December 10, 2025 GWDB Meeting Minutes - Governor's Workforce Development Board

MEMBERS PRESENT IP(in-person) OR V(virtual) OR V/Ph(virtual by phone)

(IP) Delali Dzirasa (Chair) (IP) Ferris Allen, III
(V) Alexander Austin (IP) Marco V. Ávila (IP) Carol Beatty
(IP) Stacey Beichler
(V) Erikk Bonner
(V) Donald Boyd
(V) Brian Cavey
(V) Annesa Cheek
(IP) MacKenzie Garvin
(V) Kevin D. Heffner
(V) Matthew Holloway
(V) Rafael Lopez (IP) Jessica Mente
(V) Kirkland Murray
(V) Tamla Olivier
(V) Sanjay Rai
(V) Carmel Roques
(IP) Edward C. Rothstein
(IP) Marty Schwartz (IP) Michelle B. Smith
(V) Brian Stamper (IP) Inez Stewart
(V) Teaera Strum
(V) Michael Thomas (IP) Perketer Tucker (IP) Portia Wu
(IP) Caryn York

MEMBERS ABSENT
Governor Wes Moore Vanessa Atterbeary Calvin Ball
Joanne C. Benson Samantha Biddle
Charnetia V. Callaham Harry Coker
Jabob “Jake” Day Jonny Dorsey Donna Edwards
Roderick King Myra Norton Carolyn Scruggs Meena Seshamani Betsy Tolentino Carey Wright

GWDB STAFF
Ashley Baldwin Shamara Bownes Darla Henson
Ben Hsieh Justin Nalley Edrees Nawabi
Rachael Parker
Katharine Swanson-Palmer

GUESTS *
Stephanie Adibe Jenna Bachman John Barber Kristen Bochen Melanie Butler Dwight Carr Peggy DallAcqua
Noell Damron Rachel Davis Renae Davis Jennifer Dewees Jessica Diaz Allen Dodkowitz Ewurabena
Lyn Farrow John Feaster
Sarah Flemming Lauren Forte Genevieve Floyd Gabriel Fyk Lauren Gilwee Jewel Green
LaKisha Greenwade Nicole Guimaraes Ari Hicks
Kimberly Hiner Dolly Isaac Pamela Jennings Gregory Johnson
Kevin Wayne Johnson Fahim Karim
Mary Keller Tom Liniak Meka McNeal Mike Morello Mark Nardone John Papagni
PG Chamber of Commerce Brittny Pinto
Ellen Rappaport Barbara Reed Candice Roberts Phil Rogofsky Rose
Erin Roth
Jim Rzepkowski Jessica Sackey Conrad Samuels Tyrone Smith Erykah St.Louis Casey Tiefenwerth Suzanne
Towns Jacqueline Trieu Melanie Upright
Mary Cramer Wagner John White
Jon Luther White Anna Whitney Fred Williams Robert Williams Laura Wright Karla Yoder Khuram Zaman
V/Ph 1-443-**66 V/Ph 1-601-**39 V/Ph 1-301-**09

*Please note, these are the guests for the meeting, guest attendance by phone could not be
identiﬁed.

I. WELCOME + PURPOSE
The meeting commenced with a welcome from Chair Delali Dzirasa. The Chair grounded the meeting in
the Board's mission, vision, and values, highlighting the responsibilities and speciﬁc purpose for
the day’s session.
● New Member Highlights: Introduction and recognition of new members joining the Board.
● GWDB Vice Chair Introduction: Ofﬁcial introduction of Tamla Olivier as the GWDB Vice Chair.

II. ROLL CALL + CONSENT AGENDA
A review of the agenda and prior meeting materials was conducted.
● Motion: A motion was made and seconded to approve the December 10, 2025 meeting agenda, the
September 10, 2025 meeting minutes, and the 2026 meeting dates.
● WIOA System Policies: The motion included approval for Regional and Local Workforce Development
Plans and the following new or updated WIOA system policies:
○ American Job Center Certiﬁcation Policy.
○ Memorandum of Understanding & Resource Sharing Agreements Policy.
○ One-Stop Operator Procurement Policy.
○ Chief Local Elected Ofﬁcial Agreement Guidance.
● Leadership Report: The Board discussed the following topics; Board member recruitment, the
proposed 2026 meeting schedule, key milestones for the 2026 State Plan Modiﬁcation, reﬁnements to
the 2026 committee structure, and the 2026 Professional Development Calendar.

Result: The motion carried unanimously.

III. STRATEGY & IMPACT RETREAT READOUT
Chair Dzirasa and Executive Director Parker provided a readout from the October Strategy & Impact
Retreat, highlighting key themes, priorities, and commitments that emerged from the Board’s
discussions. The update focused on how retreat outcomes are shaping the Board’s work entering 2026,
including anticipated State Plan modiﬁcations and the refreshed structure and focus of GWDB
committees.
Staff shared early progress made following the retreat, including initial development of a system
performance dashboard and the creation of a 2026 Professional Development Calendar to support Board
and committee effectiveness
● 2026 Actions: The discussion focused on planned actions for the upcoming year, speciﬁcally
regarding State Plan Modiﬁcation and the structure of GWDB Committees.
● Immediate Post-Retreat Progress: Updates were provided on immediate actions following the
retreat, including the development of a system performance dashboard and the 2026 Professional
Development Calendar.

IV. PROGRESS TO GOAL: QUARTERLY SPRINTS
The Board reviewed reports and held discussions regarding the working groups and projects from the
prior quarter.
● AI Upskilling Workgroup: Lead by Ari Hicks provided an update on the workgroup’s efforts to
explore how artiﬁcial intelligence is shaping workforce needs and to identify strategies for
supporting AI literacy, upskilling, and employer adoption across sectors.
● GWDB Member Playbook: Lead by Rachel Davis shared progress on the development of the GWDB Member
Playbook, which is intended to clarify Board member roles, expectations, and opportunities for
engagement while supporting more consistent and effective governance practices.

V. LOCAL BLOCKER REMOVAL
Executive Director Parker led a review of the feedback received during the current quarter
regarding local blockers. This session focused on identifying and addressing barriers to effective
service delivery and partnership at the local level as part of the Board's ongoing commitment to
system improvement

VI. ADJOURN
Chair Dzirasa called for a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded and approved, and the meeting
conclude