2025 MCEC Legislative Reception

Harry Coker Jr.

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 competitive economy.

Acting Secretary Coker is a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) senior executive, former National Security Agency (NSA) senior executive and career Naval Officer. He was previously America’s National Cyber Director, serving in the White House from 2023 – 2025.

While serving as Executive Director of the NSA, he directly supported the Director and Deputy Director in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the Agency. During his service with the CIA, Coker was assigned to leadership positions in the Directorate of Digital Innovation; the Directorate of Science & Technology; and the Director’s Area.

Coker’s service to the nation has been recognized with the awarding of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Presidential Rank Award, the NSA Director’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence Community EEOD Outstanding Leadership Award, and CIA’s Don Cryer Award for Diversity & Inclusion leadership.

Outside of the government, Coker has served as the President of the Central Intelligence Retirees Association (CIRA) and on the Boards of Directors of the US Naval Academy Foundation; the US Navy Memorial; and Dog Tag, Inc. He also served as an Operating Partner with C5 Capital; an Outside Director for JSI Telecom, Inc; on the Strategic Advisory Committee for Octasic, Inc.; on the Editorial Board of Studies in Intelligence; and on the Advisory Boards of Zeeam Government Solutions; and Historic Ships in Baltimore. Coker also served as a Senior Fellow with Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

A long-time resident of Clinton, MD, Coker currently resides in Baltimore. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Brooke Lierman

Paul Pinsky

Paul Pinsky was appointed by Governor Moore to be the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration and he took office on January 18, 2023.

Prior to his appointment as director, he was elected to the Maryland state senate seven times. As a senator, he chaired the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. He has also served on the Maryland Commision on Climate Change since its inception.

Pinsky has been a long-time champion in the fight to address climate change and clean up the Chesapeake Bay. He is the principal author of dozens of environmental laws that have helped shape most major state environmental policies in Maryland over the last two decades.

As senator, he sponsored the landmark Climate Solutions Now legislation, passed in 2022, which requires Maryland to slash emissions 60% by 2031 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. He was also the lead sponsor of: the watershed 2006 Healthy Air Act which included mandating Maryland’s membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI); legislation codifying the Climate Commission; and the 2009 and 2016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Acts. He also co-sponsored the Clean Energy Jobs Act to require Maryland to obtain at least 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Paul Pinsky served on the Commission on Innovation & Excellence in Education (the Kirwan Commission) and was a major architect of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future which aims to transform Maryland’s education system.​

He is also a longtime advocate for social, economic and environmental justice.

Director Pinsky worked in the education field for over 40 years, teaching high school history, advocating for teachers and their working conditions and consulting and developing policy focused on improving teacher quality.

Sen. Brian Feldman

Maryland State Senator Brian J. Feldman, both an Attorney and a CPA, is Chair of the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. Brian serves on the Executive Nominations Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Legislative Policy Committee. He is also a member of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change and the Maryland Economic Development Commission. Nationally, as a member of the National Conferences of State Legislators, he serves as Vice Chair of the Task Force on Energy Supply, and as a member of the Task Force on State and Local Taxation and the Committee on Natural Resources and Infrastructure. Brian also represents Maryland as a member of the Southern States Energy Board. Numerous honors and awards have been conferred on Senator Feldman for his work in the Maryland General Assembly on clean energy. In 2019, Senator Feldman sponsored Maryland’s landmark “Clean Energy Jobs Act” and was recognized by the Community for Solar Access as a “Legislative Champion” and by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network as a “Climate Champion” in 2022. Brian serves on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Senator Feldman and his wife, Janice, have two children who graduated from Montgomery County public schools. 

Sen. Benjamin Brooks

Del. Dana Stein

Delegate Dana Stein currently represents District 11B in the Maryland House of Delegates and serves as the Speaker Pro Tem.

Del. Marc Korman

Marc Korman has proudly represented District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2014. In 2023, he was named Chair of the Environment & Transportation Committee, where he champions issues like public transit, environmental protection, and sustainable growth. Previously, Marc served as House Majority Leader and chaired the Montgomery County House Delegation. A lifelong Montgomery County resident, Marc attended Montgomery County Public Schools, earned degrees from USC, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Maryland, and now lives in Bethesda with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children. 

