday that he is creating a new office within city government to focus on children and families. The office will be headed by a veteran and well-known educator who was a top aide to his predecessor, former mayor Catherine E. Pugh (D).
Young announced that the Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success will come into existence on July 1, the start of the city’s new fiscal year. According to a news release from the city, the office will “cultivate partnerships, develop policies and identify innovative opportunities to support young people citywide.”
Young has hired Tisha Edwards to lead the new office, and she’ll start working for the city on Monday, conferring with top City Hall staffers to get the office up and running.
“I have always been a champion for Baltimore’s young people, and during my mayoral administration I will continue to make it a priority to put children first. And we will do that with an office solely focused on our young people leading the way,” Young said in a statement.
Prior to her most recent roles as CEO of BridgeEdU, the organization set up by Wes Moore to prepare students for college, Edwards served as executive vice president of the JS Plank and DM DiCarlo Family Foundation and was chief of Staff and lead education and youth policy adviser to Pugh. She also spent a decade in Baltimore City Public Schools as high school principal, chief of staff and interim CEO.
“Tisha Edwards has spent her entire professional life working on behalf of children, as education administrator, strategist and executive,” Young said. “She is passionate about and determined to do right by young people. I cannot imagine anyone else in this new and much-needed role of ‘chief youth advocate’ for Baltimore City.”