RetrieverNation congratulates Adrienne Jones ‘76 on her election as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. As the first African-American and first female to hold this position, her term is already history in the making. Born and raised in Arbutus, Speaker Jones graduated from UMBC with a degree in Psychology and immediately went into public service. She was appointed to the House of Delegates in 1997 and has served as Speaker Pro Tem since 2003. She has also held numerous other leadership roles, including on the House Appropriations Committee as Chair of the Capital Budget and Education and Economic Development Subcommittees, and within both the Legislative Black Caucus and the Women’s Legislative Caucus. 

The 139 members of the House of Delegates unanimously elected her Speaker, following nominations by Delegate Maggie McIntosh, Delegate Dereck Davis, the other candidates running for the seat, and a special nomination by Baltimore County Delegate and UMBC alumnus Mark Chang ‘99. 

 

Adrienne Jones has been a steadfast supporter of UMBC during her time in the legislature. She has been instrumental in advocating for recent capital projects, including the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, The Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, and the new campus entrance.  She has also been a vital advocate for additional operating budget support to allow us to provide more programs and services for students while mitigating the need to increase tuition. She remains deeply connected to UMBC and was named UMBC Alumna of the Year in 2003. 

President Freeman Hrabowski states: “I am so proud of my friend Adrienne’s accomplishment. She is a hard-working leader who focuses on evenness and a willingness to listen to different points of view. Today in the Maryland House of Delegates we saw what we want to see in our country, which is people finding the common ground and focusing on the public good.” 

For more information on this historic achievement, check out our UMBC News story.

Congratulations, Speaker Jones!