Del. Lorig Charkoudian

Lorig Charkoudian represents District 20 in the Maryland General Assembly, where she serves on the Economic Matters Committee and is Chair of the Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee. Lorig is a strong advocate for legislation promoting environmental justice, consumer protections, economic justice, criminal justice reform, pedestrian safety, and a sustainable food system. In addition to her role as Delegate, Lorig is the Executive Director of the Community Mediation Maryland. Lorig received her PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, has been honored three times as Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record. She lives in Takoma Park with one of her two children, Raffi, and runs ultra-marathons.

Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo

David has represented District 15 in the House of Delegates since 2013. He is a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee and is the Chair of the Motor Vehicle and Transportation Subcommittee. He also serves as the Chair of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus. 

David has a proven track record as an advocate for the environment in his 9-year career as a delegate. He has been named a “Green Champion” by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters every year since 2017 for supporting and sponsoring priority environmental legislation. 

In 2017, he spearheaded the charge in the General Assembly to ban fracking in Maryland, making it only the third state at the time to successfully enact such a ban. He has led efforts to phase out our reliance on fossil fuels and encourage the use of electric vehicles in Maryland, with the passage of the Clean Cars Act of 2022 the creation of an electric school bus pilot program and legislation to electrify the state’s vehicle fleet, Maryland is one step closer to a green energy future.  

David continues to deliver thoughtful environmental solutions that preserve our environment while creating a higher quality of life for District 15 residents. 

Del. Lily Qi

Before joining Montgomery County to oversee economic and workforce development, she was a senior economic development official for Washington, DC, a spokesperson for the DC financial regulatory agency and assistant director of multicultural affairs at American University. Delegate Lily Qi was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in November 2018 representing Montgomery County. As the first Chinese-speaking legislator in the Maryland General Assembly. She chaired the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs. Lily was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record, Washington Chinese Post’s Person of the Year 2018 and was two-time recipient of the National Association of Counties awards for her work in improving government cultural competency and innovation partnerships.

Del. Joe Vogel

Joseph Vogel is an Uruguay-born American politician who was elected as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 17 in 2021. His district includes the Montgomery County cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville and recently passed legislation to establish the Climate Technology Founder’s Fund. 

David Lapp

Kumar Barve

Kumar P. Barve was appointed to the Maryland Public Service Commission in May 2023 by Governor Wes Moore, to fill out a term ending in June 2024. He was later appointed to a new five-year term to begin July 1, 2024. Prior to his appointment, he had served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 1991, holding leadership roles including Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee, Majority Leader, and Chair of the Montgomery County House delegation. While in the General Assembly he worked on issues including environmental regulation, energy generation and conservation, and greenhouse gas reduction. Notably, he was the first Indian-American in the country to be elected to a state legislature.

As a legislator, Commissioner Barve was the recipient of the Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Award in 2023; Certificate of Appreciation from the Maryland Municipal League in 2007, 2010 and 2011; Maryland Super Star from the Maryland Municipal League in 2008; and Legislator of the Year from the Montgomery County Medical Society in 1995, 1996 and 2000.

Commissioner Barve is a member of the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).

A graduate of Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring, Commissioner Barve received a B.S. in Accounting from Georgetown University. He is a resident of Rockville, Maryland.

Jim Gilroy

Jim Gilroy serves as the State Government Affairs Manager for PSEG.

Jason Stanek

Jason M. Stanek is the Executive Director for Governmental Services at PJM Interconnection, LLC. He most recently served as Chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission from 2018 to 2023. Before that, he was Senior Counsel to the Energy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce where he advised on matters involving national energy policy, with specific focus on electricity issues and the operations of the regional power markets. He also served in senior positions at FERC for 16 years, advising both a chairman and a commissioner. Jason received a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. He also completed studies at American University and the University of North Carolina. 

Lael Campbell

Lael Campbell is the Vice President of State Government Affairs with Constellation.

Divesh Gupta

Divesh Gupta is the Director of Clean Energy Strategies for BGE.

Ben Margolis

Ben Margolis serves as the Director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator, leading all facets of the organization.