Alum, professor appointed to State Senate

Last Thursday, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed Hopkins alumni and adjunct professor Brian Feldman to the state Senate. The appointment filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Sen. Rob Garagiola, who represented Montgomery County in District 15.

Prior to his senatorial appointment, Feldman represented Montgomery County in the House of Delegates.

Feldman, a Democrat, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2003. There, he sat on the Economic Matters Committee, the Joint Committee on Access to Mental Health Services, the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, the Technology Oversight Committee and the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee. After 2007, Feldman was elected Chairman of the Montgomery County Delegation. In 2011, he was appointed Parliamentarian of the House of Delegates.

Feldman received several prestigious awards for his tenure in the House of Delegates, including “Advocate of the Year” by the Technology Council of Maryland, “Legislator of the Year” by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the national “State Legislator of the Year” by the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

Feldman was selected by Maryland voters as an Obama Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He also served as an Advisor to Obama’s Department of Justice Transition Team.

When the House of Delegates is not in session, Feldman practices law as Senior Counsel for Kundra & Associates, a private firm in Washington, D.C.

Feldman received his Masters Degree in government from Hopkins in 2000. Prior to receiving his masters, Feldman was an attorney in the Department of Justice, where he received three Outstanding Attorney Awards.

Feldman is an adjunct professor at Hopkins, teaching graduate courses on state policymaking and federalism.

“I am pleased to appoint Delegate Feldman to represent District 15 in the Maryland Senate,” O’Malley said, according to a press release from Feldman’s office. “With experience as a Member of the Maryland House of Delegates, support from county and local partners, and his dedication and commitment to moving our State forward, I am confident that Mr. Feldman will continue to serve the people of Montgomery County with distinction.”