Annapolis, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission.
“The work of the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission have an enormous impact on Marylanders’ lives every day,” said Gov. Moore. “I am grateful that Dr. Goldson, Mr. Paul, Ms. Ayoola, and Ms. Suchman have answered the call to serve and am confident that their expertise and experience will serve Marylanders well.”
The Maryland State Board of Education’s mission is to ensure a rigorous and world-class educational experience for every Maryland student, in every neighborhood, that prepares each to be college and career ready, through strategic direction and leadership; policy making and resource allocation; and engagement and advocacy.
Under its authority, the board sets the educational policy and standards for pre-kindergarten through high school and vocational rehabilitation services, and passes regulations. The board also reviews and approves three annual budgets (the Department of Education headquarters budget, the state aid to local education budget, and state-aided institutions budget) before they are passed on to the governor’s office for approval or revision, then on to the General Assembly for final action.
Governor Moore made the following appointments to the Maryland State Board of Education:
Dr. Monica Goldson
Dr. Monica Goldson is a student-led and community-focused leader, most recently known as the transformative leader and Prince George’s County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, Prince George’s County Public Schools gained national recognition from The College Board for higher passing rates on Advanced Placement exams, enhanced access to the county’s premier Science and Technology specialty program, and forged partnerships within the Prince George’s County Government’s Transforming Neighborhood Initiative @ Schools team.
Dr. Goldson is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an appointment from President Joseph R. Biden to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She holds a bachelor’s in mathematics from Florida A&M University, master’s in elementary and secondary school administration from Bowie State University, and doctorate in educational administration and policy from Howard University.
Samir Paul
Samir Paul is an attorney, educator, and organizer committed to sustaining and improving public schools as engines of economic opportunity where skilled and respected educators work with families and community members to train curious, compassionate, civic-minded problem-solvers. A strong advocate of early science and math exposure for kids, Paul helped start the STEM Talent Pipeline pilot program, which identified 40 girls, low-income students, and underrepresented minority students in the third grade to provide three years of accelerated and enriched math coursework.
Paul earned his bachelor’s in computer science at Harvard University, where he was awarded the Derek Bok Certificate of Distinction in Teaching and the F. Skiddy von Stade Award for personal excellence. He also holds a master’s in teaching from American University and a juris doctor from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a Dean’s Scholar, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, and head teaching assistant to Columbia University President Lee Bollinger.
Abisola Ayoola
Abisola Ayoola is the Maryland State Board of Education’s newest student member. Ayoola is a rising senior at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, where she is a participant in the school’s Gifted & Talented Independent Research program; a member of her class council, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish Honor Society; and a leader with programs dedicated to advancing social justice and promoting mental health resources for students.
During the 2022-23 school year, she served as the student member of the Howard County Board of Education as an elected voting member and a member of the policy committee that advocated for student issues. In her role, Ayoola will be an advocate and powerful voice for Maryland’s K-12 students.
For more information about the Maryland State Board of Education, visit marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard.
The Maryland Public Service Commission ensures safe, reliable, and economic public utility and transportation services for the citizens of Maryland. In their capacity, the commission ensures that rates, terms, and conditions established for public service companies are just, reasonable, and transparent. The commission also adopts and enforces regulations that are in the public interest and ensures that public service companies comply with established regulations.
Governor Moore made the following appointment to the Maryland Public Service Commission:
Bonnie Suchman
Bonnie Suchman is the owner of Suchman Law LLC and has more than 35 years of experience in the energy field, representing clients on a broad range of issues including transmission policy and regulation, reliability and cybersecurity, cross-border transmission permitting, distributed generation, and renewable energy financing mechanisms.
Prior to opening her own law firm, she was counsel at Troutman Pepper and was special counsel for electric utility restructuring at the Department of Energy. She had a principal role in the drafting of both the Clinton administration’s Comprehensive Electricity Competition Plan and the legislation implementing the provisions of the plan. She was also a senior attorney at the Edison Electric Institute and an associate at Webster & Fredrickson, a law firm representing the D.C. Public Service Commission. She is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and is a member of the D.C. and Maryland bars.
For more information about the Maryland Public Service Commission, visit psc.state.md.us.
